I've made it to the double digits! I've developed allergies again, no fun at all, silly plants in Ithaca. I've spent a lot more time outside and I no longer have air conditioning so all my air comes from outside. Basically, there's no way to avoid fresh air, with all it's many delights of pollen and insects. Luckily there are solutions to such things.
My current project involves unpacking all my books and making my bed stable again. My bed frame is on wheels, which I never really noticed as a problem until now when my bedroom is hardwood floors. Even with casters underneath, my bed still moves a little whenever I do. You don't really think about it, but you don't want your bed moving, even if it's less than half an inch. My study room is still a mess, but I just haven't had the time/energy to care.
Later in the day...
Well, the bed and the study room have both been tackled. I'm not quite done with the books/notebooks, but I'm seeing the carpet in places I hadn't seen since I moved in.
I'm realizing that I may be allergic to my apartment, which isn't great. I know I used to be allergic to mold and mildew, and living in a basement apartment without air conditioning gives a very high chance of there being mold and mildew in this apartment. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I hope I'm not sick the whole year, but if I'm still sick in November I'll have to leave this apartment next August. Yeah, I have to decide by Nov. 10 if I want to move out on Aug. 10. Funny, huh? Crazy Ithaca rental policies. All those over-eager undergrads.
I had chicken soup tonight. I'm loving my stuffed animals. I took a nap on the couch. All sorts of comfort things happening today, I just need it.
Everyone here is very helpful, as long as you ask for help. That's a difference from home. At home, people are offering help left and right, I guess it's part of that Southern culture thing. We talk to strangers, offer help to people we don't really know, etc. It's a much more open culture. I never thought there could be such a difference between states and regions. But I still get to speak English, and for that I'm very very thankful. I'm so glad that I'm not having to function in a new language while also adapting to new foods, new school, etc.
So this will be a humbling experience. It's the first time I haven't been near the top of my class, where I don't know much about anything, and learning to become detached from the physical presence of loved ones. That last one is a toughie. It's inevitable that in life we will move or have others move. And we still love them, but they're far away, not in our daily lives, and you may or may not see them again. Or at least in the near future. So, I'll keep praying for God to accompany me on this journey and to send me new people to shape me even more, to assist me and people for me to assist.
Tomorrow I meet with my committee to decide my classes. There are 3 undergrad classes and 1 grad class that I want to take, but I need to get rid of one of the undergrad classes. I guess I'll have to give up the one I want to take rather than I need to take. I guess necessity overrides desire.
I got to go to the Ithaca public library yesterday, that was exciting :). I now have a library card and already checked out a book (Blessings by Anna Quindlen) which I began reading before I left and now I can finish. The library's not as big as I expected looking at the outside, just a little bit bigger than our branch library back at home near my parents' house. But it's got a nice reading room at the back and very enthusiastic air conditioning, which I appreciated since yesterday was pretty warm.
I got to buy school supplies today too :). I went to Staples, one of my favorite stores, and found the best spiral notebooks. They have fantastically smooth paper, 3 holes in them, a large enough pocket, and a sturdy cover. So I bought 7 :). And I got enough paper for the rest of my grad school career since it was on sale, and a binder for my TAing. I love school supplies.
Overall it was a productive day. Tomorrow I get to go to the desk festival (crazy math people make a party out of anything), and choose my desk :). Then I will officially be a grad student equipped with keys, a mailbox, a desk, classes, and a TA job. Wow, I feel all grown up. I have a little responsibility and the tools to accomplish things with. Let the humbling begin.
1 comment:
smooth paper is a necessity. I found some great notebooks at the SC bookstore, but they were far too expensive and I had already bought notebooks at Target...they did have some of the smoothest sheets and darkest lines that I've ever seen though.
oh, and lets hear it for another math party!
Post a Comment