Is my world really the best?

Can my perfect world actually exist? For this blog post I decided to choose Twyla Tharp’s exercise Our Perfect world, number 17 on page 135. Twyla says that her perfect world does not exist but it’s there as a goal for her and that is how I wanted to view my perfect world however I found that my perfect world is fairly unrealistic. For this exercise I found it easier to be selfish when thinking about the criteria because it’s “my world” so that’s where I started. I started by thinking about what makes me happy and what my world would look like. Her a few things I came up with; people who are going to shut down my ideas and go against my desires would not be present, if I wanted to try something new the opportunity would be available, my family and I would never have to go without the necessities,  I would have no obligations to other people only to myself and I would not have any fears. Now those are just a few of the ideas I came up with for my world. Doing this was more difficult than I planned on it being. I thought that coming up with my own world would be easy and only take a couple of minutes however I found myself contradicting my own thoughts I also found that I do actually care a lot about other people and how what I do effects them. In my world I created I am a very selfish person which I don’t like I understand the point was to create a world for me however I realized my happiness does not only rely on my wants I also want my friends, family and people around me to be happy. When I see others around me struggling and not obtaining their goals it makes me upset. If I were to somehow actually create an entire new world, these rules that I came up with would have to be flushed down the toilet and recreated with other peoples desires and needs in mind. I didn’t like just thinking about my wants and needs throughout this exercise.

In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. Bill Cosby

Once upon a time there lived a sad but beautiful girl she was always doing laundry, cooking and cleaning. Then one day her fairy god mother came, rescued her and gave her a beautiful dress which she wore to the ball where she met her prince charming. They fell in love and lived happily ever after. Now growing up we were always told stories similar to this about Cinderella and other princesses who struggle all through life but end up happily ever after however, unfortunately this is real life it isn’t a fairytale and not everyone ends up happily ever after. One of my biggest fears in not being happy in life, right now is a very crucial time in my life I am trying to decide a major which I want to continue to do for the rest of my life and how I do in college can potentially determine my future. I am very nervous I won’t make the right decision. Growing up I’ve had aspirations to be a zoologist, marine biologist, teacher, astronaut and nurse, my plans for the future have constantly been changing since I was young but I’m in college now and it is time to really decided where I want to go in life and what is going to make me happy.  I originally entered college with the hopes to be a nurse preferably in pediatrics however after being here for a semester I’ve started to question that. I’ve been working with children as a student intern at elementary schools, camp counselor and a special needs Para for a few years now and up until last year I wanted to be a teacher. Being away from the children has made me miss the feeling I get from working with them, I’ve started to realize that being with children and helping them grow as a person is part of what makes me happy. I’ve come to the conclusion that I’ve made the wrong decision in pursuing nursing instead of education. This has started to make me wonder what else I have made the wrong decision in. I am so afraid that I won’t be happy later on in life because of the decisions I’m making now. I see so many adults who are working in jobs they really don’t like and who are just going through the motions of life and aren’t making the most of it. When I’m older I want to be happy with myself and my life. I am afraid of being unhappy.

 

 

Staying Inshape at SCSU

Today I decided to take a stroll down to the fitness center. Our fitness center here at Southern has a wide range of machines from ellipticals and treadmills to many different weight machines. The initial fee for the semester was 60 dollars however as of October 15^th the price was reduced to 35 dollars. The gym is an easy and convenient way for students to stay in or get in shape.

Our gym has many different classes taught by other students and faculty. Some of these classes include kick boxing, yoga and aerobics. All classes are taught in the gym’s very nice class room. Almost all of the staff and teachers are extremely nice and helpful.

There are a couple of rules you must follow in order to be a member. No “street clothes” are allowed, no undergarments are allowed to be exposed, all must wear gym sneakers and no tight tee shirts or work out clothing. As well it is recommended that a lock is brought to keep your wallets and jackets safe inside of the provided lockers because theft does occur.

My only complaint that I have about our gym is that it cost students each semester to be a member. I understand that money needs to be made to pay the staff, however I don’t agree that the students should be charged. We all pay a great deal of money to attend this school and I think it is a bit much to charge us to go to the gym and stay healthy on top of the other expenses we have to pay. Over all our schools gym offers a great number of classes taught by friendly staff, provide us multiple machines and a great safe place to work out and stay fit.

SCSU art sacavenger hunt

This past week I wondered around campus looking for sculptures and paintings until on caught my eyes. I looked in a couple different buildings and I also took a look outside. Although I saw a couple none of them really brought me in. I didn’t find that great of a selection as well. However after a little while I found a painting done by Maryellen Considine-Woolley who I later found out after reading that she is an alumni of SCSU.

Maryellen received her BS and MS degrees from southern, she studied at a few different colleges as ell including Paier College Of Art, The school of Visual Arts and The Art Concentration in painting from Columbia University. She is also presently affiliated with SCSU as an art instructor for more than thirty years.

I was drawn to this piece because of the bright colors as well as although they were three separate paintings they all flowed together. I was not sure what message or time she was trying to get across at first glance, often times trees symbolize strength and flowers beauty however the last picture reminded me of an eyeball I wasn’t exactly sure what to make of it. I assumed the artist was trying to depict a time when she saw beauty and strength within someone or a culture. I really enjoyed this pictures the colors and the technique in which they were created were all lovely.

After reading the small plaque next to the display I found out that Maryellen was the creator and that this was a depiction of her experience one morning while walking through the Miramar section of Havana Cuba. She painted the large trees and flowers she was surrounded in. She believes them to be an example of the valor, tenacity, and generosity of the spirits of the people she encounter. I believe she did a wonderful job of showing this. I very much enjoyed looking at her paintings and I would definitely like to see more.

 

 

 

Time to step up my game

As the middle of my first semester came I had been starting to get lazy. My homework was starting to slip and my effort was declining. This shows in my midterm grades. My gpa is not as high as I would like it to be and there is definitely room for improvement.

Getting used to the new college grading scale is something I don’t exactly understand however I need to deal with it. In multiple classes that I take my midterm grade was based off of one test or one assignment. It’s difficult for me to agree with that because if you misunderstood the work or got a bad grade on that single assignment then your entire grade for that class is also going to be bad. This is something very different from high school. Normally there are multiple homework assignments and tests throughout the semester.

College has been a good experience for me so far. My organization has gotten better, my work ethics have improved and I’ve met great people however if I want to get my grades up to where I’d like them I really need to crack down, stop being so lazy and get my work done and in on time.

There is a class or two I know I have been struggling in and my grade definitely reflects that. To improve those grades I need to schedule meetings with my teachers to get some extra help. Overall my grades we not awful for my first half of the semester in college but they are not nearly as high as I’d like them to be.

 

Gym time equals fun time

                Living in the same room as two other people and being neighbors with friends can sometimes be a challenge to find peace. There is always something going on whether it be studying, family dinners, ice cream runs or sushi nights, I’m always having fun with them. My friends are a great distraction for me from my studies with them there is never a dull moment. So when this post was assigned I knew it would be no problem to find something fun to do. But I wanted to find something that was fun for me but I haven’t done in a while. I used to go to the gym a lot before coming to southern it was always a great way for me to have fun while doing something productive.

Now to many people the gym doesn’t sound like fun, it sounds like a lot of work. But to me behind all the sweat and burning in my muscles I’m happy. Being at the gym for me is fun. There is always music going either in my headphones or over the speakers and it is a great place for me to reflect. Even when I’ve had a bad day going to the gym helps because I know I am being productive, therefore I become happy.

Also going to the gym with my friends is always fun. Mondays and Wednesdays my roommates and I go to the gym we joke about our teachers and school work. It’s nice to unwind and put the troubles of the day behind us. Although many people don’t find the gym fun, I do. It’s a great way to stay or get in shape and it can be a good bonding experience if you go with friends or roommates because you’re all working together.

A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions. By Oliver Windell Holmes Jr.

These past few weeks here at southern have been interesting to say the least. Learning to manage my time and get my work done while still having a social life has not been the easiest. There have been times that I have missed out on activities with my friends and there have also been times I postponed my homework and then ran out of time before being able to complete it. Learning to live with two other girls has also been a challenge but there are positives that have come from it. Over the past couple weeks college has tested me in many different categories and some of them came natural and some of them I am still trying to figure out.  

Creating my own schedule has been one of the most difficult things I’ve faced since coming southern. Prior to college my days were always pretty much the same; I had school, then I went to work, then I went home to do my homework and then I normally hung out with friends. Now I have to learn to manage my time better because unlike high school where my days were always the same, here in college each day my schedule is different from the day before it. I have to manage my time between; class, sleep, homework, eating and maintaining a social life. It was very complicated at first but after a couple of weeks I found that staying organized and planning specific times for me to do my homework and studying helped me keep track of my assignments and still have time to do everything else. For me if I am not organized then my work doesn’t get done and I fall behind quite quickly.

College has not only tested me academically but it has also tested me personally. Living in a triple dorm has not been the easiest thing in the world. Trying to share a 10ft by 10ft space with two other girls has brought up many issues. Each one of us has our own style and our own way of living that in some aspect of another has conflicted with one another. With this being said sharing a room has pushed me to be more open with other girls and understand that everyone is not the same and just because I like to keep my side of the room neat does not mean they do and just because two of us want to go out on a Thursday night does not mean all three of us have to. Learning to coexist with other people is just a part of growing up and although it may not be easy it is necessary.

 College is a territory in which I am still becoming familiar with. It has posed all sorts of new questions and new ideas. It is here I that have been confronted with the reality that I am growing up. Although I am still getting used to college I am very happy I came and this first half of the first semester has taught me so much.