Once again, I apologize for forgetting about you for a whole semester. These last however-many-weeks have challenged me in ways I never thought possible and I've learned a lot about myself. I've discovered that I've started writing emails like papers with a thesis and an introduction and conclusion. I have successfully survived working 24 hours a week between 2 jobs and also going to school. I have analyzed authors and their works, written long papers on impossibly tight schedules, been too busy to sleep more than three hours or to eat a meal at a normal time (or even eat a meal while sitting or standing in one place). I have felt like an idiot, I have learned things, and I have overcome my fears of failure, of people smarter than me, and of not getting everything done. Graduate school is not for everyone. I've had moments where I thought it wasn't for me. But you know what? Everything is what you make it. And slowly, but surely, I'm making graduate school my own.
When I was younger, my family moved around a lot. Like every 2-4 years. Everywhere we lived my dad would tell me to make it my own. I would join clubs, work really hard at homework, make new friends, play in the band, and do all of the things I loved. I would be happy. I made it my own. The first year or two of this is always a painful process. But you know what? Slowly but surely I'll make graduate school my own.
