Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Don't blink, you'll miss it....

Life moves so fast. Cleaning through my text message inbox, I realize it was less than two months ago that Alis, Alison and I were taking our comps. All those intense months of studying, coming down to four hours of incredibly intense writing. At one point just to break the tension I reached over and poked Alison, silently doing our impression of the 'Sphere of Domesticity'. Silent laughter ensued, followed by more intense writing. After that, we headed out for beers and Chinese food in West Portal, free with the knowledge that we had done our part and it was behind us.

And then began the waiting for the call. I had been silently, secretly hoping to get distinction, even though I knew Europeanists rarely did. It is totally meaningless, mind you- doesn't go on your transcript or let you graduate with honors, but when the call finally came and it turned out I had actually done it, it was incredibly satisfying.

I really loved my graduate work, even though in the beginning it seemed overwhelming, and new, and like I would never get to where I wanted to be. And then there I was, finishing on top, and with a job to boot.This is the second time I have graduated with a job, and this time it is actually 'what I want to do', teaching at a community college. This is what I went to school to do, and I am doing it. Mind you, I am only an adjunct, teaching one section, so the pay is well, hysterical. However it is still deeply satisfying. After my first class, I actually had a student come up and say to me 'I never liked history before, but this is interesting!".

There is still so much more to do and figure out- I need a second part time job, I need to decide what further educational goals I want to pursue. However for right now it's enough to stop and take a moment to truly appreciate what I have done. I am extremely satisfied and proud of myself. These moments in life are rare, and I mean to enjoy it :-)

1 comment: