(Note: This wasn't ACTUALLY published until 2016, when I found the fully completed draft hiding out among all the published posts. I had finished it and completely forgotten to post. As a favor to the Meg of 2014, I decided to remedy that.)
I am ashamed. I said I would post more often, and I haven't posted in more than a month. In my defense, we had midterms in the middle of October and I just needed to give myself a break from HARD THINGS. Also, I spent the last few Sundays talking to people here or at home, which is rather more important than blogging. Right now, I ought to write in my journal, but I don't think I can do it with the guilt of this neglected blog riding on my conscience.
A few weeks ago, Dad asked me to rate my experience here at SVU on a scale of 1 to 10, and I placed it at 10. (I think. I don't actually remember what I said, but the sentiment was that of 10.) Have there been some things that haven't lived up to my expectations? Yes. The food is first on the list, but I can forgive that because I like to think that I wouldn't have reason to complain about it if I wasn't a paranoid vegetarian. As it is, many meals are slightly traumatic as I determine to turn a blind eye to the fact that someone just dropped a chunk of beef in the beans, etc. But the staff really tries to provide us vegetarians with food we can eat, and I appreciate the thought.
As I was preparing to come here, a lot of people asked me why I'm going so far away to school and the only answer I had to give them was that this is the only school I wanted to go to. That fact remains the same. I miss Canada. I was lying in bed last night and it suddenly occurred to me that if I go to school here, I'm probably going to marry an American and end up living in the US. The idea is painful, in a way. A lot of kids talk about how they didn't realize how much they loved their families until they left, but I always knew that my family was the most important thing to me. The place where I hold all my regrets is in my appreciation for my country and my tiny little Magrath. The USA was the one who fought the revolution, who has all the cool places and the hustle of a bustling nation, but there is a distinct tranquility about Canada that I really miss. Canada: the 'invisible' nation. Where 'everybody's nice' and the world just looks clean.
Even with all of that, I want to come back to this school. I recognize that I am insanely blessed in that I love all of my teachers. Homework and classes can pile up at times and make my life go crazy, but I still savor every opportunity to sit in class and soak up whatever the teacher has to tell me. I feel like I have the world at my fingertips, and it shows. My life is changing. I started NaNoWriMo yesterday, and everything that I have learned in Tyranny & Totalitarianism came spilling out as my main character was learning how to bring down a country. I have some sort of crazy dream about working at NASA now. Dad is going to be so happy when I come home and know how to use a drill and build a wooden flat. Over the past few years, I've felt like I just didn't like to learn, but I do now. I'm excited for life now.
As you may know, I spent the last year wishing to die. It got better in March, but I still didn't really have any idea of what my life would be like if I lived to old age. On the one hand, I had a sort of hazy idea about getting married and having kids, but I couldn't picture it anymore. The other option, the one where I spent my days doing things I didn't really care about and then came home to a place that was cold and dark and empty, was seeming far more likely. Both ideas scared me, but they don't anymore. It's funny because during those months of depression, I chose the second option in my head. It wasn't the one that I wanted, but it was the one I could see. Now, as my life has opened up, I can see myself being happy whatever happens. The idea of marrying somebody doesn't seem alien to me anymore, but I think I could be happy if it was my lot to live alone. I've learned to love life again, and that makes me happy.
Sorry for the disjointed dump of seriousness. It just sort of came out, but I think I'll keep it. If all the testimonies given in sacrament today give an accurate depiction, this last week has been pretty hard on everybody, but I'm feeling at peace now. I've decided to do NaNoWriMo this year, if you missed the reference above. It is going to require writing 2,000 words a day (besides homework), and I'm still not quite sure how I'm going to do it, but I feel like I need to get this story out of my head before I can move on with life. (And yesterday's writing was pretty stinking fun.)
Good luck with your lives. I love you all.
Monday 3 November 2014
Sunday 21 September 2014
Learning, and Growing... and, um... Illness?
Hello!
I know I missed last week, but that doesn't matter because I didn't even say I would post every week! The last couple weeks have passed in a bit of a blur. I can hardly believe it's been--what, three weeks now? Four! Time flies when you have a lot of homework.
I have learned a lot in the past month. Both about myself and the world around me. For example, I now know more than I ever did about the nature of light and how telescopes work. I know why Nero was a bad guy (though, at least according to Suetonius, Caligula was rather worse). I've learned that the children of Israel really were significantly more righteous than your average ancient culture, and that Hector of Troy was the first hero worth fangirling over.
I have also learned that I really need to brush up on my essay-writing skills. I will get my first paper back on Tuesday and half of me can't handle the anticipation, while the other half thinks it would be a good idea to go bury my head in the sand and pretend I did a good job. Thankfully, we will have writing conferences with our professor where we will go over the issues in our papers so we can up our grades.
Last week, I neglected to post even though I really wanted to. I have a public thank-you to make, you see. I woke up feeling rather ill on Wednesday morning and, despite my best efforts, I was not doing well by the end of the day. My sore throat made it hurt to breathe, while my stuffed up nose made it even harder. I was starting to feel nauseous and achy, as well as suffering from sudden chills. I knew that it was the 'freshman flu' everybody warned me about.
Terrified that I wouldn't be able to go to my classes the next day, I covered myself with essential oils and then prayed as hard as I could with a brain that felt wrapped in cotton that I would either get better, be sick only for Thursday, or that my sickness would be staved off until the weekend. I then slept for nearly a full twelve hours and I am very pleased to report that I was ten times better the next morning. I was still hoarse and congested, but the flu-like symptoms were gone. I know that a loving Heavenly Father saved me from a doom that maybe wasn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but really felt like a big deal to me, and I want to bear witness of that.
There isn't really much else to say. Sarah and I got to talk to our ZoeyBrielle and Jocelyn last night, though they weren't quite sure what to make of us talking to them out of a screen instead of in person. We also got to talk to Dad and Meme, which was also great. For all those who were worried about me moving out, I'm doing very well. Surprisingly well. Time is going by so fast that I haven't really had the time to feel homesick. I mean, yeah, I want to see my family but it isn't something that I think about unless I think about it. You know what I mean?
I know I missed last week, but that doesn't matter because I didn't even say I would post every week! The last couple weeks have passed in a bit of a blur. I can hardly believe it's been--what, three weeks now? Four! Time flies when you have a lot of homework.
I have learned a lot in the past month. Both about myself and the world around me. For example, I now know more than I ever did about the nature of light and how telescopes work. I know why Nero was a bad guy (though, at least according to Suetonius, Caligula was rather worse). I've learned that the children of Israel really were significantly more righteous than your average ancient culture, and that Hector of Troy was the first hero worth fangirling over.
I have also learned that I really need to brush up on my essay-writing skills. I will get my first paper back on Tuesday and half of me can't handle the anticipation, while the other half thinks it would be a good idea to go bury my head in the sand and pretend I did a good job. Thankfully, we will have writing conferences with our professor where we will go over the issues in our papers so we can up our grades.
Last week, I neglected to post even though I really wanted to. I have a public thank-you to make, you see. I woke up feeling rather ill on Wednesday morning and, despite my best efforts, I was not doing well by the end of the day. My sore throat made it hurt to breathe, while my stuffed up nose made it even harder. I was starting to feel nauseous and achy, as well as suffering from sudden chills. I knew that it was the 'freshman flu' everybody warned me about.
Terrified that I wouldn't be able to go to my classes the next day, I covered myself with essential oils and then prayed as hard as I could with a brain that felt wrapped in cotton that I would either get better, be sick only for Thursday, or that my sickness would be staved off until the weekend. I then slept for nearly a full twelve hours and I am very pleased to report that I was ten times better the next morning. I was still hoarse and congested, but the flu-like symptoms were gone. I know that a loving Heavenly Father saved me from a doom that maybe wasn't such a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but really felt like a big deal to me, and I want to bear witness of that.
There isn't really much else to say. Sarah and I got to talk to our ZoeyBrielle and Jocelyn last night, though they weren't quite sure what to make of us talking to them out of a screen instead of in person. We also got to talk to Dad and Meme, which was also great. For all those who were worried about me moving out, I'm doing very well. Surprisingly well. Time is going by so fast that I haven't really had the time to feel homesick. I mean, yeah, I want to see my family but it isn't something that I think about unless I think about it. You know what I mean?
Sunday 7 September 2014
School... and Stuff (Lame Stuff)
I have tried...
...and tried...
...and tried again to write this blog post. (Actually, that's a lie. I only actually tried to write this once before, but it was such a harrowing experience it counts for three.) The fact is that so much has happened in the last year I just can't cover it all. Heck, I can't even cover what has happened in the last three weeks.
So I have given up. I am not going to try to cover it all. If I have something to say that relates to something that happened in the last year, I will give you the story as it comes up. Suffice it to say that in the last year, I went through the toughest things in my life so far and I came out alive. Mostly.
I also went away to school. Actually, that was just a few weeks ago. I'll be starting my third week of school tomorrow and it's going great. A little hectic at the moment since I have a presentation to give on Friday and I'm not near ready, but it'll be okay.
(Quick note: I'm going to try to blog more often, because it is a lot harder to start up blogging again than to never stop. So if I haven't posted in the last month, feel free to yell at me.)
So, anyway, I have some loved ones back home who probably have all sorts of questions for me. I'll try to cover the ones I know are coming, but go ahead and leave questions in the comments. Seriously. Do it. It'll make it easier for me to blog if I know what you want to know. (So make sure you only ask questions I know the answer to, 'cause otherwise I'll just make things up and stuff your head full of fluff.)
Question One: Has the hill killed me yet?
I don't think so? For those of you that don't know, that hill is how you get from main campus to The Lofts (the girls' dormitories). If you think it doesn't look like much, try climbing it when you're already sweating from the heat and worn out from the schoolwork. I think I'm going to die every time and then I end up taking the stairs instead of the elevator when I finally reach the building. Crazy right?
Apparently the walk gets slightly easier with time, but I'm really just dreading it in the winter. I'm considering packing a crazy carpet in my backpack.
And... I know I should write another question but I can't think of any and I'm already really sick of this blog post. I know it's lame, but that's allowed because this is my blog, so I can do what I want. Mwahahaha.
P.S. Please, please, please ask me questions. Funny questions are good. If you give me good questions, you avoid future lameness. It is an investment for the future.
...and tried...
...and tried again to write this blog post. (Actually, that's a lie. I only actually tried to write this once before, but it was such a harrowing experience it counts for three.) The fact is that so much has happened in the last year I just can't cover it all. Heck, I can't even cover what has happened in the last three weeks.
So I have given up. I am not going to try to cover it all. If I have something to say that relates to something that happened in the last year, I will give you the story as it comes up. Suffice it to say that in the last year, I went through the toughest things in my life so far and I came out alive. Mostly.
I also went away to school. Actually, that was just a few weeks ago. I'll be starting my third week of school tomorrow and it's going great. A little hectic at the moment since I have a presentation to give on Friday and I'm not near ready, but it'll be okay.
(Quick note: I'm going to try to blog more often, because it is a lot harder to start up blogging again than to never stop. So if I haven't posted in the last month, feel free to yell at me.)
So, anyway, I have some loved ones back home who probably have all sorts of questions for me. I'll try to cover the ones I know are coming, but go ahead and leave questions in the comments. Seriously. Do it. It'll make it easier for me to blog if I know what you want to know. (So make sure you only ask questions I know the answer to, 'cause otherwise I'll just make things up and stuff your head full of fluff.)
Question One: Has the hill killed me yet?
I don't think so? For those of you that don't know, that hill is how you get from main campus to The Lofts (the girls' dormitories). If you think it doesn't look like much, try climbing it when you're already sweating from the heat and worn out from the schoolwork. I think I'm going to die every time and then I end up taking the stairs instead of the elevator when I finally reach the building. Crazy right?
Apparently the walk gets slightly easier with time, but I'm really just dreading it in the winter. I'm considering packing a crazy carpet in my backpack.
And... I know I should write another question but I can't think of any and I'm already really sick of this blog post. I know it's lame, but that's allowed because this is my blog, so I can do what I want. Mwahahaha.
P.S. Please, please, please ask me questions. Funny questions are good. If you give me good questions, you avoid future lameness. It is an investment for the future.
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