At the moment, it’s fairly difficult for me to write about my family’s traditions. Over the summer and at the beginning of school, my family pretty much imploded. There were a lot of changes, a lot of stress, and just a lot of ‘mess’ in general. It’s been, to be honest, very difficult managing those problems as well as balancing the new experiences of college, living on my own, holding a job, and being involved with clubs and friends. It’s made me really grow up, and I’ve had to question much of what I valued.
With all of this going on, this blog topic is an interesting challenge for me. There are a few traditions that I could mention- habits and events that have been established since my childhood. I could, I suppose, describe our tradition of going to my grandmother’s for Thanksgiving, or attending church every Easter morning, or picking out a Christmas tree together, or any of a dozen other generic practices that could be plucked off a Hallmark card. But, the second stipulation of our assigned topic was that we value the traditions we discuss. That, frankly, no longer applies.
I no longer put any stock in the appearance of warmth that these traditions imply. No matter how permanent and secure a reoccurring ritual may be, it does not guarantee that the family is permanent or secure. So, consequently I can’t really say any tradition is important to me. Instead, I prefer to focus on day to day life with my mom and two sisters. The fact that we are still together and happy after everything that’s happened much more gratifying and important than any of old traditions.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Mid-Terms!
I am in denial. There's no way it's time for mid-terms already. I just got to Converse. I've just started classes. I'm still getting into the swing of things. There's just no way...Ok, glad I've gotten that out of my system.
I'd actually like to think I'm ready for mid-terms, and I have a plan semi-in-place for studying. This is especially true for my IDC class. I feel like it's going to be one of my more difficult classes, if for no other reason than the format.
It's one of my Honors classes- which means nothing more than the other students are both very intelligent and very precocious. The class is largely based on group discussion. Or, more appropriately, heated debate. Or, to be honest bickering and arguments over the hidden meanings of the Plagues or the cultural implications of Gilgamesh. In truth, this means that we have really gotten into the texts, but it has also made it difficult to take notes. However, I do have some study strategies.
The most important strategy I have is to pace myself. I am, naturally, a crammer. However that isn't really an option this week, with my schedule being about as crazy as it's ever been. I have 3 exams, 2 papers, and a small mountain of reading due this week, not to mention Dracula practice for 3 hours every night and a club or meeting most evenings. Add to that my current job search, and I have a very tight study schedule that I am sticking to.
I plan on going over one text every night until the exam, and working on my essay a little everyday. I'll cover Gilgamesh tonight, the Bible on Monday, Greek mythology Tuesday, Antigone Wednesday, and Plato on Thursday. Hopefully, I will also have time to review everything Thursday evening, leaving me ready for the test Friday.
For the notes themselves, I plan on focusing on the main points we covered in class. I will be going back through my notes- particularly those from common sections- and highlighting the main 'world view' of each culture we have studied, and specifically how this influenced the work from that period.
Still, my notes from IDC are very sporadic, and I'm not sure this will be enough. So, to fill in any blanks, I plan on skimming back through each text, and getting the main ideas. To cover the more specific points, I hope to be able to discuss the works again with some of my hall mates. All the girls in my dorm are in IDC, and many are in my class. This makes for some interesting conversations regarding religion and beliefs, but it also means I'll have plenty of material to use for my IDC essay and exam.
I'm fairly certain these strategies will work, if only there were more hours in the day to put them into use!
Blessed Be!
I'd actually like to think I'm ready for mid-terms, and I have a plan semi-in-place for studying. This is especially true for my IDC class. I feel like it's going to be one of my more difficult classes, if for no other reason than the format.
It's one of my Honors classes- which means nothing more than the other students are both very intelligent and very precocious. The class is largely based on group discussion. Or, more appropriately, heated debate. Or, to be honest bickering and arguments over the hidden meanings of the Plagues or the cultural implications of Gilgamesh. In truth, this means that we have really gotten into the texts, but it has also made it difficult to take notes. However, I do have some study strategies.
The most important strategy I have is to pace myself. I am, naturally, a crammer. However that isn't really an option this week, with my schedule being about as crazy as it's ever been. I have 3 exams, 2 papers, and a small mountain of reading due this week, not to mention Dracula practice for 3 hours every night and a club or meeting most evenings. Add to that my current job search, and I have a very tight study schedule that I am sticking to.
I plan on going over one text every night until the exam, and working on my essay a little everyday. I'll cover Gilgamesh tonight, the Bible on Monday, Greek mythology Tuesday, Antigone Wednesday, and Plato on Thursday. Hopefully, I will also have time to review everything Thursday evening, leaving me ready for the test Friday.
For the notes themselves, I plan on focusing on the main points we covered in class. I will be going back through my notes- particularly those from common sections- and highlighting the main 'world view' of each culture we have studied, and specifically how this influenced the work from that period.
Still, my notes from IDC are very sporadic, and I'm not sure this will be enough. So, to fill in any blanks, I plan on skimming back through each text, and getting the main ideas. To cover the more specific points, I hope to be able to discuss the works again with some of my hall mates. All the girls in my dorm are in IDC, and many are in my class. This makes for some interesting conversations regarding religion and beliefs, but it also means I'll have plenty of material to use for my IDC essay and exam.
I'm fairly certain these strategies will work, if only there were more hours in the day to put them into use!
Blessed Be!
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