It is the Sunday after the first week back, and I'm tired. I mean, I'm really tired! I've finalized my schedule for term 1 which includes: 3 maternal and child health courses, a global health methods course, economics, a qualitative methods course at the School of Education, and ... ah yes ... my thesis! If my academic commitments weren't already enough, I'm also still working 3 jobs, including 10 hours at the Office of Diversity, 15 hours as a Research Assistant, and irregular hours as a Resident Community Advisor in the HSPH international housing. And, in honor of Black History Month (which starts on Tuesday), the Africa Health Forum - which I'm Co-President of - is preparing for a big cultural showcase at the end of February, and I'm coordinating it. (And I'm active in my church as well). Ahh!
The truth is, I really love many of the activities that I'm doing. I enjoy being able to conceive an idea and see it come to fruition; I get such satisfaction out of bringing people of different backgrounds together to achieve a common goal. And, every once in a while, I like taking charge. I guess that's why I'm here. But sometimes - like today - I just have that feeling that I want to sleep for the next two days straight. I want a spa week (on someone else's tab, of course), where I'm required to relax and be pampered non-stop. I want to be required to have fun (like bowling last night, but maybe actually knocking down some pins). Wishful thinking, I know. But honestly, I just want that feeling like when someone gives you a hug and doesn't let go, that feeling of security that everything is going to be okay...
Okay, maybe I'm being a little melodramatic; I realize that I'm freaking out unnecessarily. But the truth is that I'm reaching a milestone in this stage of my life, and it's kind of scary. I should be job hunting (and I'm sort of doing so when I have time). But I don't know what comes next. For the first time in a long time, I don't see exactly where my future is going. I also feel like I've lost sight of participating in many of the activities I did before coming here - tennis, dance, choir, club-hopping...I think I'm experiencing HSPH graduating year mid-life crisis syndrome, and hopefully I'll find the cure soon!
I guess I should remember the wise words of Abraham Lincoln:
“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”
The truth is, I really love many of the activities that I'm doing. I enjoy being able to conceive an idea and see it come to fruition; I get such satisfaction out of bringing people of different backgrounds together to achieve a common goal. And, every once in a while, I like taking charge. I guess that's why I'm here. But sometimes - like today - I just have that feeling that I want to sleep for the next two days straight. I want a spa week (on someone else's tab, of course), where I'm required to relax and be pampered non-stop. I want to be required to have fun (like bowling last night, but maybe actually knocking down some pins). Wishful thinking, I know. But honestly, I just want that feeling like when someone gives you a hug and doesn't let go, that feeling of security that everything is going to be okay...
Okay, maybe I'm being a little melodramatic; I realize that I'm freaking out unnecessarily. But the truth is that I'm reaching a milestone in this stage of my life, and it's kind of scary. I should be job hunting (and I'm sort of doing so when I have time). But I don't know what comes next. For the first time in a long time, I don't see exactly where my future is going. I also feel like I've lost sight of participating in many of the activities I did before coming here - tennis, dance, choir, club-hopping...I think I'm experiencing HSPH graduating year mid-life crisis syndrome, and hopefully I'll find the cure soon!
I guess I should remember the wise words of Abraham Lincoln:
“The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time.”
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