I was going to try doing this every month, but College is difficult sometimes!
Anyways, as a reflection of my first semester here at Washington College I created a "What I Learned in College" List of some of the things I learned while here, and I have learned a lot about myself, other people, and life in general... So yeah!
What I Learned in College
High School A work is College B work
How to Make popcorn in the fancy machine thingy
How to open Champagne bottles with a Calvary saber from the
War of 1812
Have three Calendars
You can get a job just by talking to someone
See Above
I became an Engineer in 5 weeks
I became an Executive in a Semester
The More you Know
People can sing and play instruments very, very well all
over the place
The Library isn’t always the best place to study
Amazon Prime is your best friend
The Freshmen 15 is real; take a walk
Walking can save you from going Crazy
Find a group of people who have similar ideals, and stick to
them
Never pass up Free Food
How to use a Long Dash (Hello Grammar)
Smile at people
Never say “No” to possibly opportunities
Open Mic Nights are a blast
Homecoming is even raunchier in College than High School
Being a Technical Engineer is pretty awesome, though it
involves heavy lifting
Rain Boots and an Umbrella are pretty handy when it rains
Drunk People Like Hugs
Drama is a gigantic, hilarious family
There are cliques
You Don't Have to Go Home Every Weekend
Talk to your roommate, if communication isn't there, problems will arise
Go to every free concert that is advertised
Go to Senior Thesis Plays
Go to Down-Rigging Weekend
Movie Nights are da Bomb
Spread out your studying
You never know when you may win a giant TV
Eat breakfast by yourself, you can start the day off right
with a good book
Read to De-Stress
Believe that you can do what you set out to achieve
You can balance school work, sleep, and a social life
Go to the book talks, or any talk… You can get invited to a
fancy and FREE dinner
Being friends with published Authors can get you free
unpublished books
Be Nice to Everyone, you never know when they may offer you
a job
Don’t go Crazy
Anything’s Possible
Also I have a new title:
Sarah Graff -- "Executive Engineer"
(Actual Title)
Sarah Graff
Co-Director of Special Events (Student Events Board Executive) (beginning Spring 2015)
I am now in the middle of my first semester here at Washington College. It is very different in some aspects yet very similar to high school. I have four classes, two on MWF and two TTH. Due to my AP history credits I was able to skip out of a survey history course and literally jump head first into a 300 level history class with a bunch of juniors and seniors... Needless to say it was a little intimidating. Did I mention that this class, Victorian America, starts at 1:30 in the afternoon? It's pretty weird. My next class is Elementary Spanish 101, which is a full immersion course. So the first day my professor actually says "This is the last day I am speaking English in this class." so I'm doing well so far, I am just struggling mentally. But I need two classes of a language to fulfill distribution requirements. Then, on Tuesday and Thursday I have English 101 and Intro to Sociology. English 101 is one of the strangest classes I have... My professor is a guy first off, which is not a bad thing, it's just that I've only had two male English teachers in 13 years of school, and they were both really chill guys where as Professor Daley is very blunt about everything. He also curses a lot, which is something that everyone does in college, professors and students and probably even the squirrels. But he did find Mrs. Burnett's comment about making the first sentence in each body paragraph a mini thesis a very good idea. But that class is going well, it's just different. Sociology is really cool though, my professor is from Ohio State where she just got her doctorate in August. I can now say I understand all of Urig's little aneurisms a little better now because she explains all of them. It's pretty fantastic.
Anyways! I have made friends, and they're all awesome in their own rights. A lot of them are political science majors, a couple history, some English, and quite a few Bio/Chem majors. One guy is a Chemistry and Psychology double major with a minor in German... He's crazy. But we all have similar interests, and we spend the weekends watching random movies because none of us party. Now my dreams of working at the Library of Congress don't get as many weird looks, though now I want to work at the Fred W. Smith Library at Mt. Vernon, it's gorgeous and I was literally so happy I was going to burst into tears. But one of my friends wants to become a Supreme Court Justice, which is the coolest thing ever because he would be really good at it too! Another one of my friends is from Arizona, she lives right next door in my hall and kind of roped me into the group. I greatly appreciated it as well because my roommate and I circle in different friend groups. But they make me laugh and they're all great people who I am so glad to have met.
I also had the honor of being hired as a technical engineer for my school. (Look Mom! I became an engineer in 5 weeks ;D ) Basically I will help run all of the sound equipment for events on campus and get paid! I begin this week on Friday. On top of that I am a student associate for the CV Starr Center where I get to research and do historical stuffs on a regular basis and meet some fantastic authors such as Adam Goodheart who wrote 1861. I am also doing run crew for a show called Old Times this week (very poor planning on my part as there is also a gallery opening for a project the Starr center is doing this week as well), where I sit in a dark tunnel for 2 hours and do three things (woohoo). But I get credit so thats nice :-) I also joined the Student Events Board SEB and within the first week I earned myself an imaginary Gold Star as I showed up to set up an event (Go Me) and the people running that are also very cool so I am looking forward to working with them a lot over the next four years or so.
So yeah... College really isn't that scary. The people are pretty great and so are the professors. The food does get a little boring every once and a while but it's good. And I'm looking forward to the next few years... I now know that I will be able to follow my dreams wherever they may take me. I still do miss the High School, but Washington College is now my home. I look forward to coming back to visit every once and awhile but I am officially an alumna of Oxford Area High School.
I waited until the AP tests were over to write this because AP tests are not fun... Breakfast is fun, just not the actual 3 hour test. The AP English one was actually not too bad. I did struggle a little bit with the first poetry multiple choice but I finished everything and I was pretty much focused the entire time. The essays were not as bad as I was afraid they would be and I just answered them in order 1-3. By the end I actually felt good, like I wasn't like "Oh my gosh I totally bombed that" but I was happy with it. I think that breakfast sandwich really helped too and the starbursts... But mostly the sandwich because it was just really really really really fantastic. So thank you for that :-) you prepared us really well and I hope that I did well!
On the other hand for my other AP test.... It was not good. It was pretty horrible. I knew about 20 questions and two of them were from AP English, not APUSH. One we didn't finish the material for the course, two she promised us breakfast at the beginning of the year but "because not many people are interested in the test" breakfast would be a waste of time, and three she did not prepare us. She planned an after school study session on Tuesdays, and the first one it was raining and snowing so I didn't go because I wanted to go home. So she canceled those sessions because not enough people were showing up after 1 day.... And today she accused me of not preparing enough or coming to a study session after I told her the test was horrible, and I was the person who stayed after anyways studying in the library. I don't like that class anymore. So I hope that she doesn't get re-certified, because that is not an AP class. And that is my rant for that terrible terrible class.
Sometimes it would be good to have everyone be like Merusault because of his matter of factness, and blunt honesty rather than that talk down to baby voice that mean teachers use. But then again, it would be a rather dreary world, and it is always good to have someone in your corner supporting you rather than just waiting for the end.
I am almost positive that I will be going to college, unless of course they decide to kick me out because of a bad AP history test, which I doubt. I will be going to Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland. It is a small, private school with less than 1500 undergrads. But the campus is gorgeous, and George Washington was on the board before he became president. The college was founded in 1782, and it was the first college founded in the new nation. I will be majoring in history as well which the location really helps because the town is so old. Plus they have the CV Star Center which is a historical society thing. I'm excited! They also have a whole intern/externship program that is slowly growing with their alumni base. Plus there is an alumna you did something similar to what I want to do. She received her history degree from Washington and then got her archival library science degree and works in a museum whereas I want to work at the Library of Congress. So I'm going to work my way towards that goal. And if I do not enjoy that I think I am going to become a high school teacher... We'll just have to watch what happens though :-)
College is much more difficult than I thought it would be. I'm not even there yet! But there are just so many papers, emails, junk mail, and events going on all at the same time. It is very stressful... Especially because there are no clear answers to anything. I personally like a clear list of things to do, but nooooo it has to be difficult. Ok, my complaining has stopped for now!
Alright, so the musical is over as of the beginning of this month. My only complaint is that I wished I could've been recognized on stage, but it wasn't a big deal. I got to push over a gigundo pyramid. So that was fun :-) Mrs. K also complimented my cleaning up skills, no big deal or anything, but she did it in front of the band. Then she asked me if I was up for a challenge, and of course I asked what it was first, because I don't agree to things willy nilly. For all I knew I could've been selling my soul to the devil! But it turns out she was not going to be in school for a day, the week before out concert, so her challenge was for me to conduct the band that day for practice because sectionals would be pointless. I accepted because I have always wanted to do that! But then I saw the look on the other two drum majors, who happen to by guys. The look on one's face was murderous and the other was pity because he knew the other one was going to quite literally have me assassinated. So later on that day, like 3 periods later, I was told all of the stuff the murderous drum major had said about me. It wasn't very nice, and I honestly did not need to hear it, but I emasculated him and got into his head. Instead of a room of my own like for Virginia Wolfe, I got a band of my own, and what he supposedly said about me didn't phase me because I knew that I could handle the band better than he could because I was nicer to everybody, and they voted me President of the Band, not him. So I conducted the band. I got up on the podium and instead of letting him intimidate me, I was confident, in charge, and smiley. Virginia Wolfe had a point, women have to be able to stand up and face those little whispers at first, yet once they break through the ranks the first time, it will be so much easier to write and be creative. Or like in Cinderella, a Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, there is a song titled "In My Own Little Corner." In that corner Cinderella can be anything she wants, she can be an heiress or a huntress on an African safari who has this cool and confident kind of air. I started off in that corner, and I've branched out. I'm a princess in my own right, a kick butt one at that too. I just need to keep reminding myself of that because nobody will make me feel inferior anymore. If I meet another terrible human being like Kern, than I will be prepared. I will march right up to them and say I can do whatever I want, I am supreme leader of the universe thank you very much! You were right Mrs. Burnett, it is a little bit of my own Bildungsroman. I'm still kind of faking it until I make it, but I am almost there. I will be going into that treasure house or walking in the garden without a guy walking with me. I will be my own person and I'll expand my own little corner.
Soo Frozen has nestled its way into my life, and I honestly cannot get enough of it.
My baby cousin Connor turned one on February 12th and my family had a party on the 15th, the day of that lovely snow and ice storm. My family braved the storm and made it safe and sound, and there were my baby cousins. There are (as of now) 4 on this side of my family. Ryan and Cora and Aubrey and Connor. They are all 5 years old and under, so I've literally known them since they were born. They all have different personalities, Ryan is very quiet and shy but he is the sweetest little boy you will ever meet. Aubrey is a leader. She is loud and confident, and she LOVES to sing. Cora is a fighter. She is currently cancer free (I hope it stays that way) and she is a little mom. She carries around a baby doll, and a baby bag, and while she is soft spoken, she doesn't let anybody fool her. She is also hesitant to do anything without Ryan. Connor is still young and his personality isn't quite as apparent yet but I have a feeling he'll follow in His big sister Aubrey's footsteps. They also have a cousin named Zoelle, who I met for the first time at this party. Anyways, in order to get the kids to stop running around in circles, the parents put on Frozen. So I volunteer to man the remote, and I get to sit and watch the movie and hang out with 4 year olds. I thought it would be easy and fun! We'd all just kind of sit there until dinner. I was wrong. They got up and we're singing and dancing, and I'm just like what is going on!? But I was impressed! I mean these girls get a chance to grow up with stronger female characters dominating the Disney movie sphere. They started with Princess and the Frog, where Tiana works hard to achieve her dreams, then Tangled comes, and Rapunzel rocks the frying pan, and now Elsa and Anna. These girls are able to express themselves even in the face of segregation. Tiana works two jobs in order to earn money for her restaurant, and nearly loses it due to her "background." Rapunzel has been locked in a tower by an evil witch, and she finally gathers up enough courage to break her own seclusion by going with Eugene, aka Flynn Ryder. Mariam, Laila, and the woman from The Yellow Wallpaper never had those role models growing up. They couldn't really aspire to be more, because there simply was no place for strong women in their societies. Aziza at least has Mariam, as well as Kate Winslet in Titantic to aspire too. In no way are they Disney princesses, but they embody the characteristics that are beginning to become more prevalent. Women no longer need to marry for happiness, but rather they need to discover themselves, much like Elsa did with her powers, in order to be happy. I, myself, have found that I have a lot of power and sway. People value my opinions, and they are willing to follow me. I honestly never saw myself as the leader type until freshmen year where I made a few goals for myself. Before that I was always too quiet, and only had a "quiet confidence." I used to be the one to step up if a solution could not be found first without my input, then I would help solve it. I did that in stage crew too, and now I'm in charge. My biggest challenge is getting people to step up. I have found a slight mini-me in Callie Jaycox, who Spencer Bell has dubbed "The Next Sarah Graff." She does take on roles after I ask her to do things, and she does it well. So I am curious to see how she does. Then there's my brother who would do well in this type of position, because he takes after me. It all just depends on what happens in the next few years. I'm curious to see how I grow and change, as well as the underclass men I've gotten to know, especially in comparison to my baby cousins and Zoelle. I can't wait to see how far they go. For the first time in forever, I am super duper excited to see what is going to come in the next few years with these individuals. I can't wait.
Arthur Ashe's quote, used in the title of this post, is a quote I honestly need to embrace. I often fresk myself out because I simply do not recognize the problems I am given, and then all heck breaks loose. However, this quote does not only apply to just the aspects of my life but to many characters in books, political movements, and other people. In A Doll's House Nora starts where she is as a young wife whose husband is stressed to near death, so she uses what she has, a father who disappears, to put it nicely, and a husband who would probs believe his "Little Squirrel" in his distressed state. There is more to Nora than what meets the eye, she did what she had to do to keep her family together. She wanted to protect her Prince Charming, which she realized was a mistake at the end. He was not the person she thought he was.
Now this last week of January has been long, and hard, and just not fun. I know midterms and play practice is nothing compared to what Mariam has to suffer through, or what Edna had to go through finding herself. But ahhhhhh, it is very difficult being organized when you constantly hear "Sarah!" "Sarah!! SARAH!!!" being yelled from all over the place. Also having people who just stand in the way of big furniture is simply frustrating. Yet, there is something very rewarding in it. A freshman retweeted that her stage manager rocks, which made me feel very special. Sometimes all it takes is a simple smile and an introduction and they'll like you 9 out of the 10 times. As we mentioned in the Socratic Seminar, all children need to be successful to to feel loved and needed. I use "I love you" almost constantly, as it is nice to see people get a smile on their face. Sometimes they seem relieved, and honestly I can relax around them as well. It is nice having people willing to help you as your name is way overused during the course of then 2 hour rehearsal. Im also getting into shape by running around constantly, so there is always a positive side. So whether knowing you are having a baby like Mariam, or you find an escape in piano music like Edna, there is always some ray of hope.
So I will end this blog the same way I began it.
Start where you are.
Use what you have.
Do what you can.
I started the beginning of this year with an idea I saw on Pinterest. It was pretty simple, you get a jar of some type, usually a mason jar, then you write favorite memories on slips of paper and keep them in the jar until well now. I was looking through the slips for inspiration for this blog, because I've been stuck on an idea for this the ENTIRE break. On the slips I looked for adjectives that were used to describe me, and I compiled a list
Adorable (Thanks Emily Perdue)
Fantastic Public Speaking skills (thank you GAB)
I should go into politics (GAB again)
Passionate
Knowledgeable
Intelligent
Awesome
A Junior (Special thanks to Hank Byerly for that)
Sweet
A hero (Melissa Huff is the sweetest)
Intimidating (Surprising, right?)
Funny
Smiley
A Leader
Good with Kids
Luke Spano's buddy (countless Grad parties running into the Spanos)
I honestly wont count the memories in the jar, as I read the slips of paper I reminisce on my year and how much I've grown since I was a freshman, sixth grader, first grader, and preschooler. As I was reading the article that this entry is supposed to be based on I found on the last page "We can come to understand that our feelings are not necessarily perceptions of the truth--they may be nothing more than the result of cultural conditioning." I was a quiet, super sensitive, shy, child who loved to believe in fairy tales and magic. I liked playing by myself, and working by myself, which is frowned upon in preschool. As society changes from every man for himself, to "Let's all work together constantly through social networking and the internet," the introverts, and the children and people who work best on their own are being pushed aside as outcasts. Perhaps as time goes on, and the prejudice against LGBTQ and African Americans fades away and becomes a social norm, whose to say that introverts won't be next? Introverts and extroverts are essentially groups that everyone belongs to regardless of religion, race, gender, or sexual orientation. The only thing that is really feared in the prejudice of these groups is the change and differences. I watched a TED Talk on the power of introverts by Susan Cain she explained how she went to camp one summer with a suitcase full of books. A girl in her cabin thought it was weird that she was reading, and then her counselor even said your at camp to *spell out some word that I now forget wrong.* These occurrences started happening throughout Susan's life and then she learned the mantra "Fake it 'til you make it." Now that statement blew me out of the water because I realized that I was doing it. I was faking the above list of qualities until I made myself into that person. My sensitive nature is what fuels my passions, I am smiley because I like seeing others succeed and be confident with themselves and their abilities, which makes me a leader. I'm still shy, yet I can get in front of complete strangers and talk about something I am passionate about. I can make people I have never met laugh and be impressed with my so called "stardom" and my confidence. As Susan Cain did, I did to. I faked it until I made it where I wanted to go.
A movie came out around Thanksgiving called Frozen. It is yet another Disney princess movie, which I absolutely love. Elsa is a girl with a gift, that must be hidden away, yet once she gets away from the pressures of society she can let loose, and realize that her powers are a gift and not something to be feared. She Let it Go, and honestly that was truly the moment that I realized I was no longer little Sarah Graff, but instead I am Sarah Graff, Drum Major, Student Director, GAB Girl, and 18 year old girl. In some cultures this is frowned upon, yet in the one I live in, it is almost unheard of in the media. Women and girls everywhere are facing stigmas of not being good enough, or not pretty enough, or not thin enough, or heaven forbid, dumb enough. Girls who comfortable in their own skin are only being praised in Disney movies it seems. In twenty movie trailers on IMDB, three had women or girls either in the title, or on the first scene of the trailer. One only has the girl as the love interest who may or may not be evil, the other is Divergent, which I must read, and the last one "The Other Woman." Our society is focused on freedom of speech yet persecuting those who state their opinions, and lauding those who parade around semi-naked. Yet no one is really praising those girls like Malala who only reached the news after she was shot. The Challenge of Cultural Relativism, where we are too focused pointing out differences to see how alike we really are. We are all living in our own versions of absurd theater like in Waiting for Godot. Sometimes we think society and the media are totally crazy, yet we still never leave like Vladimir and Estragon.
Our society is a strange one with a very long future of change ahead.
And that is my reflection on the year and on myself. So Happy New Years and may 2014 be ever in your favor!
