Friday, March 18, 2011

Who the eff is Friday?

Well, it’s finally Friday. I’ve really enjoyed reading all you guys’ posts this week and I’ve gotten more and more excited to write my own entry. Now that I’m sitting down and actually writing, however, I’ve suddenly gotten very nervous. There’s nothing for it but to type. Cassie, Alexandra, Carlyn and Casey- it was nice to meet you and I hope you enjoy my introduction.



Let’s start with the basics: my name’s Christina. I’ll be 22 in two weeks. I, like Carlyn, am also a senior at a very large Midwestern university, and I will be graduating in a month. For the past few months I’ve lived in a state of denial about college almost being over, but lately that fear and sadness has been turning into excitement. This change is probably due in no small part to my senior honors thesis which has become the center of my life and is due in two weeks. The end of college means my thesis will be complete, which is a very exciting thought to say the least. I could talk more about my thesis (which I am actually taking a break from to write this entry), but I’ll stop myself now so as to spare you all. You might be wondering what exactly it is I’m doing in college- I’ll tell you. I’m a double major in Psychology and French, focusing on the Psychology of language; I want to study second language acquisition in grad school. My thesis is on early language acquisition in English- and Mandarin-learning infants. I know, I know- I said I’d stop talking about my thesis. I swear I’m done now!

The subtheme of this week (along with the title of our project) seems to be the facets of each of our personalities, and I think this post will be no exception. I, as does everyone, have many different aspects to my personality. Growing up I always had a few different groups to which I belonged and this trend has continued through today. I think the fact of my different social groups became most clear to me in high school: there were my best friends, whom I’ve known for about 15 years; the honors students (those people you always end up in classes with seem to often form their own defacto group); and my orchestra and band friends. I very much enjoy belonging to different groups, but it did sometimes cause problems when I was younger. It’s hard to balance time, and when it’s time spent with friends that you’re trying to balance, it becomes even more difficult. I’m at risk for rambling, so, in conclusion: in high school I was a best friend, an honors student, and a violinist (and a synchronized swimmer, but I didn’t like that very much).

What else am I? I am an only child. The pros and cons of only child-dom have been widely discussed and now for my two cents: I want siblings. I’ve always wanted a sibling. In fact, when I was young (probably around five years old), I told my parents that I wanted a baby brother or sister for Christmas. They didn’t deliver. (Bad pun intended- that’s another characteristic of mine, I make bad jokes.) Sure, you get to do a lot of stuff that you might not be able to do with siblings, but who do you share it with? Your parents. Yes, they are great, but they just don’t offer the same kind of friendship and fun that siblings can. Family vacations as an only child are decidedly much less exciting than vacations with siblings. I am, of course, aware that I’m greatly romanticizing siblings, but the grass is always greener, right? So, added to the list of who I am: an only child desiring companionship.

My closest friends will probably also tell you that I can be blunt. And pessimistic. I prefer to say that I’m logical. I won’t argue that I definitely used to be pessimistic, but over the past year or so I think I’ve become quite optimistic. I’ve changed a lot in the past two years. I figured out what I want to do, I’ve become much more confident in myself, and I’ve become more independent. I’ve never had much success in relationships, my longest (and only) relationship lasted just about two months and I’m not sure how much it was really a relationship for either of us rather than a learning experience. I used to mope, saying things like “I wish I had a boyfriend, why can’t I find a boyfriend, yada yada.” About a year ago though, I realized that not only do I not need a boyfriend, I don’t even want one right now. I like being single, I like focusing on myself, I like having my own, great life. At this point in my life, being tied to someone else is an unpleasant prospect; I might even go so far as to say it’s one to be avoided. So, adding onto the list: I am logical, scientific, and independent.

This practically goes without saying (as we are all fellow nerdfighters), but I am a nerd. And a geek. I love Harry Potter. Oh, how I love Harry Potter. As the photo that best represents me, I chose a picture of me in front of Hogwarts at the Wizarding World. My friends and I went to the grand opening on June 18 last year and it was one of the best days of my life. Among my nerdy loves are Lord of the Rings, the internet, translation, and- of course- Harry Potter.

Overall, I am happy, which is something I haven’t always been able to say. I am happy with my life. I’m about to graduate from one of the world’s best universities with a degree in two fields I love, I have great friends, I have a place to live and food to eat. I don’t like to be sentimental and cheesy, so I will just say that I realize I am very lucky.

Carlyn asked what I want my tombstone to say. I can confidently say that this is something I had never thought of before…. At the moment all that comes to mind is, “All was well.” I’ll have to revisit this point next week because as much as Harry Potter is a huge part of my life, I’m not convinced I want it on my tombstone.

Now my question for you guys: what is the biggest difference between you now and you a year ago?

And now I get to say something that feels so cool: Cassie, I’ll see you Monday!

1 comment:

  1. This is great! It's neat reading your perspective of yourself. And from where I stand, accurate.

    I would love it if your tombstone said "All Was Well"! (But I hope I never see it. The ideal situation would be if we all died of desperate old age on the same night in our sleep! Haha!)

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