Today some family friends from France came to our house for dinner and catch up. We had some amazing discussions about Europe. I am now itching to get to Italy. They were describing all the amazing things to do and see throughout Italy and Europe.
Aside from seeing all the beauty that Europe has to offer, I am so excited to meet the people there. All the people I have met and spoken to from Europe are just so cultured and aware of the world around them. I cannot wait to be absorbed into that lifestyle!
More specifically, I adore some of the French mentality about life. Today, we were discussing how good things can come from bad, and our French guest made a comment along the lines "ah yes, well you know...sometimes thats just life." Now put a lackadaisical French accent on that and you have the key to my esoteric heart. It's true, everything can really be that simple - when something bad happens, thats just life. And when something great happens, well thats just life too. I love the complexity one can derive and apply from that simple statement.
I also got to exercise my French. I am glad that after 5 or so months without French practice, I'm still able to hold my own with a native French speaker.
Oh! An important note - my laptop is broken. Well, the wireless internet refuses to work (I'm using my family's computer). So tomorrow I plan to spend a good hour or two on the phone with tech support. Oh and my cell phone never wants to send or receive picture messages. On top of that, I must spend a few hours sorting out all my papers I need for my visa appointment with the Italian consulate - this includes spending a while on hold with my school's financial aid office as they attempt to sort out what money they will decide to give me for the school year.
I will also be planning a trip or two up to northern California to visit a special someone. :)
So that requires some travel arrangements.
So much to do! And all I want to do is laze around on the beach...c'est la vie, non?
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Beautifully Chaotic
Patience seemed to be the theme for today.
I cannot tell you how many times I had to mentally remind myself to be patient.
"Be patient Taylor, class will be over in 30 minutes."
"This line won't move toooo slow, just be patient."
"Stop demanding so much of people and just be patient with them."
"If you keep beating yourself up over nothing and stressing out you're going to give yourself a heart attack before you turn 20. Be patient with yourself and with life."
I swear, it was like one test of patience after another today. Things that are generally free from stress became painfully tedious and irritating today.
After I identified my extreme lack of tolerance and patience (about half way through my day), I tried desperately to turn it around. I didn't have much luck getting my mind off of the things that I was having difficulty with so I decided I needed to start making some changes in my routine so that today would seem less trivial and more interesting. Here's a list of stuff I did in order to shake things up.
1. Put my iPod on shuffle and forbade myself from skipping songs I didn't want to hear.
2. Took the long route to and from class.
3. Started a conversation with a random person in a lecture class today (but this resulted in the guy giving me a creepy pick up line so I moved seats).
4. Discussed the pros and cons of being old with a 73 year old woman.
5. Skipped a class in favor of reading in the sun.
6. Switched phones with a friend a few minutes ago so that I no longer have access to my contacts (at least for this evening).
Surprisingly, #6 has been the most amusing and liberating thing I've done in a while. Its interesting to see how I operate when I don't have any way to text or call my friends.
When I go through these spurts of spontaneity, one of my best friends laughs and tells me that by mixing things up I'm making the world "beautifully chaotic". Life really is about opportunities and experiences. I try to do something (even little things) different every day and then appreciate the consequences of it.
Routine is a boring way to waste life away.
I cannot tell you how many times I had to mentally remind myself to be patient.
"Be patient Taylor, class will be over in 30 minutes."
"This line won't move toooo slow, just be patient."
"Stop demanding so much of people and just be patient with them."
"If you keep beating yourself up over nothing and stressing out you're going to give yourself a heart attack before you turn 20. Be patient with yourself and with life."
I swear, it was like one test of patience after another today. Things that are generally free from stress became painfully tedious and irritating today.
After I identified my extreme lack of tolerance and patience (about half way through my day), I tried desperately to turn it around. I didn't have much luck getting my mind off of the things that I was having difficulty with so I decided I needed to start making some changes in my routine so that today would seem less trivial and more interesting. Here's a list of stuff I did in order to shake things up.
1. Put my iPod on shuffle and forbade myself from skipping songs I didn't want to hear.
2. Took the long route to and from class.
3. Started a conversation with a random person in a lecture class today (but this resulted in the guy giving me a creepy pick up line so I moved seats).
4. Discussed the pros and cons of being old with a 73 year old woman.
5. Skipped a class in favor of reading in the sun.
6. Switched phones with a friend a few minutes ago so that I no longer have access to my contacts (at least for this evening).
Surprisingly, #6 has been the most amusing and liberating thing I've done in a while. Its interesting to see how I operate when I don't have any way to text or call my friends.
When I go through these spurts of spontaneity, one of my best friends laughs and tells me that by mixing things up I'm making the world "beautifully chaotic". Life really is about opportunities and experiences. I try to do something (even little things) different every day and then appreciate the consequences of it.
Routine is a boring way to waste life away.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Party Town
This town is a noisy one. Friday evening rolls around and you can forget about having a quiet evening in and watching a movie in the peace of your own apartment because outside – not only in your apartment complex but for a quarter of a mile radius – all hell is breaking loose. A twenty person game of beer pong is taking place next-door, a techno dance party from the floor above causes your head to pound with the unnecessarily loud bass, and drunken students in the street break out into a fight below your window, all the while screaming obscenities and smashing empty beer bottles on the ground. After somehow finding a way to relax and fall asleep amongst all this mayhem, you awake in the morning to see that the usual beer cans floating in the pool are accompanied by three bikes and a lawn chair. Weekends like this force me to ask myself the question: what the hell am I doing at this school?
I’m not the typical college girl. At least not the kind of girl you’d find here at one of the biggest party schools in the nation. I’m full of these ridiculous things called “morals” and would rather read a book than go out to a party and drink until I pass out, throw up, or lose all my common sense. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy going out and being social, but this backdrop of a carefree life of alcohol and sex isn’t exactly my scene.
So what am I doing at this school? Wouldn’t I be better off at a school where the student body places more importance on intellect than how many shots of vodka one can take? Yes and no. I originally came here because I did not get into Stanford or Berkeley. This was a safety school for me. I often find myself thinking that had I applied to other schools or gone to a university that was in a more cultured and diverse city I would be happier and have more mental stimulation. But, against all odds, I have come to love this school and the life I have created for myself here. I have friends I love and an exciting life I am proud of. Had it not been for the extreme environment here, I doubt that I would have become the person I am today.
So even though the partiers in the street disturb my sleep multiple times a week, I have to love them for teaching me exactly who I am and who I don’t want to be.
I’m not the typical college girl. At least not the kind of girl you’d find here at one of the biggest party schools in the nation. I’m full of these ridiculous things called “morals” and would rather read a book than go out to a party and drink until I pass out, throw up, or lose all my common sense. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy going out and being social, but this backdrop of a carefree life of alcohol and sex isn’t exactly my scene.
So what am I doing at this school? Wouldn’t I be better off at a school where the student body places more importance on intellect than how many shots of vodka one can take? Yes and no. I originally came here because I did not get into Stanford or Berkeley. This was a safety school for me. I often find myself thinking that had I applied to other schools or gone to a university that was in a more cultured and diverse city I would be happier and have more mental stimulation. But, against all odds, I have come to love this school and the life I have created for myself here. I have friends I love and an exciting life I am proud of. Had it not been for the extreme environment here, I doubt that I would have become the person I am today.
So even though the partiers in the street disturb my sleep multiple times a week, I have to love them for teaching me exactly who I am and who I don’t want to be.
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