The Adventure Continues

              The most interesting aspect of college to me right now, is how unpredictable the work is. I usually like to finish my assignments on the day that they are assigned, but I won’t work into the night. I treat college like it is a 9-5 (or 8-5) job where I prioritize what work needs to get done first, and then push anything I don’t finish by dinner off to the next day. Some days I may finish all my homework in an hour or two, allowing me a few days without any new assignments. I expected the buildup of homework to be more gradual than it is, because after a day of classes, no work can suddenly pile up to hours of work. Through no neglect of my own, I am bombarded with hours of homework. My saving grace is that the due dates are usually staggered, allowing me to maintain my normal working schedule ang still get everything done on time.

              The most challenging aspect for me is finding a balance between sleep and a social life. I have 8 AM classes 4/5 days of the week, so I would theoretically like to get to bed on the earlier side. However, I am usually hanging out with friends at that point, and I don’t want to just get up and leave. If I stay later, then I will be tired the next day, and I may fall asleep midday. It is difficult to find and maintain a balance, but I am sure I can figure it out with time.

What It Is

              I didn’t really notice when the change happened. In the weeks and days leading up to my departure for college, I felt an increasing amount of anxiety. I’ve noticed just today that I have no anxiety. I also cannot recall having any for at least the past week and then some. It seems any hang-ups I had pre-transition have dissipated without me ever really being aware of it.

              What I’ve found most surprising about my college experience thus far is how comfortable I am here. I feel like I really can connect with people here. People that think similarly to how I think. I have better access to social and academic aid than I’ve never had before. In a sense, I feel more at home here than I did for at least the last few months/years that I lived at home. I often felt isolated at home. No one in my household really shared a lot of interests with me. I found it difficult to open-up to anyone not out of fear of embarrassment, but because I knew that my experience is unlike my parents’ or friends’ experiences. I knew that there was a decent probability that any advice I received could be inapplicable to my current situation. I didn’t want to burden anyone with my problems, and then leave them or myself disappointed when they could not help me.

              Since I’ve been in Ithaca, I’ve been relieved to discover how much I’ve adapted to and enjoyed being here. Things are great.

The Achievement of Desire

              The most interesting aspect of “The Achievement of Desire” to me was Rodriguez’s willingness to leave his family-life behind him, for the pursuit of education. In the previous section, Rodriguez writes about how his household became much quieter when the children began assimilating to American culture and began to speak Spanish less frequently at home; he felt like he was losing a part of himself. In this section, to my surprise, I learned that not only did he recognize that education was creating a rift between himself and his family, but that he intentionally pursues his education despite it. His teachers became his role models in leu of his parents, whom he only felt embarrassment over.

              Similarly to Rodriguez, I’ve also noticed that the pursuit of education can become isolating to family and friends. In a corporeal sense, I am unable to spend less time with them as I was focused on learning new material or studying for upcoming exams. But in an abstract sense, even the time that we spent together can often become isolating. I realize just from off-hand comments that are made without much regard how different I’ve become from the people I used to spend most of my time with. Our perspectives have become misaligned, and I seek more solace in engaging in my academic peers because, at least for the time being, we have more in common due to the nature of our relationship.

Aria

              The most interesting thing about “Aria,” is how Rodriguez uses stories of his own upbringing and early education to justify his stance on a political policy. Rodriguez subverted my expectation by coming out against bilingual education, despite being a bilingual student himself. His argument is not one of anger or disdain, however, he only tries to use logic and his own experience to explain why he disagrees with the policy.

              Although I am unable to identify with anyone of the Rodriguez family, I can share a childhood experience with Richard’s friend who overheard Richard’s mother talking to him. My neighbors are Turkish immigrants, with their children being first-generation Americans. I can relate to the partial confusion and awe that Rodriguez’s friend felt in observing his friend’s ability to derive meaning from what seems to the unknowing ear as gibberish. The inquisitive remark for translation is one I’ve also had myself.

              All children, myself included, face some sort of minute culture-shock when transitioning from their home-life to their primary school education. Only a few comparatively must overcome the language barrier that Rodriguez did, but there is a barrier for entry for everyone nonetheless. I find it difficult now to place exactly what experiences I had as a child of that age, but I could only imagine that my experiences during that time played a significant role into the kind of person that I am now.