Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Last Day of Class As A Masters Student

I have nothing valuable to contribute to this blog today. This post will be brief, I just wanted to document today`s milestone in the form of a blog post. After I publish this post, I`m going straight to bed.

Because, well, I haven't slept. I'm tired, I'm burnt out, and, well, I think I have a fever.

Today was Black Wednesday. Meaning, I had two 30-paged major essays due today. Major, major essays. One of them worth 60% of my mark. And one of them, I`m basing my Masters Research Paper on. Which meant that the days leading up to today were absolute torture sent from Hades.

And, well, technically, I did sleep for a few hours last night. But those don't count, since I kept periodically waking up, anxious that I would accidentally sleep in and be That Girl running into my 8:30 am class late, panting, waving her essay in the air, swearing that I was going to hand in my essay on time andthatIjustaccidentallysleptin,iswear.

Well, I didn't sleep in. And I handed both essays in on time this morning. Those papers are now officially out of my life.

So. This is what freedom feels like.

And, as I skipped out of both classes, I realized that for the first time in two weeks, I wouldn`t be spending the afternoon at the library. It was a bizarre feeling, breathing in fresh air. Really. I literally spent about eight to nine hours at the library everyday these past two weeks, and it was a weird feeling not being there this afternoon. I`m pretty sure the other regulars at the library wondered where we were today. Like, if we were in a ditch somewhere. Because, us being at the library? It was a thing. A regular thing.

But, moving on to the point of this post. Even though the days leading up to today were torture, the efforts were worth it. Because today marked a personal historic moment: my last day of class as a Masters student.

I can`t believe I made it.

The term is almost over, our classes are over. There are still a few more assignments left to finish, but after the next week or so, that`s it. Just a Masters Research Paper to write, and we`ll have our degrees.

Bizarre, bizarre feeling.

When you`re knee-deep in assignments, drowning in stress, the end seems so far away. Like you`ll never get there. And now that I`ve reached the end of this semester, fulfilled a number of sleepless nights writing papers, I realize now that I`ll really miss my classes. I`ll admit, I loved my classes this semester, far more than I did with the last.

My last class today, held at the Grad Club, was bittersweet. I`m really, really going to miss my classes and, most importantly, the people in my classes. I absolutely loved my classmates in that Gender and Globalization class. And as our professor dismissed us this afternoon, it, um, got a little emotional. I`m surprised none of us broke out in song.

And so, today? I reached a milestone. Many of us did.

As of today, we have officially completed two thirds of our degrees.

Again, bizarre. I can`t believe the end is near. We`re almost there, friends. We`re almost there.

That`s all I have to say today. I just wanted to document today`s last day milestone on this blog. Because, it`s a pretty big deal.

But, right now? I`m going to sleep. After a night editing those papers, going to bed at 10:00 pm is probably a smart option. And, this weekend? After spending the last few weekends camped out at the library, it is imperative that the Grizzly Grill, Monkey Bar, Alfies (to run into our students, of course), etcetera etcetera will be factored into every night this weekend. Yes. Yes, it will.

I`m two thirds done this degree? WOOOO HOOOO.

Have a great last week of classes, everyone!

"We are not the same person this year as last; nor are those we love. It is a happy change if we, changing, continue to love a changed person."
- W. Somerset Maugham

“Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.”
- Susan B. Anthony

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