When You Have No Time For Anything Ever: The Semester Back From Being Abroad
Eminem truly summarized it best: “Snap back to reality. Oh, there goes gravity”.
If I have learned one thing this semester, it’s that free time is truly a gift. Coming back to campus after spending a semester abroad was almost a wake up call. All the sudden I was interning three days a week, running Fordham’s Senior Week, and participating in two music groups. Plus trying to graduate with honors. And get a job. And not die. And have fun! Easy, right?
Now I should probably insert a disclaimer saying that I’m not complaining about my opportunities, but rather that I’m realizing that you can’t say yes to everything.
AND THAT’S OKAY!
After coming back from my semester abroad, I felt as though I had slacked off for a semester. People constantly teased me about not really doing work abroad (which is just a straight up lie), that I got to “escape from reality”, and how I was soooooo lucky to not have to deal with being on campus. Little do they know how hard being abroad is for so many different reasons.
In order to combat this pressure from my peers and even from myself, I took on everything and anything as to not “fall behind”. Although I don’t regret my decisions, I began to realize very quickly that I taking care of my physical and mental health is just as, if not important, than making sure my resumé is up to snuff. To pull in another quote from the one, the only, the fabulous RuPual,
Can I get an amen?
Being attuned to your inner needs and wants isn’t being selfish. In fact, Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus, practiced the act of having daily “examens” in order to have a prayerful reflection on the events of the day to discern our path, pay close attention to our emotions, and most importantly, look forward to tomorrow. Once you realize how things are affecting you, you can create positive change for both yourself and those around you.
In light of this, I’ve decided not to intern next semester even though I’ve loved my time at the Ballet. Instead, I want to take the time to focus on other pursuits, like turning this blog into a weekly endeavor. I’ll be finishing up my study abroad posts, but also will start writing and posting about my photography, leadership, communications and media studies, music, and maybe even cooking! We’ll see. But for now, thank you for being so patient, and I cannot wait to start writing more.
Until next post, see you later!
Regina
