Tag: Writing

Writing Prompt #17: When have you felt like the “new kid”?

Posted on by anele25

The idea of being the new kid has always intrigued me because you’re going into a new situation and you barely know what the process is like. I read quotes on my social media that talk about how going to school at a certain age should not matter. However, at the age of 25 I started going to San Jose State University where by some means could be considered older as you go and finish out school. I stepped into my first year after having been accepted not knowing what to expect. The admissions process was stressful because I wasn’t even sure if I was doing the steps correctly with financial aid, the writing test to be placed into a writing class, and the orientation itself. But somehow someway after having first done the writing test and then the orientation I successfully completed the first necessary steps. I went in and also finished up my financial aid paperwork which I thought would not be enough to pay for classes but I had plenty left over after to cover the rest of my expenses. Let’s fast forward to July and I wasn’t sure when my registration was supposed to be as well. I sat at a hotel in Las Vegas and I awaited a response from the person who was the contact to register for my classes. I was on a little mini vacation at the time and the prospects of not being able to sign up for classes was stressing me out. The classes were less than a month away and I was still waiting. Little did I know, I ended up resolving this issue the day before I was coming back to home. I saw the e-mail the contact person had sent me and I got on the website to see if I could register for classes yet. I got back from the park that day and I was wondering while at the park what the next steps would be. I got on and I realized there was a button that I hadn’t yet got through on there portal and I clicked on it and that advertisement was no longer there. I was super happy to discover that all my information for my classes was on the side. I went through that and I saw the few remaining classes that were left. I ended up taking Social Psychology, Human Factors, Nutrition, Psych of Prejudice, and my Writing class. I had 4 classes on Tuesday, 1 on Monday, and 3 on Thursday which gave me Wednesday off. My classes were finally set and I was ready to go although when I walked into my first day of classes I saw how much older I was than most of my classmates.

There I was walking into a class of 20 something year olds and I was a little ahead in age. But as the day went on I saw that yes I was completely on my own as the new kid on the block and that isn’t a bad thing. I saw chances to be learning and make friends with everyone in class that I could. I even saw some familiar faces as the day went on. Some folks were graduating already and other were just getting started. For myself, I kept telling myself that I was on my own now. I wasn’t sure if I’d be successful but I said I wanted to finish my degree and do it with some help of course. As the days went on, I started warming up to people and I could not let the idea that I was too old already to bring me down even more. The funny thing was that many times I doubted myself before this and just the idea of being in something new was the thing I feared.  I even saw a guy that was in one of the orientations I was in earlier that year and by chance we ended up being placed in the same team for a project. We still keep in touch today and I am glad we do because it gives me a chance to reconnect. The first semester was a chance for myself to see how I could do exactly and I must say I had a great first semester. At the end of the first semester, one of my professors sat me aside right before the final and said some nice words to me on how I always had some wonderful comments to add to the class and I don’t think many other professors had nice things to say like she did. I also had a conversation with one of my professors in the nutrition class who had some disputes on one of the papers I had written about obesity being a myth and she did not take too kindly to some of the articles that had been published. I ended up having to write the paper twice and the second time we had a lengthy discussion about it but at the second outset she had talked about her current job she saw different evidence and she gave me full credit on the paper which I found to be awesome. The “being the new kid on the block” isn’t always the worst thing in the world because you have to create your own opportunities. I went out there and saw what classes I needed and disciplined myself enough to get through my classes. You can be shy or the most outgoing person in the world but it helps to go out there and work with what you have. Throughout my 4 semesters there, I saw people come and go but I was able to build a bond with some of my classmates that was worth it till the very end. We had one goal and that was to graduate and find careers out there. I think this experience was one of the most grateful I’ve had because I was put into a new situation and I excelled at it. What made me most grateful was having people there willing to help even if they were strangers. The people you just sat next to who randomly started conversations with you and asked for help those were the ones who were there for those great times. Honestly, I wouldn’t change a thing about this and I’d do it all over again.

Imagining you are with your old school friends….

Posted on by anele25

“Where do you see yourself in ten years?” is something I would hear often during my high school years and tonight I wanted to sit down and write about a topic that I have hardly thought about. I have had some changes in the past twelve years since High School and I want to reference high school because that was the time when we all transitioned from childhood to High School. A great friend of mine recently gave me a book for Christmas that has 300 writing prompts and I intend to write as many as I can before I die or perhaps before the one day comes that I will lose my passion to write anything (I highly doubt this). One of the topics in the book asks this “Imagine you are at your next high school reunion. How do you think your old school friends would react to the person you are today?” I don’t think anybody is the same person they were five or ten years ago. Experiences, goals, and relationships change us all. High school for me ended on June 8th 2006 and on that day I remember not really waving at anybody or seeming excited that high school was over.

I just looked it at as another phase of life that had ended for me and I was ready to move on with my life. I wasn’t the most popular person or most outgoing person. I wouldn’t go to parties or hang out with the in crowd. I would say if I were to meet my old school friends they would treat me exactly the same but we would be different in our lives. I remember hanging out with one of my friends from high school in 2015 and we did what guys usually do: go hang out and talk about life. One thing I remember noticing about my friend is how much he had changed from being super funny and outgoing to being a former shell of who he is. No longer was he the fun loving guy people would gravitate towards but he had become more serious in the way he acted, the way he thought, and the way he approached people. I felt that when we hung out we had almost reversed roles. I was now in a position where I had gone through certain experiences and was now in control of my emotions. Before I would be irritable, angry, and somewhat moody. Now, I saw my friend in this position and there was no way I could change him because you can’t change anybody’s perspective in life on where he was. However, going back to the original question I would say if my old school friends saw me they would ask how things changed, what do I think was the best way to do this, and would start asking me about my career and where I was. One other thing that has never been steady in my life as well would be my diet and exercise.

Recently, I have started watching my diet because of the surgery that I have undergone (more of this information available in an earlier blog post). I would say they would be shocked because my diet in high school wasn’t particularly great as I would eat like crazy in high school. I also remember I took a strength training class in college and this is when my life was in flux on whether I should continue to work out or not. One of my classmates commented on how good my stamina was because we would take weekly runs on stairs or outside on a track. This is something I would point out to my friends because of how much a statement I like to make with this. I would also say my friends would be surprised because I was never the most athletic in high school and I never played sports either. I also would dare say that people would start asking about the type of motivation I have behind this. I have believed that in the past few years that my motivation is to live as long as possible and the experiences and memories we make are based off of this. I can wake up tomorrow and not be motivated but one thing that gets me is the ability to know that every day is a new opportunity, a new challenge, a new hello, a new morning, a new something to look forward to.

Sure, we all sit in traffic on the way to and from work but this is a part of what life is. I would think if I were to tell this to my friends they would start laughing at me but I truly do believe that this does motivate me to achieve something greater every day. I also sometimes wonder if they would even recognize me because in High School you have your one or two friends that you stick close by with. I remember sitting in a row full of strangers that I had never met in my life. This is something I fear because of how diverse and far the field has gone in terms of how big of a class we were. But, I know I would have my friends that would be there to support me in how I am doing and how I have changed. I also have documented in how I think having a pet of some sorts has made me a nicer person. The dog I had before, Paloma, really made me appreciate life and the many intricacies of how to care for someone that is your own. Before, I didn’t have that somebody or something I could care for. Now, I have Zorro to care for and I also would say people would be surprised that I became a dog owner. Overall, I would say there would be some process for me to let it out because I don’t tell many people about my love for my dog. Once again, I think having a dog is like having a child because you have to make sure he or she is cared for and that he has his regular checkups at the vet or what have you. So there you have it, overall I would say that others would have kids, maybe other people have moved out of the area, and me I’m still the same person in mind but I have made a few adjustments. Change is good for all of us and time tells who will come out in front. To me, I would say I have been pretty successful with my life and where I am financially. I hope it is the same for everyone else and if it’s not hopefully I can have some profound impact on people.Till next time….