It's Only Just Getting Started

I'm going to be honest: I am completely and utterly exhausted. Two weeks bursting at the seams with intense studying, mountains of stress, a slew of three-hour long exams, and sleep deprivation had me doing mental gymnastics and I'm still catching my breath.

But, wow, I'm excited.

The moon and sunrise

Yeah, waking up at 6:30 AM on a Saturday after only managing four hours of sleep, spending five hours absorbing bricks of information at the Ivy League Connection tutorial, and then rushing to make it to a four-hour job doesn't sound like the most relaxing thing in the world - but relaxation can be a little overrated. Stress levels will only rise and time will simply slip through my fingers as I enter adulthood, so I might as well prepare myself for a near-uncontrollable life while the stakes are relatively low.

Plus, this is all in pursuit of my passion, and I'm rather reluctant to be the reason why I'd fail to realize it.

Despite how tired I felt (and most definitely looked) during those five hours with everyone, I felt elated just thinking about what awaits me at Brown. I'm going to be tossed into a environment of freedom I've never been allowed into before, on top of being offered an opportunity to partake in in-depth critical analysis with amazing people on an amazing campus. This feels like the epitome of a fresh, new experience that promises to incorporate so many elements I want to build into my future purpose. This is an adventure.

The tutorial itself was also extremely helpful. Although I am an experienced traveller, there were a lot of things I hadn't considered in relation to spending a few weeks at Brown. I also thought it was very kind of Don Gosney to let us know he'd lend us a few items so this program doesn't become more expensive than we can afford: with college approaching many of us, and with personal financial restrictions, we students need to save as much as we can. 

I'm also really interested in the concept of this blog, because I've never really documented any events in my life by typing them up and then posting them online for everyone to see. I think it'll provide me with a good base to compare who I am after Brown to who I was before it, and give me a way to see what the rest of my cohort is experiencing! 

Although today was mostly about the logistics of our trip, it felt so nice to have a more extensive interaction with the program and how it'll work, and it helped recenter my focus after fourteen unbelievably hectic days. I feel motivated to tackle this process head-on, and I am determined to experience Brown to the highest possible degree.