Compare and Contrast

And so, after 10 months of misadventures…here I am – done with my first year of graduate school! It’s been a struggle with enough personal tests and revelations of self-discovery to compensate for my twenties. And as I look back at my crazy experience thus far, despite the obvious differences about my student life this time around, I have noticed that are a few similarities as well.

Things that have remained the same:

1. I still talk to my family (almost) every night
2. I am still horrible with numbers, with the worst grades in my statistics course
3. I am still at my best when writing papers
4. I still work too hard, investing way more time than I should in assignments
5. I am on a scholarship (hey, hey!)
6. I have had to build a new social circle
7. I am still living in a dormitory AND sharing a room
8. I still don’t like being active in school activities

Things that have differed:

1. While I used to have my childhood friends with me, I am my own
2. Rather than studying out of state, I am now in a foreign country on the other side of the world
3. All my close friends are female as compared to primarily males previously
4. Most of my friends now are lastborns instead of firstborns
5. I spend more time alone than hanging out friends
6. Rather than music calming me when studying, it’s now ambient sound
7. 99% of the class is younger than me rather than me being younger than 99% of the class
8. Instead of having my own car, I now fully rely on public transportation to get around

 

The lesson from this note to self? Just goes to remind that no matter how much circumstances change, the only constant that remains is you.