Week Fourteen: Famous Last Words

This past week I have been so TIRED, which is getting really old because—let’s face it—ain’t nobody got time for extra sleepin’ during dead week and finals. Haha. Over the weekend, I tried to have a girl’s night with a good friend of mine, who happens to be dating my boyfriend’s roommate and close friend. That reality can be both super convenient and fun, but it can also get really annoying. The two don’t have a very strong relationship, but for some unfathomable reason they refuse to just break up. So my boyfriend and I just get to sit on the sidelines and watch their drama, which I normally don’t mind too much. However, this weekend my friend and I decided to go clubbing and we had JUST arrived at the club, not even ten minutes in, and her boyfriend called and they got in an argument and next thing I know she is sad. So we ended up just going home. She said she didn’t mind staying, but mopey friends do not make good dance buddied, haha. I understand how she felt though; I would never want to stay out partying if my boyfriend and I were on the rocks. The night wasn’t a total bust though; her and her boyfriend made up promptly upon our return to our boyfriends’ apartment and my boyfriend and I spent the remainder of the night drinking wine and watching “Bon Cop, Bad Cop” which was a pretty funny movie, made especially funny by my boyfriend occasionally yelling at the characters to “Parler Français!” He is a native French speaker, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has virtually no accent in either language, which is interesting. The movie was made in Quebec and the general consensus is that Quebec is the Alabama of the Francophone world (they have really strong hick accents), so my boyfriend was REALLY annoyed by their strong accents and occasional use of weird words that only exist in Quebec. But for me, it was just really entertaining to watch him get annoyed. My French is not good enough for me to just listen anyways, so it was subtitles for this chick!

(Image from Wikimedia, movie poster)

Week Thirteen: Famous Last Words

This week was pretty busy but things seem to be slowing down just a bit—right before the finals rush, of course. I went to the Bird’s Nest on Friday for my friend’s 21^st birthday. Its nice, all of us finally being 21. It was a good time, but I was pretty tired so my boyfriend and I went home a little early. I was planning to go to my congregation’s Sunday service today, but I overslept so that didn’t happen. Today, I need to finish up this week’s Epics homework, make a Power Point for the group presentation I have tomorrow, and then meet up with my group to practice the presentation. Yesterday I babysat a little boy while his dad coached his older brother’s soccer team. I usually do this on Monday’s during their practices, but I also do it occasionally on Saturday’s when they have games. The little boy is almost completely silent, so it can be hard to know what he wants sometimes. But he is cute and well-behaved, which is nice. I am now getting off at six, instead of 7:30, on Thursdays, which is such a relief as we approach finals. I only have two more weeks left caring for the disabled woman. Since her mother is an account, she hires extra help during tax season, but once April is over the extra help really isn’t necessary. She did ask me if I might be interested in doing some evening care in the future, so that she can go out. I was really surprised she asked, but I think it would be really good for her. Everybody deserves a little fun, right? She is a really dedicated and hard-working mother, too. I hope she decides to do it. I don’t think she has went out on the town—even just for a dinner—in years. Overall, it was a good week. I’m looking forward to finishing up this semester and enjoying the summer. I wasn't sure what picture to include, so I chose this selfie I took back before I started growing my hair out. Lately all my friends have been fascinated with how long my hair is compared to back then. Ps: Yes, my step-dad is a giant.

Personal photo of myself and my step-dad, Terris

Week Ten: Famous Last Words

This week I have just been trying to get back on my feet and recover from Spring Break. It can be really tough to get myself back into the mindset of school, learning, and HOEMWORK! In my Jews and Other Germans course, I received my mid-term essay grade and I got a one hundred percent. I was shocked! I was really happy with the grade, obviously. Now, we are prepping for our group presentations, which I am nervous for. The actual assignment does not seem too difficult, but I hate public speaking and I do not trust partners in group projects in general. In my French Advanced Phonetics course, I am struggling a little because the grading has gotten tougher as the semester goes by, but I think I can swing a B so long as I keep working. In my French Culture through Film course, I am doing well. The most recent quiz was actually so easy I worried I had missed something really important, but I do not think I did. I am still awaiting the grade for that quiz. We were supposed to have our mid-term paper—in French!—due today, but it was postponed until next Monday, thankfully! In my Techniques of Teaching a Foreign Language course, I am doing excellent. I have gotten either a ninety or a one hundred on every single assignment, so far. I also feel like I learn something important for my career every single class period! Last week, we had class during the tornado that took place in Moore, just fifteen minutes away. My teacher, who is originally from Russia, was extremely nervous and scared, so we had class in the basement of the library. I was okay with this; better safe than sorry, right? Some students seemed annoyed, which I thought was silly. I am also doing well in my Epics of India course, as you can see. Though, I am rather behind this week, I will be turning this extra credit assignment in with just about ten minutes to spare!

(Image from Crowd Album, Moore Tornado 2015)

Week Nine: Famous Last Words

So it is the Sunday before class starts back again, and I am panicking. I have reading to do for my Jews and Other Germans class, we will be discussing the upcoming group presentations tomorrow in class, I have a presentation to give in French for my French Phonetics class tomorrow—I have not even began researching my topic, I have two reading assignments and a project due Wednesday for my Teaching Foreign Languages class, and in my French Film class I have to write a short report over the movie we watched. I am so stressed!

However, I did have a good time at home. My dad and stepmom were in Ireland for Saint Patrick’s Day, so I did not see them. I did get to see my stepmom’s mom, my younger brother and sister, my older sister and her fiancé, and my mom and stepdad! My boyfriend and I took my little sister to Alabaster Caverns, which is about 40 minutes from where all of my parents live. It was a good trip! We went hiking and found the entrance to a water cave. We peaked inside and saw an old cot, which was a big surprise! It was really pretty and sunny outside, too. Going into the cave was a bit of a shock because it was so cold. We got a lot of cool pictures of the rocks and even some of the bats.

Everybody also got together for a bar-be-que which was a lot of fun. My boyfriend cooked Korean ribs and chicken stuffed with cheese and my stepmom’s mom cooked corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, and brownies! It was a really good meal and we had a lot of fun with everybody together. Our last night there, my boyfriend and I took my younger siblings bowling so we could get some time away from the crowd with them. They are ten and sixteen, which seems young but they are both growing up so much! They used to fight constantly but in the last year they have really bonded and grown to care about each other more. They are a lot easier to be around when they aren’t bickering constantly!

(Personal photo of myself and my younger sister, outside the entrance to a water cave at Alabaster Caverns State Park)

Week Eight: Famous Last Words

So this week I am getting back into the swing of things with this class. I have had a brutal two weeks in my other classes and I was—luckily—pretty far ahead in this class. I decided to relax my hard work in this class in order to give myself more time to commit to my others classes. I had a teaching presentation, an exam, a quiz, and a mid-term essay! It was not fun at all! My essay ended up being much more difficult than I had expected; I barely finished it by the deadline! I was stressed out and cranky all week long! But, it is all over now and I can enjoy that this week has gone much better and been much less stressful—especially because I did not have class on Wednesday thanks to the snow! J

I spent the weekend and yesterday (Wednesday) playing video games, drinking wine, and eating pizza (and tipping the poor delivery guy four bucks every time, out of weather-associated guilt). Needless to say, I got some much needed relaxation time thanks to the snow. However, it also made it nearly impossible to motivate myself, in light of the weather. I also had to cancel all of my plans I had this past weekend because no one wanted to drive. L I was supposed to meet up with my friend from high school, who just recently moved to Oklahoma City, on Friday for dinner and drinks so we could catch up. On Saturday, I was supposed to go to lunch with my Arabic language partner. Even though I am no longer learning Arabic, we stayed partners because she really wants to practice her English and we enjoy hanging out a lot. Saturday evening I was planning to hang out with a friend who I recently connected with. Unfortunately, all of those plans had to be cancelled thanks to the weather! And then on Wednesday I was supposed to have dinner with my brother who just moved to Oklahoma City from Fort Worth! I think I need to start watching the weather before making plans… Here is a picture of myself and some friends, including my friend Logan, whom I was supposed to see this past weekend.

(Personal photo of myself and my friends)

Week Five: Famous Last Words

This week I am feeling pretty good about this class. I have done pretty much all the extra credit so far that was available, and I have only missed one assignment. I am pretty far ahead on the expected points to have at this point in order to have an A, which makes me feel good and also relieved. My goal is to finish this course at least three weeks early—but the earlier the better! My final three weeks will be super difficult in my other courses, so I am trying to alleviate some of that stress by not having to worry over this one at the same time! It kind of sucks though, because this is my most interesting class! But I have 130 points at the moment, and the professor has not gotten to my project yet. I turned it in on time, so I can assume I will have ten more points for that, which puts me thirty points ahead of schedule already! I have an exam on Friday for my French Phonetics course. I am a little nervous because there will be an oral portion, but otherwise I feel okay. I did well on the quiz, so that leads me to believe the exam will be okay too. I have a midterm coming up in my Jews/Other Germans class. It is an essay, which I normally would not worry over. However, we only have three grades in this course so I am pretty nervous. No room for error here. I had my monthly massage this week! I know this doesn’t seem important but oh my goodness this girl works wonders! I have mild scoliosis so anytime I get some pain relief it’s a wonderful thing. This weekend I am going to the Pink and Black Ball with my boyfriend. I got my dress last weekend and I really like it! They altered it to fit me quite well. Saturday I’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day with my boyfriend. I basically hate the holiday, but there will be chocolate and wine so I tolerate it, haha. Here is a picture of my boyfriend and I at last year's Pink and Black Ball:

(Personal Photo)

Week Three: Famous Last Words

     This week has been ridiculously hectic for me! I was lucky enough to find a new, less stressful job! I started that Tuesday and it went well! I also had my older sister staying with me Wednesday and Thursday. She had a conference in Oklahoma City and I basically functioned as a free hotel, haha. But I don’t mind. She lives three hours away from OKC and it gave us a chance to spend some extra time together. Though I have class until nine twenty at night on Wednesdays and I work until seven Thursdays, so it was very limited time! I also had my younger sister visit me on Saturday! My stepmoms birthday was that day, so her and my dad came to OKC. They dropped off my little sister with me because she is only ten so they didn’t want to leave her at home alone. My brother, who is sixteen, isn’t quite responsible enough to count as sufficient care for her yet! So my parents went to a show in OKC and got a hotel room and got to relax without kids for once. My little sister and I went to Weatherford, Oklahoma because I needed to be fitted for a formal dress I had originally bought for a wedding I may no longer be attending. Long story short, I was supposed to go to a very formal wedding in Egypt. Now, the wedding is on hold and I am going to be getting my EFL teaching certification in New York during the time the wedding was originally scheduled for. So I have a really pretty dress for nothing! Haha, but I will probably wear it to the Pink and Black Ball since I was planning to go anyways and it happens to be pink! So if you happen to notice an over-dressed blonde girl in a floor-length pink dress, its probably me! But otherwise classes are still going well. I am somewhat frustrated by my busy past week, because I had managed to get several days ahead in this course and was feeling good about that. Now I am not ahead at all and am just barely getting these weekend assignments done in time! Below is a picture of my older sister (on the left), my younger sister (in the middle), and myself (on the right).

(Personal Photo taken October 2014)

Week Two: Famous Last Words

This week I really enjoyed writing my story about the Ganga. I love personifying animals/things and I had a lot of fun describing how the Ganga was—quite literally—steaming mad! I am still doing well in my other courses, and adjusting reasonably well to having courses in full French! I am also looking into getting my certificate to teach English as a Foreign Language this summer—which will be an exciting, daunting task. I’ll continue doing research this week and hopefully find out next week whether or not I will be able to do this during the coming summer. Depending on cost, as well as time, I may or may not be able to go. My dad has offered to pay for some of the expenses, and possibly loan me the remaining portion needed, depending on exactly how much it would cost. (Interest-free, parent-provided loans=BEST LOAN EVER!) I’ll also be taking summer classes though, so it is important I ensure the two interests don’t conflict with one another. If I go, the course will be in New York City, which is awesome. I have only been in New York City once, when I missed my flight home from France and ended up having to transfer airports in the middle of the night, got screwed over by a private taxi (whom I’m thankful only charged me a hundred dollars for a ride, as opposed to kidnapping me), and then spent about seven hours waiting for my flight. So it will be cool to actually get to do a bit of sight-seeing while in New York, when I’m not obsessively studying for this course; I hear it is really intensive. Outside of school, I had a rough day. I am no longer tutoring. The father of the little boy I tutor doesn't really value education and thought the tutoring was a waste of time. He also didn't like me because I have an academic interest in Islam (I’m a religious studies major!) and he is a prejudiced person. So, unfortunately he overruled the mother who was very open-minded and pro-education, and decided not to continue having their son tutored. It’s their decision of course, but I do hope the son learns to value knowledge and be more open-minded than the father. Wish me luck in my search for a new job! Also, my older sister will be staying with me Wednesday and Thursday night, and my younger sister will be visiting me Saturday! I am looking forward to seeing them both! Ooh, and I am going to include a link to a Facebook event which is super relevant to this class. Please feel free to come, share the event among your friends/ FB groups, or even other classes! It is free and is sure to be an interesting discussion by a professor I have heard speak before; she is fascinating! Conversations with Dr. Nyla Khan

(Image taken from Conversations with Dr. Nyla Khan)

Famous Last Words: Week 1

 I think my best writing for this first week of class was my storytelling. I did my story over the nursery rhyme “Mistress Mary”. I really enjoyed the assignment and I really latched onto the title, which was slightly different from the version I had grown up with, “Mary, Mary”. My assumption was that the title and rhyme changed over time, in particular due to the negativity regarding mistresses in today’s society. Because of that, I decided to really base my story around the word “mistress”, and the story just grew from there.

My other classes are going well so far. I really like my schedule this semester! I have this online class and two classes on Mondays and Thursdays at 11:30 and 1:30. However, on Wednesdays my schedule is pretty busy. On top of those two classes, I am also taking two evening classes—on the same day! One is from 3:30-6:10 and another is from 6:30-9:20. But my classes are interesting. I think I am going to survive my French classes after all—there was a long, scary moment of doubt on the first day of classes. The class I am taking called “Techniques of Teaching a Foreign Language” is looking like it will be a really useful class for me, since I want to teach English as a second language. I also really like the professor! It is a bit frustrating though, because I have to do something called a micro-teaching. For that project I am required to prepare a ten to fifteen minute lesson in which I act like my classmates are my students. However, I am not allowed to teach in English even though that is the language I intend to teach, because everyone in the class already speaks English. I understand my teachers’ though process, but I would rather focus on teaching English rather than another language. I wonder what would happen if someone did not have any background in another language…. Now I have to decide if I am going to teach in French or Arabic… Hmmm… On another note, I order all of my textbooks via Amazon. So far only one has come in. How long can I go without them before it starts really messing up my grades? .... I guess I am going to find out.

(Image from The Economy of Meaning)