I know I haven't posted in almost 3 weeks. It's really because to be honest, I haven't had a lot or the time to write a proper post. It has been an extremely intensive 3 weeks, and while they have been exhausting, they have also been incredibly educational for me as an upcoming hall director and student affairs professional. We've had the NYU orientation groups staying in our hall for the last few weeks for a night or two at a time, and each session seems to have its own set of personalities, and therefore, its own needs. The orientations have also been one of my primary responsibilities during my time here, so I took a lot of ownership over the whole process and making sure things ran smoothly, and for the part they did. I have to credit a lot of this to my summer staff workers, as they've been awesome. One of them today was actually poking fun at me for calling them "my staff", but it really isn't meant as a bad thing. I take a lot of pride in them in the work that they do, and I'm very thankful for all their knowledge about the building, NYU, and NYC since I'm not from here. Oh kids. Anyway, today the last 2 groups checked out (at the same time too!) which signaled not only the end of our busiest time, but the realization that I really only have two weeks left here and how short of time that actually is. As much as I want to ignore it and put that reality aside, I can't anymore. Its coming quick.
The thing is though, I think I'm ready...in a way. Bare with me, I have a lot of mixed feelings right now. The past couple weeks I've been really missing my cohort and the discussions and good times we have. We're all participating in an online discussion board for this "class", but that's mainly class/work related. I miss sharing our experiences and learning from each other through in-person discussion. I really didn't think I would miss them as much as I did. I'm also ready to start my work as a hall director. I say ready as in I'm mentally ready to go there, I still have work I feel I need to do for the actually position before I go back (though I don't really). I'm also scared out of my mind to start the position, but I think I'm more excited than scared about the position (at least I hope). However, I don't want to leave, so I've been trying to see if there's anyway I can physically transport UCM to New York City. So far I haven't been smart enough to invent a transporter, I'll let you know if I do. This city is awesome, and I don't really want to leave. I would however like to have a paycheck that will allow me to have spending money and not just pay bills...
Anyway, New York is awesome, and while I'm not sure anymore how well I would do actually living here for a more extended period of time than I am now, it has been an amazing experience. The past couple weeks I've really just been living day to day like I live here, and I've realized how much I miss being close to a city. It's made me realize I really can't wait to get out of Missouri. Warrensburg itself is fine, I just can't stand how far away it is from everything and Missouri politics outside of Warrensburg. I think what I'm trying to get to is that living in New York after being in Warrensburg has made me realize that during my job search next year I need to look for a position in close proximity to a major city like Minneapolis/St. Paul. River Falls was perfect, but I need some work experience first before I can get a job there (though that is one of my life goals to work back at UWRF). I think I've finally realized that it's ok to have needs when looking for a job and not to just "take what I can get" (though I may get desperate next spring).
On a different note, my friend Anna from my cohort came and visited last weekend and we had a bunch of fun! One of the things we did was go down to the World Trade Center/Ground Zero. My other friends who visited said there wasn't a good place to see anything there and that the construction zone was surrounded by barriers. This was true, but Anna and I found out you could go through the sky-walk of the World Financial Center across the street and we were able to see the whole site really well. I've been keeping track of the project for the past few years, and I knew for a few years progress on the new tower and memorial had been going slowly, but over the past couple years progress was going much quicker. 1 World Trade Center/Freedom Tower has really come a long way and is now at the 72nd floor in steel construction, and is actually visible from the top few floors of the building I work in. The building is cool, but I'm also really interested in the other buildings being built (there will be 4 buildings at the new WTC in total), as well as the memorial. The memorial will open for the first time this year on 9/11 for the 10th anniversary of the attacks, and from the World Financial Center we were able to see the site really well, and while there's still a long way to go in the next few months, it really a sight to see. For those who don't know anything about the memorial, The 2 "footprints" of the site have been turned into giant square waterfalls at ground level with panels around the edges with the names of those who were lost, and underneath the site is a more interactive memorial. There is also a museum being built that features some of the steel from the original towers. View more at http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html
Ever since we visited I've been in a very reflective mood about a lot of things. I'm sure 9/11/01 will be on all of our minds a lot over the next few months as we approach the 10th anniversary and remember those who were lost. I've really been reflecting on how much in my life has changed in ten years, and even in the last five since I first went off to college. This reflection has made me think about a lot of things, but what I come away with most is how grateful I am to be where I am, how thankful I am for every privilege that I've had over my lifetime, and how lucky I am to be where I'm at in my life. The past year and half or so I have frequently struggled with how and why certain things happen, but I'm at a really good place in my life right now, and I'm so incredibily thankful for that.
I've also thought a lot recently about where my life is going, and I think that's where a lot of my uncertainty comes in. I know I'm not supposed to worry about the future, but I'm genuinely concerned about getting a job next year once I graduate (hopefully before). What I need to realize is that what is meant to happen will happen and that life will work itself out. In my more immediate future, I have so many mixed feelings about the upcoming year. On one hand I'm so freaking excited to get started in my position as a RHD and to have a building and a staff. On the other I'm scared out of my friggin mind. I'm strangely excited to get back in the classroom and learn more about my profession, but I'm also nervous for this semester because while for some last semester was the hardest for them and their needs, I think this semester will be the hardest for me as I have classes that deal with law and governance and finance which all make me a little nervous. While I usually thrive under pressure, I am nervous that I'm going to get overwhelmed with my RHD position and classes, and not to mention the added pressure of the MoCPA conference I'm helping to plan, and the EPSA conference at UCM too. Good thing I have awesome people in my cohort to bring me back down to reality and keep my grounded and real this year. I'm sure it will all be ok, right!
I just realized I launched into Residence Life/Student Affairs lingo, so let me explain:
RHD = Residence Hall Director
MoCPA = Missouri College Personnel Association
EPSA = Exploring Your Path in Student Affairs
UCM = University of Central Missouri
UWRF = University of Wisconsin - River Falls
NYU = New York University
Ok that was a really long post about the things that go on in my head so I think I'm done for now. Until next time...
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