Personal Life and Project

Hey there,

It’s time to wrap things up--the semester, big life decisions, a million unpacked things in my dorm, and the results of my personal project.

My personal project came about in an effort to gain more control of my time. Life in college dictates so much more of my every day than I was expecting. It isn't the classes or studying. I enjoy that. I think it is the little moments of time. The constant sharing of space with someone else. The dull glare of the lights and walls in my dorm room. All the time I wish I was at home with my family or with my friends. Mediocre meals eaten alone in the Marketplace. The accumulation of all these moments of accommodation made me feel off balance like all the things that make me who I am just don't matter as much here.

With my project, I wanted to invest time in myself, in creating a life here that had more purpose.

Remember my little idea called “Bike, Books, and Big?”  Consider those done, done, and done.

Bike  

Okay, I admit this is a tad misleading. I do not have a traditional bicycle that I ride around campus. This refers to Spin Class. For some of last semester and all of this semester, I hopped on a cycling machine next to my lovely gal pal, Kate, and that was how we spent our Thursday nights. If you would like proof of the this feat, then maybe just check out my calves or ask our delightful instructor, Bri.

Cycling is one form of exercise that I really have fun doing, and it allowed me to invest in my health while also bonding with a friend. So win-win! Also I hope to find a cycling class to take at home this summer! Win!

Books

If you've read any of my blogs or know me at all, then you know that I find sanctuary in written word. But I've discovered that even though I packed 65 books and found a place for all of them in my tiny half of the room, I haven't had much time to read.

In the midst of everything else this semester, I made my way through three books--each one matching an aspect of my personality.

• Evicted by Matthew Desmond. It was on dozens of Must-Read lists from NPR to New York Times to Amazon to Barack Obama. Evicted is a non-fiction book that follows the stories of eight families in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as they try to have meaningful lives in the midst of poverty while others make large profits off their troubles. At times, I had to put the book down because I was overcome with a mixture of anger and sadness at the systems that seek to make the lives of the poor even harder. However, I am happy that I finished it and happy with the time I decided to read it. This semester, I spent more than 30 hours volunteering at the Johnson City Housing Authority, and what I learned from this book helped me be a better service to the agency. I even think I want to focus my future studies on Public Policy regarding housing and urban development.

• To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf. This one took the longest to get through even though it was technically the shortest in length. Virginia Woolf is an amazing writer, but she writes in “stream of consciousness” style, so sometimes it requires very close, slow reading. I thoroughly enjoyed it and all the time it took to finish. Hard books like that often result in a better feeling when you finish, and it was just lovely to read.

• The Idiot by Elif Batuman.  This was an impulse buy when I was in a little bookstore in D.C, and it was one of the best decisions I made all semester. The main character is a lot like me, a freshman in college and trying to understand how to be an adult and communicate online (set in the 90s so by online, I mean e-mail) and how to find meaning in what you study. It was all such dry humor and interesting observations about this time in life. I highly recommend it for anyone interested in words and identity and awkward college experiences.

Big

The final facet of my project was my time at the Boys and Girls Club, where every week I visit my "Little Brother". Every Thursday afternoon I go and hang out with him for an hour or so. We eat snacks, read books, and play games. It's a nice way to forget about schoolwork for awhile, and just focus on making it a good time for this little kid I've grown to adore. Unfortunately, this Thursday will be my last afternoon with him, due to a factor explained below.

*Final* Thoughts

Overall, the combination of these activities has greatly benefited me personally, and I am glad that I was required to prioritize this type of self-improvement.

I have one huge personal update to tell everyone though.

This is my last blog and last “Collo” assignment.  I have been accepted to transfer to Rhodes College in Memphis. There are so many reasons that this is the right decision for me (like my major, my family, my relationship, my love for Elvis [mostly a joke]) but none of them mean that I regret my time at ETSU. I’ve met some wonderful people and learned so much from incredible professors and enjoyed the gorgeous scenery and memories I’ve made here.

So while I will no longer be a “Colloquist” in the same sense, I will always remember my days here as meaningful and use the experience to shape my next few years in college.

Until Some Other Time,

Maddie