Not me, but it kinda looks like me…
So, for those of you who don’t know me, I’ve always taken on too many responsibilities, too many activities, too much of everything. In 6th grade, I played piano and flute, took ballet classes, and did gymnastics. In 7th grade, I stopped doing everything except gymnastics, practicing 12 hours a week. By 9th grade, I was up to 25 hours of practice a week. Those 25 hours, during competition season, became 30 or 40, with meets, travel, and physical therapy and doctor visits. For comparison, if I had a busy gymnastics week, that was the equivalent of a full-time entry-level job. By the time I was 16, I was spending more time than ever doing gymnastics and I was beginning my full IB curriculum. I never got home before 8pm, when I would scarf down my dinner and start pounding out my homework, never going to bed before 1am. After I hurt my back and had to quit gymnastics, I had what I considered an easy senior year: a job as a teaching assistant at the preschool at my synagogue, circus arts classes twice a week, IB classes, college applications, SATs, and IB and AP tests.
This one is actually me, just baby me on a balance beam.
Until this semester in college, I’d never taken fewer than 16 credits (our maximum is 18). I’ve always worked 9 hours a week at the dining hall, and often committed myself to various clubs at once.
This semester, I thought I was “taking it easy.” Until today. This semester I’m only taking two 300-level academic classes. The rest of my credits are made up of smaller classes. I’m taking pilates, preparing to present at a sociological conference in New York City in March, working my usual 9 hours at the dining hall, doing two internships, and traveling to NYC to visit my boyfriend every other weekend (and later this semester I’ll be taking a web design class and an e-book design class). I’m also keeping up with my blog, Unwritten, and being the campus coordinator (basically the editor in chief) of Skidmore’s chapter of Her Campus. Oh and preparing to take on the future. You know, applying to jobs and stuff.
The beautiful front of my new work. Photo taken from my Instagram.
Aaaaanyways, today was my first day working both my internships on the same day. I got to the local paper, The Saratogian, at 9:45 this morning and worked in the local library reading and reporting on microfilm from the newspaper 100 years ago today (1915). After those three hours, I took myself to lunch at our local bagel place, Uncommon Grounds, to work for an hour on Her Campus posts, emails, and letters of recommendation for past employees. Finally I went to my other internship at Saratoga Living magazine. I worked on spreadsheets, printed addresses, and stuffed envelopes. Oh, and of course, went on a coffee run (classic intern, right?). I came home to do more work and make dinner.
Yesterday I was skyping with my boyfriend and I said something along the lines of “today was a really long day” and he responded by telling me “every day is a really long day for you.” I hadn’t thought about it, but he was right. When I got home from work today, I was 200% overwhelmed, but am I going to stop doing any of this stuff? Nope. Yesterday I even considered applying for another on-campus job for this semester (and even though I promised my boyfriend I wouldn’t, I still feel guilty not doing it).
My first day outfit.
Needless to say, I’m taking on too much this semester. What else is new? I guess this is what the real world is like. I’m definitely not ready. But here goes nothing.
Sometimes I Wear Tiaras 