Starting Summer

Well...thoughts have come and gone about life, careers, the future of society, and a whole slough of other topics in the past few days. I've been so tired and partially confused that I've found no time to write. However, a day full of training and DDR has left me energized: no three hour naps today!

To sum up my experiences since I last wrote, I met a lot of amazing people and I enjoyed an array of new activities and places. It was strange to return to my room and find it half-empty, but my clutter from unpacking has already filled the void. This does not bode well for my repacking process, which ought to commence in the next few days, but I choose to gleefully ignore this fact for the time being.

I've started my Peer Advisor training, which will last until the end of the week. I was a little disheartened by the number of freshmen in the ranks; I'm not entirely sure, but I think I'm one of the only up-and-coming seniors involved in the process that hasn't been placed in a more senior position. Admittedly, leadership has never been my strong point. Being in charge of a handful of young adults scares the crap out of me. But if I could manage high schoolers for GIVIT, I should be able to take on a few slightly more mature incoming Champlainers.

It's strange to hear other people's opinions of me, and yet it seems to be coming up more and more. I hate to reference Harry Potter, as much as I love the series, but I truly feel like I'm in an HP situation; my power dwells in the faith that other people put in me. I made one mention of the fact that I was thinking about ditching the PA position, and Wes jumped in to label me as a role model. Heather, my roomie for next year in the suites (squee!) voiced her agreement from a nearby table. I literally ran into the library to talk to Sarah Cohen, the Information Literacy Librarian, and when I mentioned that I was in training, she expressed how glad she was to hear that I'd be filling that kind of role. Perhaps most importantly of all, Shelli Goldsweig, the Staff Advisor for LEAD, expressed her opinion that I would be a good mentor for others and that she really wanted me to participate. I'm not saying that I should have to hear other people sing my praises in order to believe in myself, but what good is self-esteem if other people can't see you in that light?

That was a rant that I didn't really mean to go off on, but it's been stewing in my head a little today, and comes as close to a theme for my routine of late as anything can. Basically, I've decided to give up on questioning others when they compliment me for one thing or another. It's not going to my head, but it's definitely putting a spring in my step. And with summer on the way, there's next to nothing for me to complain about!

There have been a lot of other things on my mind lately, but I'll break them into more easily digested and navigated chunks, even though I'm sitting at my computer churning out the stream of consciousness.