Fall 2024- Semester in Review

     So! After another awesome semester at FSU, I'm finally back home for the holidays for some well deserved rest and relaxation with friends and family! I'm already looking forward to the time I'm going to spend with my love ones, but that isn't to say that I won't miss my place back at Tallahassee during the time I'm down at home. This semester has been probably the most eventful so far, so I thought I'd take a quick moment to blog about some of the highlights and important lessons I've learned in the last few months at college!

    I'd be lying if I said that all of my experiences with my current apartment haven't been the most important parts of my life for the last few months. Moving into a shithole apartment that was crawling with roaches, filled with rotting food, and packed full of the previous tenant's junk is probably going to be one of those formative memories I look back on when I think about my time in college. However, as bad as the first days were, things only got worse when the power and water was shut off, also due to the previous tenants' mismanaging of their bills. Life came at me fast, and as I spent my first week of school without being able to sleep at my own house, I had to do a lot of growing up very quickly.

    Luckily, it is tough times like these that allow you to see the lights in your lives, like my supportive parents, and my extremely generous friends who allowed me to sleep on their couch for a couple of days. I wouldn't have been able to come out of that situation as sane as I am now if it weren't for the support and generosity I benefitted from, which I am eternally grateful for. Once the bills were paid and I made a few calls, everything went more or less back to normal, and I feel as if I really had my first "adult moment," where things go to shit and I had to lock in and deal with it myself for once. As shitty as it was at the time, I'm honestly happy that something like this happened so early into the semester, as I feel like I grew a lot from this experience, and settled into my role as my apartment's responsible manager (let me give myself this credit).

    While the rest of the semester wouldn't throw more of those types of challenges at me, I was faced with a different, consistent challenge altogether throughout these few months: my shitty roommate. Whether it was obnoxious music, drug use, or general dirtiness, I was often faced with a new issue to deal with thanks to my roommate, who will remain unnamed. While at first I tried to reason with him and compromise, I soon learned another important life lesson: some people just suck. Unapologetically, he continued to be a problem no matter how many times we tried to resolve issues with him, culminating in a yelling match where threats were levied. Big learning moment for me! I've always been raised to seek peaceful solutions, and up until that moment, I've always been able to resolve disputes with logic and talking things out. It hurt to admit, but sometimes, you just have to deal with things differently. I don't want to get into discussing this (for now, anyways) so I'll simply leave it at this: I had to confront someone who challenged my worldview, and I learned how to deal with it accordingly.

    Shifting to a more positive thing that happened this semester: the Kudzu Review! I've already talked about how beneficial joining Kudzu was for my mental health and social life, so I won't bore readers with reiterating the points I've made in other blog posts. But undeniably, it was one of the best choices I've made during my college career, and I don't think I would've had as happy of a semester if I didn't have Kudzu to challenge me and my work ethic. Lesson learned here: even though you may be comfortable with your current group and situation, you should always try something new and out of your comfort zone! You never know how your life can change from one simple decision!

    I would be ignoring a very big part of my life if I didn't mention how lucky I am to be living with Wade. Through it all, he has been a constant source of support, entertainment, and brotherly love that I don't think I could find replacement for with a million years of searching. I truly am blessed and beyond lucky to have him by my side through every apartment mishap, bad League game, and stressful assignment I went through this semester. It has been awesome to see him bloom into the creative I knew he always was as he began his first real semester at the film school, and I really appreciate how we always helped each other out, as I gave him critiques and ideas on his first short film, and he listened to me talk about everything that happens in my life and projects. I cannot wait to work with him in the future on a film project (teaser?) and I truly cannot be grateful enough for his being here for me.

    Overall, what a fantastic semester! While I wasn't as academically stimulated as I hoped I would be, I made up for the loss in coursework with extracurricular work with the Kudzu Review, as well as through cultivating my social relationships and meeting so many talented and interesting people! I can't wait to see what 2025 has in store for me, and I welcome any new challenges with open arms!! (Please don't make me eat those words...)

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