An attempt—although maybe a very futile one—to organize my thoughts, feelings, experiences, and fleeting memories over the past semester.Of all the things I’ve struggled with conceptually this semester, (Like logical statements or the difference between epistemological and ontological emergence), the thing that don’t really understand how it's already December. Yup. It’s almost 2018, and I don’t understand how time works anymore.
Let’s rewind. On my way to the airport on August 25th, I was reading up on the “Prepare for San Francisco” documents that told me what foundation week would be like, where to buy groceries, and how to adjust to my home away from home, when I stumbled across this paragraph: “The day you leave home to travel to San Francisco is likely to be a day you will remember all your life. It will serve as a marker in your mind — you will talk about life before Minerva, and life during and after Minerva in distinctly different ways. As you prepare to make that trip across time and space, take a moment to pause and think about the people who have helped you get where you are today and the kind of person you want to be in four years, when you make the return trip as a Minerva graduate.” “Well, that’s beautifully written but also kind of cheesy” I thought to myself. But as I glanced up out the car window and watched Colorado’s greyish-green, rocky scenery whizzing by, I couldn’t help but think that this moment was a bit special. It was finally happening. It officially marked the end of a saga: my obscenely long, no-one-should-ever-read-this-or-go-through-this college saga. But it was also a beginning—A small moment that stood as a personal token to swimming against the current and seeking out what I truly wanted despite opposition. And now here I am—in my “life during Minerva” stage—barely able to articulate the things that have happened this semester, but here’s a somewhat chronological word montage. I remember moving to the heart of San Francisco and meeting students from over 60 different countries (many of whom would become my closest friends.) Having a meal in pitch darkness and recreating an iconic picture at a bookstore with complete strangers. Going to art galleries, volunteering with the city, and multiple post-assignment donut runs. Tech conferences, hackathons, and way too many cafes to count. Taking a 7-hour bus ride to LA and reuniting with my UCLA fam. Meeting so many interesting and inspiring people—from entrepreneurs and bitcoin investors to artists and event organizers. Learning about different cultural customs and political views from my peers. Realizing my world view has been incredibly US-centric. Wandering the city that is both broken and beautiful, talking about the latest good books, impromptu jam sessions, waking up at 8 AM for an overhyped croissant, and ending the semester with human-sized teddy bears, a silver hashtag balloon, and of course—the people who were with me through it all. Looking back, I guess I feel grateful. Grateful for the opportunity to be here. Grateful for the people who make this experience possible. Grateful for the challenges and failures, the late-night conversations about life, for the ever-active group messages and memes that help me make it through the day, the little act of kindness that seem outwardly trivial, and for 7 more semesters of this.
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About MeThanks for visiting my blog! My name is Megan, I work in Marketing and I graduated as part of Minerva's class of 2021. Enjoy a collage of reflections, poetry, and late-night thoughts. Archives
October 2023
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