Learning

Hello sweet friends!

I'm back to blogging! I tend to forget about my blog, and I kind of want to make it more of a habit to blog. So here's to the first post of 2013!

As I think I mentioned in my last blog, I'm commuting to Logan for school this semester from Salt Lake. I have a few classes that USU requires me to take on the Logan campus in order to graduate. It's a total of three hours of driving, three days a week, with another two hours on Thursdays for one class in Brigham City. So, folks, that means every week I'm driving roughly 11 hours total. That's a lot of time and gas. 

So far, I've made the journey only twice, since school started Monday and I go to school on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. My first class starts at 8:30 in the morning, requiring me to wake up at 5:30 or 6:00 am to get to Logan on time. If you know me well, you see why this is a problem. I HATE mornings. I'm nearly falling asleep writing this. 

Now that I've complained a whole bunch, let me tell you why all of it is worth the fuss. I have a couple of reasons.

The first reason is simply being that I love USU. Early on in my freshman year I started to realize what a special and awesome place it was. The campus is beautiful, the people are friendly, the atmosphere is exactly what I wanted when I chose a school. 

The second reason is so I can get my degree. This is the simplest, cheapest and quickest way for me to get my degree. That alone is worth it to me. It has always been my goal to be a college graduate and do anything and everything in my power to earn that degree. This isn't how I always imagined it going down, maybe, but I will be so proud to say I've accomplished one of the most important goals I've made in my life. 

The last reason is a little different and a little less tangible. I was sitting in my English 5300 class today. Right now we're reading The Last of the Mohicans. Honestly...not the most exciting. It was written in the 1800's, the language is a little difficult and the genre isn't all that interesting to me. I've had classes like this in the past, classes that involve novels that are just plain uninteresting to me. I zone out, I have a hard time paying attention, and I stare at the clock way too much just willing it to tick faster. However, today I found myself really paying attention. Listening to every word. Now, let's not get carried away...I wasn't clinging to every word, but I was definitely listening. As I noticed I was listening, I thought about it. I wondered why all of the sudden I could stay alert and listen despite how tired I was. I came to a conclusion.

It's been a long time since I've been in school. It's been a year since any school and a year and a half since I've been in school in the United States or USU. I never thought I'd be the girl to take a year off of school, but I did. I don't regret it. I got married, I settled into married life with no stress of school, I worked, and I got to do a lot of cool things. But I don't think I was ever really doing anything that made me think critically or really learn. Honestly, I never knew how much I like to learn until I finally came back to classes at USU. I was hearing things I've never heard. I was learning things, comprehending them, and thinking critically about them. I was analyzing literature again. And it felt good. 

So the main reason I wake up early, pop on a podcast, and drive for an hour an a half to get to classes that are less than an hour is to simply learn. To think. To stretch my brain muscles. To become smarter. 

I think that's worth it after all.