First Semester Overview

Sitting back, relaxing and reflecting, makes me think about my first year out of high school and in college/university. It is incredible to think about what I have accomplished in one year but it is also sad and depressing to think about all the hardships, mistakes and sadness that have occurred during the past year.

First, I will take the time to highlight some of good times. It seems to have flown by so fast that I hardly enough time to sit down and think about all the changes that occurred. When I think about the first year, there is one word that comes to mind and that word is WOW!!! It is hard to believe that last year at this same time, I was still in high school, getting ready to graduate as well as the same time stressing out about marks and the upcoming diploma exams that were going to be approaching soon. I was also worried about getting into the colleges/universities and trying to fill out and spenting a lot of time applying to as many as I thought I could stand a chance to get into. I am very thankful for the opportunity to be at this place, and living at this moment. Post-secondary does something to you in the first year that changes you. Even though I am just about done my first year, I can’t figure out what it is. It is hard to describe and even find the words.

I have made a lot of new friends this year and for this I am very thankful. The people that I have met have shown me that in life there is so much to it. Life is always changing and evolving, and never the same. They have helped me feel more and more comfortable in my surroundings and with myself. They have assisted me with assignments and projects and some have given me the opportunity to apply my skills in the real world. Some of them have always believed me and were willing to lend a helping hand to me when I needed it most.

I have also dramatically improved my marks from last semester. I am very happy and excited that the hard work is starting to pay off.

Even though I have learned so much about myself as person, I experienced many times of sadness, despair, hopeless and even loneness. During numerous times of the year I have experienced the feeling of hopeless. Even though these are times that are not easy to talk about, one thing is for sure that they have tested me and shown to me that I am very strong person. It showed me that I am not willing to let things stop me from achieving my goals.

I am made many mistakes this semester, I deeply regret and I take fully-hearted responsibility for them. Even though I know what is done is done, one thing I know for sure. I have to pick myself up, look at what happened and learn from them, brush myself off and keep on going on. Some of the notable ones are like dropping multiple classes. This was one if not the most difficult decisions of my semester. This was painfully and caused grief in my life. Before this time, I was living in a world that thought everything was so easy and that it would be given to you. Well, not really. It is easy and it will be given to you, only if you are determined, focused, and hardworking about it. It doesn’t come easy, you have to work for it and be determined to get it.

Even though, this year is slowly coming to a close, I know that I still have a lot of work ahead of me. This year is just one part of my life. I know I will experience many more accomplishments and make many more mistakes in my young life but thing is for sure as long as I am committed to myself and my dreams/goals, anything is possible. Sometimes it doesn’t matter about the dream or the goal but the journey involved in achieving it. It is sometimes important to enjoy the way you got to where you are, because I believe sometime it is during those times in life that you TRULY learn, grow and become more determined to achieving those things that are important to you. Many people have said that “strength is in the endurance to overcome the obstacles in life. True happiness is the balance.” People also say in times of hardship, don’t forgot to stop and smell the roses. It is important that we enjoy the time we’re currently in and live for the moment.

This quote by Paulo Coelho summarizes it:

‘The journey, which prior to this was torture because all you wanted to do was get there, is now beginning to become a pleasure. It is the pleasure of searching and the pleasure of an adventure. You are nourishing something that’s very important – your dreams.’

Coelho, Paulo. The Pilgrimage. San Francisco: Harper, 1995, pg. 50.