Contrariwise

So far, second summer at Notre Dame is going well. I’ve only been here for two weeks, but it already feels like the summer is slipping away.

Classes are good. It’s lovely to get up early, go to class at 8 a.m. and not have to teach it. Remembering how to be a college student was tricky at first. I let my laundry get way out of hand, I had to go back to taking notes during lectures instead of giving them, and homework still takes forever. I forgot that graduate school is supposed to be tougher than undergrad (though, in the typical ACE way of things, nothing is quite like it’s supposed to be). I only have to take three classes, which is glorious because there’s a three-hour break built into the afternoon. Once I finish lunch around 12:30, I don’t have to be anywhere until 3:10. Some days, I run errands.

The best part of the summer, by far, is being back around some of my favorite people in the world. My summer roommate, Claire, is wonderful, but goes to bed earlier than I do and stays up later, which is slightly awkward because it means all my sleep takes place during hers. (As my ever-wise Carpool Buddy pointed out, that’s a common problem between me and my roommates.) As far as Claire knows, I don’t actually go to bed. Seeing my favorite ACE friends has made for some good times. Just this night at dinner, I laughed so hard that I choked. Twice. Note to self: Don’t breathe water.

There’s a lot of adjustment happening at the same time. Since I’m changing communities, schools, houses, courses…basically everything, I find myself caught in the middle a lot. It’s like I’m fourteen and having an identity crisis, not to mention the awkward conversations and introductions because moving is so rare. My old community was amazing; they have permanently changed who I am and the way I live my life. Adjusting to my new community will take at least as long as it took to gel with the old one, but it will be different. I come to New Community with a (terrible) year of (halfway decent) teaching behind me, and a year of (unbelivably nourshing) community life with a whole different group of people. On the up side, my new school will give me a chance to figure out this whole teaching gig, and I get to fill an interesting role that doesn’t even exist in most ACE communities.

I think it sums everything up to say that my life is not how I ever imagined it would be, but at the same time, better than I could have ever hoped for.