Happy Endings

So its well past graduation, and well past the time of saying good-byes at our Macaulay community. I guess with all the hubub in my life right now, I had no other time than now to sit down and type out my thoughts. Also, typing out a good-bye post seemed like an unalterable step in the process of leaping into my future.

Anywhoo...

I must first start off by saying that I am really grateful and thankful for being the MacBlog Coordinator this past year. Reading posts from  bloggers and the comments they would receive gave great views and insight into the many facets of Macaulay at Hunter. Coming to Macaulay at Hunter was one of the greatest decisions of my life, something I will never regret. As I look back, I can only be grateful for all the experiences and challenges I faced, as I faced them not by myself, but with my friends, my professors, mentors, advisor ( shout out to Adrienne!). Macaulay has shaped me into a better world citizen, and I feel blessed to be an alumni of this institution.

Having graduated two Wednesdays ago, and finally seeing my grades on CUNYFirst (*shakes fist*), I am finally starting to realize and understand the gravity of my future. I will be starting dental school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine this coming August, which was a huge step that I didn't think would ever happen. To help stave off some of the future debt I most probably will be facing, I applied, and was thankfully accepted, to become a Graduate Associate at Stouffer House at Penn.

But, more interesting ( at least I think) is that right now, I type this in Turkey. I will be here till mid July to teach English as part of a South Asian youth program. My stay in this country has been amazing thus far. I now realize why people love traveling- the people you meet, albeit for short periods of time, are some of the most memorable and interesting people you ever meet in a lifetime.

View of a Turkish Flag on Camlica Hill, the highest hill in Istanbul

Overlooking the main space of the Hagia Sophia

 As I sign off from my last post ever for this blog, I wish everyone the best in their endeavors. Never be afraid to break the norm, to pursue the difficult, to accomplish the impossible. Life will be more interesting and rewarding.


Love always,

Jemi

The Education of S.

Hello, everyone.

I honestly can't believe it's already mid-June. Thankfully, my days haven't been as busy as during the semester, but I've still got a lot going on. Like Orgo Lab II. It's actually not as terrible as it sounds. We learn a bunch of interesting techniques, and I'll take any opportunity to acquire new skills. It's definitely a lot of more intense than Orgo Lab I because we have to do these multi-step reactions in a limited amount of time, but it's manageable if you plan out your work. That's what serious scientists and doctors do. They have to be incredibly organized and focused. The more sciences classes I take, the more I realize how fast this is all happening and the more I realize that I need to start thinking and acting in a particular way. Nothing happens over night. But it's good to get yourself into the habit of what you'll be doing as a professional out in the field.

Speaking of professionals, I'm constantly in awe of people who do amazing work with their hands whether it's painting, sculpting, massage, pipetting, or writing. I love watching people who are skilled at a particular activity. It takes a lot of time and focus to get good at something, but it's so worth it. You never know what skill will come in handy one day, so take the time to learn how to do things. It can be anything- cooking, playing an instrument, knitting, fixing cars, etc.

Also, since many of us have a bit more free time over the summer, it's the perfect time to educate yourself on a particular topic. What is a topic that you've always wanted to know more about? It can be a person, a particular time period, or the history of toys, (haha). Start with an Internet search, and then get yourself to the library and get some books. Take the time to truly learn about that topic. Pick something that really interests you so that you'll stay committed to your research. Education shouldn't only happen during the semester. You should be learning everyday. Knowledge is a powerful thing. And it doesn't have to be boring or tedious. We live in a time where we have access to millions of books, films, videos, blogs, and databases. Use them!!

Summer is also a good time to review your old notes. I know that's probably the last thing that anyone wants to do, but it's actually important. It's not good enough to take a class, memorize your notes, regurgitate them on an exam, get an A, and move on with your life. Maybe that was ok in high school, but it's not ok in college. You should be retaining the stuff that you learn (especially the material for your major). So take the time to review your old notes for an hour a day.

I just finished reading this book about medicine in the Middle Ages. It talked about the kind of work physicians and medical scholars were doing back then, and it was fascinating. Scholars in Europe and Asia wrote these huge textbooks at a time when much of the natural world was still not understood. Even though they had no idea about things like bacteria, they still did impressive work. There was no Internet or fancy laboratories. All they had were their own minds, their experiments, and those wonderful old libraries. Reading about that time makes me want to be better because with all of these resources available, I have no excuse to not challenge myself.

S.

Song of the Week

I like it in the city when the air is so thick and opaque
I love to see everybody in short skirts, shorts and shades
I like it in the city when two worlds collide
You get the people and the government
Everybody taking different sides
...

Round my hometown
Memories are fresh
Round my hometown
Ooh the people I've met

Are the wonders of my world
Are the wonders of my world
Are the wonders of this world
Are the wonders of my world

~ "Hometown Glory" by Adele

P.S. I've decided to post every two weeks during the summer. 

The Green Light

It's hot. The sun took its sweet time to reveal its full strength, but now it has come roaring into New York in late May. I like the warm weather, but it's harder to be outside for fear of heat stroke. Nevertheless, I'm glad summer is creeping up on us. Everyone seems to be a bit more glowy with their short shorts, light dresses, and flip flops (even with sweat glistening on their faces).

This past weekend, I went to see The Great Gatsby with my mom. I first read the book April of my senior year for my AP English class. I remember enjoying it, but also feeling quite troubled by its last lines.

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — to-morrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther. . . . And one fine morning ——

So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

Don't we all have a green light that we strive towards? Whether it's someone we dream to be or someone we love or something we dream of having, we're all working towards something just on the horizon. But these lines suggest that no matter how hard we work, everyday we get farther and farther away from what we want. I still don't know what to make of that idea. Is it really true? I remember getting chills when Tobey Maguire, as Nick Carraway, reads these lines as Leonardo Di Caprio's Gatsby reaches for that green light. Quite a poignant moment.

I thought that the movie was done incredibly well. The cinematography was amazing. Gatsby house was breathtaking, the 1920's fashion was fun and flirty, and the parties were out of this world. The kids of today truly have no idea what a great party looks like. I also thought the actors did a great job of showing the emotions of each character. I was pleasantly surprised by the quiet power of Maguire as Nick. He let Gatsby be the star of the film, but he was his greatest supporter and ultimately his only friend. Leo was fabulous as Gatsby. I think that's no surprise to anyone who's familiar with his work. He was beautiful and sad and cool. This man needs to get an Oscar already! What is the Academy waiting for?! There is nothing that he can't do. And he's named after my favorite artist (da Vinci), which makes him even cooler in my eyes.

On Wednesday, I decided to walk 40 blocks down 2nd Avenue for no apparent reason. I love long walks, but this one was killer because I was wearing flats, it was hot, and I was carrying a heavy bag. However, I chose to ignore all of these discomforts and just observe what was around me. I find that this is the best way of getting to know any city. Just pick a random avenue and walk for as long as you can. Look around you, the stores, the restaurants, the office buildings, the residences, and most importantly the people. I guarantee that you will a lot of interesting/random things.

Today, I visited my old high school. I hadn't been back since last June so it was so nice to see everyone. I love how it still smells exactly the same! haha. If I closed my eyes while walking down the hallways, I would have felt exactly like I was senior again. My old calc teacher thinks I can still blend in with the high school kids, and I think I can, but I definitely don't feel like one of those kids anymore. Too much has happened in the last two years. I spent much of my adolescence in those hallways, looking and feeling like those kids. Frustrated by exams and weird teachers and overprotective parents and unrequited infatuations. All that good stuff. It's stuff that I still have to deal with, but it's different now. I like to think I handle it all a bit better.

I was talking to the woman I monitored (monitoring is sort of like volunteering in a school office) for during my last two years of high school. She's one of the biggest reasons why I go back to visit that school. Working in that office and being around her and the rest of the staff there really made a huge impact on me. That was my home away from home. It's so important to have that person or that place you can go to, where you know they'll welcome you. At the end of the day, that's the kind of stuff I remember from high school. Not the day to day drudgery (haha), but the people I met, the memories I created. That is what's important.

Oh, and on a random note, I started to read Inferno, and it's awesome so far!

S.

Lately, I've been going back and forth between "Song of the Week" and "Quote of the Week". I'll try to be more consistent with that. haha.

I love this song. It's the best song on The Great Gatsby soundtrack.

Song of the Week

I've seen the world, lit it up as my stage now
Channeling angels in, the new age now
Hot summer days, rock and roll
The way you'd play for me at your show
And all the ways I got to know
Your pretty face and electric soul

Will you still love me when I'm no longer young and beautiful
Will you still love me when I got nothing but my aching soul
I know you will, I know you will
I know that you will
Will you still love me when I'm no longer beautiful

Dear lord when I get to heaven
Please let me bring my man
When he comes tell me that you'll let him
Father tell me if you can

Oh that grace, oh that body
Oh that face makes me wanna party
He's my sun, he makes me shine like diamonds

~ "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey