The Aftermath

Hello, everyone.

You've probably already had a million discussions about the election and read way too many articles and posts about it, but I'd like to provide my own input based on my personal feelings, things I gained insight on in class discussions, and various other sources.

Thank you to my MHC seminar professor and my Creative Writing professor, for allowing class time to process and discuss the week's events in a safe environment. (Woohoo for group therapy!)


Literally everyone has said this already, but WOW, what a crazy few days it's been. The election of 2016 is finally over, and half of the country is in shock (myself included). The other half is genuinely happy that the change they wanted will be coming to the country.

To those people: I have no right to say that my sadness and anxiety is more important than your happiness and excitement. My feelings are do not take precedence over yours because I believe I'm in the right. You're right to you, and I can't deny that from you. You have your own jobs, families, and lives to be worried about, and those vital influences told you that Trump was the right president for you. I accept that, and I'm sorry that there was so much tension between the two sides of this election.

However, I'd like to address the people who were more excited about the fact that they could now use Trump as an excuse to further encourage racist, sexist, homophobic, and other targeted rhetoric/actions. I am not naive enough to think that racism, sexism, homophobia, and other types of hate and prejudice did not exist here before, but the things I have seen and heard of are outright rage-inducing and heartbreaking. Humanity has disappointed me, and I feel for those of you who have also been crushed by this backwards progress.

On the other hand, humanity also reminded me to remain hopeful. We have broken records as 6 women were elected who are the first of their race/ethnicity/religion to be in Congress. Strangers have left encouraging words for others to read in the subway, reminding each other that the world keeps spinning as long as we have hope and are kind. Somewhere out there, the first woman president of the United States of America is making plans, and isn't that just amazing? Because it will happen; I have faith in that.

Keep your chins up, guys. Find comfort in those around you, and comfort them in return. If you see anyone getting harassed, simply ignore the hate, go up to them, and start a discussion about the weather. Speak out, whether it's on Facebook, Instagram or Tumblr, or with art and music instead of words--anything.

Don't lose your voice just because you think that hate will drown it out. Trust me: it won't, and it can't.

Have a hopeful week, guys.

I've Never Crammed So Hard in My Life

Hello, Macaulayans! (Macaulians? Macaulayeans? Let's make this a thing, guys)

How are midterms treating y'all? I just finished with my testing today, and guys, let me tell you: I've never crammed so hard in my life as I did yesterday for this test. I had my Classical Mythology (CLA 101) midterm today, and for those of you who don't know: there are a heck of a lot of names and stories to remember.

Who was this guy's parents? Why did this girl get turned into a tree? How did one goddess get revenge on the other? Where was this god born? Why did Hera stay with Zeus even though he cheated on her with literally every available (and not available) woman/maiden/man/youth out there? (Just kidding, that last one wasn't a question, but the answer: Hera = goddess of marriage, so it'd be against her nature to leave Zeus. Zeus, obviously, did not particularly care about this whatsoever.) 

If these questions sound particularly interesting to you in any way, definitely take some Classics courses! I just wanted to take this because, you know, percyjacksonandtheolympians.

Anyways...

Now that midterms are over, I've been stressing out about my schedule for next semester. According to literally all of the upperclassmen I've talked to, even if you have a perfect schedule in your shopping cart and you click enroll at exactly the time your registration opens, somehow your classes will already be filled and you'll have to stress out about finding new ways to keep it.

Thank you, upperclassmen, for your encouraging words of wisdom.

My plan for next semester: 2 English courses, the MHC 15000 seminar, a Political Science course, and a Religion course. I'm going to drown in reading and papers, aren't I? But hey, after next semester I'll be basically done with all of the Hunter requirements except for language (and the stuff that MHC 20000 will cover). Taking classes that have overlap in core requirements/major requirements/minor requirements makes everything seem so much more productive.

Sorry I don't have pictures for this post! I'd put one up of my relieved, "I'M DONE!!!" face after that midterm, but no one needs to see that. Ever.

If you guys still have midterms, good luck!

Woops...

Hi everyone!!

So sorry for the lack of posts (I can't believe it's been exactly a month since I first posted). It's been hard for me to function as a responsible, studious college student because all I want to do is curl up in bed and nap between watching Netflix and Youtube videos. But you know, life happens, so.

Besides my sad attempts at becoming a functioning adult, I've been caught up in midterm season, as I'm sure all of you are as well. Thankfully, I only have two tests--one was yesterday, while the last one is next week). That German Fairy Tales midterm was not as scary as I imagined it to be...

Quick plug for German Fairy Tales! The class is fun, there's nothing too stressful, and Professor Zimmerman is great, so anyone who has room for it in their schedule should take it! (I think it's only available in the fall, though.) Just one warning: prepare to have your childhoods ruined... 

But anyway, I just thought I'd share a couple of things I learned in the two months since I started college:

• Zabar Art Library is great for napping (and studying too, I guess)
• Elim's and Hale and Hearty are my favorite places to eat (and they're right next to each other too!)
• Never forget your headphones at home: you never know when class will end early, and you need some Netflix between classes
• If you don't take your hair out of the shower drain, IT WILL FLOOD and it will be gross. Don't do that.
• Planning out your schedule weeks before they even announce the enrollment dates makes you feel very accomplished (I also made an alternate one, just in case)
• Meeting up with friends for lunch / breaks is a great way to stay connected, especially if you don't have any classes together 

So yeah, I'm sure that list will get much longer as time goes on. I'll be posting more regularly from now on, I promise!

Good luck to everyone on their midterm tests/papers/projects!!

What's a Jellicle Cat?

Hello MacBlog readers!

Sabrina here, aka the newest MacBlog blogger! (MacBlogger? Is that a thing?) I hope everyone's been have a great first month so far! I just want to start out with a little bit about myself before I get into the reason for the title. I'm a freshman (woo, Class of '20!) at Macaulay @ Hunter, and I plan on majoring in English. I'm dorming at Brookdale, and my favorite thing about it so far is how there are only like three! working!! dryers!!! Just kidding. But really, dorming's great, because I've gotten to meet and know a lot of people that I probably wouldn't have run into otherwise.

Alright, onto the Jellicle Cats. So my friend had the luck of winning the Cats lottery yesterday...

Sidenote: my other friend also won the Wicked lottery a few weeks back. We're all in the same seminar class. To everyone in Neary '16: enter all the Broadway lotteries. 

Back to singing cats. We went up to the Neil Simon Theatre after braving all of the chaos that is New York City rush hour, but we didn't have time for dinner. I had to buy $7 trail mix at the theater so I wouldn't interrupt the music with the inevitable growling from my stomach.

I've got to say, there was absolutely no plot to it at all. Maybe just the tiniest hint of it. They just sang and danced and introduced more cats till the very end. I still don't really get what a Jellicle cat is, or why everyone hated Grizabella so much. But the music and the singing and the dancing: all amazing. I was literally singing Memory until I went to sleep.

The moral of this post: enter the Broadway lotteries! Go see Off-Broadway shows! Off-Broadway shows are 2-for-1 from September 26 to October 9; take advantage of that! And if anyone ever wins the Hamilton lottery, remember who was kind enough to convey this moral to you.

Quilling?

It’s been a rather boring month so far, so I thought I’d talk about a hobby near and dear to my heart – quilling! Quilling is an art form where you take pieces of paper strips and roll and shape them into various designs with a tool similar to a bident. People make all sorts of things through quilling, but I tend to stick to earrings! These are two of my more favorite designs, as they’re simple enough to make, but are aesthetically pleasing. 

 I was able to make the rainbow earring with some scrap pieces of paper I had around the room, but for the other earring I used quilling paper, which can be found in any craft store.

I first found out about quilling when I was in India two summers ago. Faced with one of the inevitable electric shorts when I was at my uncle’s house, my eyes started to wander, until I happened to take a closer look at my cousin’s earrings. Upon discussion, I found that my cousin had been making all earrings for the past year. With that, the rest of my afternoon was devoted to learning how to quill.

Over the past year, quilling has been my main tension reliever. Whenever I feel like I need a break from academics, but don’t want to give my mind over to my computer, I take out my handy quilling paper and tool and experiment to my hearts content. Before I set my mind to a design, I tend to sketch it out to get a feel for how it would look like on the ear. If I’m making an earring for a specific person, I do my best to take into account their earring size and color preference. Some people like large flamboyant jewelry pieces – others don't (I’ve learned the heard way OTL).

I found it interesting that quilling as an art form has been around for a long time. During the renaissance, nuns would use quilling to decorate various religious items.  It’s interesting to see such an art form become more accessible and widespread as time has passed – it's a easy and fun way to pass time. While the process of quilling has stayed very much the same, the tools and supplies have all modernized.  A great website that I use for the occasional quilling tip/ inspiration is http://www.honeysquilling.com, although there are plenty of good youtube channels that have similar content.

I’m working on a more complicated piece right now – hopefully it’ll be complete by my next blog post! Also, as I write this I remember that it's the fourth of July. I hope everyone gets to spend some time with family and have some fun!

The instant gratification monkey

With June already well underway, I thought I'd talk about some thing that I've been having a problem with for a while - procrastination.

Personally, I always seem to procrastinate the most when the stakes are the highest. 20 final paper - lets start the night before! Presentation thats worth 30% of my grade - lets get this done the day of! For all of my academic career, I had been pretty good about getting things done on time, but for some reason I couldn't get myself to work my second semester of junior year. One particular example was studying for my Japanese final. Even though it was the only thing that stood between me and my long-awaited summer, I couldn't bring myself to study for the test till the night before.


Now that school was finally over, I had pushed my woes about my struggle with procrastination to the back of my head until a couple of nights ago. On one of my usual spirals into the depths of Youtube, I stumbled upon this Ted Talk. In it, Tim Urban gives us a witty and insightful talk about his own experience with procrastination and how he understands the difference between a person who procrastinates, and one who doesn't. There were many great moments in this talk, but one of the things that stuck out to me the most was his ending - procrastinating on things without a deadline.

After watching this video, it hit me. I wasn't procrastinating for the sake of not wanting to study - no, it was something deeper than that. I was procrastinating in thinking about the future. By swamping myself with schoolwork, it left me no time to think about whats ahead. Hard as it was to admit, I didn't want to plan for the future because I was afraid nothing would go to plan. Essentially, it was a fear of failure and the unknown that was holding me back from doing anything, and it had camouflaged itself in the form of procrastination. Knowing that any decisions I made now could have repercussions in the future was holding me back from even starting

The first step of solving any problem is admitting there is a problem. Now that I've been able to do so, I know for certain I can conquer this bump in my path as I head into the future. I urge anyone whose been having problems with procrastination to look at themselves and try and understand why you procrastinate. Time is always ticking.

The Midterms from Hell

Hello wonderful people!

As you may have noticed, the blog template has changed! Yes, I've finally been able to setting on something I was at least moderately happy with. I'm still a bit iffy on color choices, and keep going back and forth on some aesthetic choices, but for now we're going with this. I've unfortunately never really coded or anything before, so it's a bit beyond my ability to make some of the really nice changes I want. Once midterms are over, I definitely intend on reading up on it. 

It's been a rough two weeks since the last time I've been here. From studying for midterms (which are quickly creeping closer) to MCAT prep to scrambling to get a summer plan on lockdown, I haven't had much time to do anything fun. If there's one thing college has taught me, it's how to effectively manage my time. Granted, it hasn't worked very well (curse the tempting pull of all five seasons of Scandal), but I'm sure I'll get the system down pat by the end of senior year. 

One of the more interesting things that happened today was when I was waiting for the 7 train this morning. Today being the Mets home opener game, the Nostalgia train ran past my station on its way to Queens. The nostalgia train, or "The Train of Many Colors", is made up of vintage subway cars painted different colors to represent different eras in subway history. It's not brought out too often by the MTA, so it was a real treat to catch a glimpse of it. Thinking about out subway always leads my thought back to Tokyo. I was lucky enough to use a portion of my Opportunities fund to take a short winter class in Tokyo (Film and Culture if anyone's interested!). Essentially, Tokyo's subways system is what we all wish NYCs would be like. The contrast in aesthetic, cleanliness, efficiency is almost laughable. 

This might be the limit to my ramblings for today. I will be posting updates, as well as continually editing the site for a more pleasing experience for everyone. 

Until next time !

An Introduction

Hi everyone!

My name is Malavika, and I will be the new coordinator for the MacBlog! I apologize for the lack of activity up till now – I’ve slowly been thinking of new ideas to implement so that this blog becomes an even better resource than it was in it’s heyday for potential and incoming students.

As always, I’ll start with an introduction. I’m currently a junior at Hunter College, with a major in Biology and a minor in Environmental Science and Religious Studies while on the pre-medical track. I’m currently taking Japanese, and hope to one day become fluent enough to pass the proficiency exam. I love listening to music (I’ve recently been hooked to Bach’s concertos), and trying new foods!

I hope to start getting more writers and make changes to the site in the coming days, so please look forward to them!

I Met Mindy Kaling, I Graduated from College Three Times, and I Changed, A Bit

Before I dive into ~deep, reflective mode~ in my last post here (omg. actual sob. I am very sad about this) here are some random updates I feel compelled to say here:
In my old posts, I talked about my love for Mindy Kaling a bunch of times. In true full circle, I MET HER AT BOOK CON LAST WEEK!!
Let me rephrase: I pushed myself to the front of the line, begged her to shake my hand while people swarmed her, and shouted "I'VE HAD NIGHTMARES ABOUT MEETING YOU!" at which she looked at me and said, "Nightmares?!" (The nightmare was that you didn't like me, Mindy Kaling!) But hello, I got her attention!!!!! So much success. Also, one of my favorite books, Attachments, is about this guy falling in love with his coworker from reading her emails (his job is to monitor emails). I told the author how much this resonated with me and how much I loved emails and she and I shared a moment of mutual appreciation and she thanked me for loving it so much!!! Ugh I love authors!!! Also, last thing, my english multicultural lit professor told me at the end of my presentation, "Very engaging. I didn't know you were that funny." THIS COMING FROM THE MOST ENGAGING, FUNNIEST PROFESSOR I'VE HAD. I died.

I think I have to discuss my post-grad plans here, bcuz it's probably relevant (or is it? Isn't Mindy Kaling much more relevant?)
I graduated with a Nursing major and English minor. I'm going to start prepping for my NCLEX exam to become an RN soon. I take the exam sometime in July. If I pass, I want to travel in August. Starting tomorrow, I have to apply to jobs, hopefully get one with a nurse residency program, and then IDEALLY work as an RN in September and hone my skills as a new nurse. Once I work for about a year or at least half a year I want to decide for sure what I want to specialize in (geriatrics, I'm thinking) and figure out a grad program. Hopefully the hospital I'm working for will pay for it if I'm working there. Then like, I will attempt to understand what a 401K is and get an apartment with my brother somewhere? I will attempt to cook and do adult-ish things like pay for ...light bills or something. And like, work. Maybe I will buy wallpaper, because that strikes me as ~independent!~ and ~adult!~ although mostly I just want to buy flowery wallpaper! Additionally, I have grand plans to learn ASL, Arabic & or Hindi, go back to the trumpet & piano and learn new skills. Also I plan to buy lots of YA books with any money I make. And movies. Basically things for sustenance. Right now, I am nervous to become a nurse, but also determined!

Ok, now for my thoughts on ending college (whoa, hope this post doesn't read like I take myself too seriously, hope it reads like I am trying for some semblance of organization):

In yearbooks, and the nursing yearbook, people usually write "Never change!!" I used to think it was sweet, but after nursing school, I learned...life is about change and adapting to it. I would even go so far to say that, arguably, the point of life is change. "Love change or die!"

In college, I don't know how much I changed. I guess I would say that I finally bloomed a bit. Oh god, that sounds SO. VERY. CHEESY TO SAY. But, it's true. I realized the value of combing one's hair and putting effort into one's appearance. I became a less awkward dancer, I dressed better, I went more places and didn't shrivel into awkwardness when talking to boys. I think I continued to talk very loudly wherever I went, though. I don't really have much poise or a sense of propriety, but I have a bit more than I started with. I gained more confidence, I acknowledged compliments rather than refusing to take them and I think I became a bit more emotionally mature. Or not, because a YA novel can reduce me to tears in minutes, but let's go with that for now.
While I'm glad about these changes and definitely a purporter of change, I don't mean to suggest that inherent personality traits should change. For example, Colin Firth & SRK would be devastated if I lost the romantic part of me that passionately loves them from afar. And lots of neighbors would be very sad if the decibel of my voice was to be lowered! And who would librarians have to fine, if not for my late returning-ways?

Last year, I attended the Hunter Bellevue Nursing graduation and wished desperately that I would win an award upon graduating and be in the program, and I wished that I would get to speak at graduation. How lucky when the things you dream for come true! I graduated with honors, a nursing award in school leadership, and got to speak at graduation! I think I'm most proud that I went after the things I wanted, unwaveringly, even if it scared me (to go to India alone after a breakup), even if no one valued it (an English minor is less useful than a Spanish one), even if no one knew what it was (Book Con is amazing and I need everyone to realize that), even if no one read it (the HBSON newsletter, possibly this blog, but JK, people actually read this, yay!), even if it broke my own heart (breaking up), even if I had to swallow my pride (fixing friendships) and even if it was hard (doing an externship. Becoming a nurse). You can't always do what you want, because it's selfish and can hurt others. But I think college is the time allotted to do exactly that, and I feel happy that I did. I hate having regrets, as does the average person, and whenever I made a decision I wondered if I would regret not doing it later. For example, defying my professor's recommendation NOT to selfie on stage at graduation - would I regret not doing it later? Yes. Did I regret that it was embarrassing? Yes, but I'm more glad that I had the guts to do it. And make 500 people stand up for it. Oh, god.

On graduations: the real stress was finding 3 dresses for 3 days of graduation!! (Secret: I wore one dress twice. I know, fashion police, I know!! But no one saw it under the gown.) 
I won't lie. I am TOTALLY really proud that I'm still 20 years old (right, with my maturity level it's really undetectable I know) and graduated from three programs (technically, ok, lol) this year. I loved being a part of three awesome schools - CUNY Hunter, Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, and Macaulay Honors College! My first grade teacher had me skip a grade and I graduated a bit younger and sometimes I was pretty immature and I still don't have an ID and I finished college and sometimes my classmates treated me like a little kid but, but, it feels nice to have finished before 21.
Here is a poem I wrote about graduation:
gowns
all around
oh, how they abound
and flow without sound
they also make us look round

Graduating was great. I pretended everyone was my fan and I waved princess-style to them. I hollered to my friends. My hair was consistently fabulous. I wore heels. Selfies were warranted, practically required! It was nice! The Hunter graduation was so emotional and inspiring, the Nursing one was sort of the best day of my life, and the MHC one was a sweet ending.

Today I posted an fb album with photos of friends from graduation and the photos sucked me down memory lane. I've been making it a point to tell all the former & current friends I met in college what they meant to me over the years. As in writing them a yearbook entry via note under their door, verbally saying it to their face, or posting a fb picture and saying what I loved about them. What's the point of having feelings or appreciating people if they don't know it?

This post should have direction, but like every post I've posted on here, it is severely lacking in this. I'll attempt some, though, through a list:

Things I Learned in College:
1. How to appreciate fruits
2. How to have one-person dance parties
3. How to have 8-person dance parties
4. How to not really attend any other kind of parties
5. How to have a boyfriend
6. How to not have a boyfriend
6. How to grow to appreciate weekends at home
7. How to cook bland and American meals
8. How to run 2 miles without stopping
9. How to swiftly navigate a run to Hunter College
10. How to be a nurse
11. How to cite APA
12. How the body works
13. How important sleep is
14. How to blow-dry my hair
15. How to have more self-confidence
16. How to keep friends
17. How to lose friends
18. How to flirt with waiters
19. How to spend a lot of time on facebook
20. How to be a better person
21. How to LOVE TV SHOWS
22. How to fall in love with professors
23. How to maintain no drinking
23. How to CONQUER MY FEAR OF NEEDLES!
24. How to travel alone
25. How to document my life, way too much
26. How to be alone
27. How to be at home the city
28. How to love myself more.
29. How to appreciate my parents and my grandparents more.
30. How to value high emotional IQs
31. How to do scary paperwork and pay for things and be tax exempt
32. How to be a better leader!!

I am sad that the "best years of my life" are over, but I know that I tried to enjoy and appreciate them while I had them. I also think and hope that more beautiful times are to come (iA). This last week was an emotional week. I moved out of Brookdale forever, I graduated from Macaulay, I read my best friend's yearbook entry to me, and I saw my nursing class as a group for the last time & signed yearbooks with them. I feel sad, but not just because our time living together and being this group together has ended, but because I feel drowned in nostalgia and memories. But, such is life. I will keep them with me.

My friends mattered so much to me over these four years, and I lost some, kept some, and in the end, I look back at it so fondly. My MHC friends were so similar to me - values, goals, interests, and I loved meeting people who were like me. My nursing friends gave me a different kind of friendship, which was just plain love for people who are there during the hardest, toughest parts of school. That bond is too real.  I don't know how many friends I'll stay in touch with and how close we'll be, but I loved the four years we had together.

Mostly, I feel lucky to have had my family. I would be nowhere without them.
To incoming freshmen - cherish your time as much as you can! Appreciate what you have! Use your opportunities fund. GO AFTER WHAT YOU WANT.  Why not? What is holding you back? If you don't get it, you don't get it. But you tried!

Finally, thank you to Macaulay. I don't know what else to really say except that I was so blessed to be a part of MHC. From the first day I heard about it, it was my dream to be accepted. To be in the city, live for free, attend school for free, study abroad for free, and study for four years in a diverse school for smart, hardworking kids. I am sitting here and shaking my head at how fortunate I am. Thank you, Macaulay. For the laptops. For the advisors. For the opportunities. For the support. For this part of my life. I hope and plan to give back and the alumni network seems popular so though I won't be filling this blog with my ramblings, I will stay a part of this amazing AMAZING AMAZING BEAUTIFUL BLESSED SCHOOL!!! We are so lucky.

It's been a real pleasure writing for this blog, even if my posts were ridiculous and irrelevant and mainly about TV show recommendations. Thanks for reading, and good luck.

Amirah Yasin

P.S. If you have no ideas how to decorate your hat (as I did) simply photoshop your face & your favorite actor's face together and you will be a hit!!!
Ah. If Shahrukh only knew.

P.P.S Book recommendations:
-An Ember in the Ashes by Saba Taahir, think Hunger Games + Divergent + Finnikin of the Rock but still original and very good!!! It's been out for a month and already picked up to be a movie...GO YA BOOKS
- All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Mental health, teens, much feels, much cry, very well written
-A Court of Thorns & Roses by Sarah J. Maas (who I met at Book Con GAH). Retelling of Beauty & the Beast with hot faeries (ew, did I just say that? They are in the book though), a much more kickass and grumpy Belle, and good romance!
- P.S I Still Love You this title just seems like something I'd love. It totally is, even as I tried to mock this book series by Jenny Han. It's adorable, ok, and good if you want to read some cutesy good HS comfort books.
- Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta. My favorite fantasy book series in the world.
Also please everyone, watch Outlander and The 100. Only watch The 100 if you read Sarah Rees Brennan's parody first, below: 
And also if you love Bob Morley's face. He is Australian.  His name in the show is Bellamy. He likes to be tough and kill people but have a moral compass!! He is everything. I need to go to Australia.

The End

Hi, everyone!!

OMG. My last post ever.

It won't be a long one because I started a full-time job on Wednesday, and I'm already exhausted. haha. It's a great job though. I'm working in a doctor's office as a medical receptionist, and I've already learned so much about how a private practice functions. Did I mention that this is my first job ever? Like ever. haha. I've only ever done volunteer and/or internships that were paid for via the Opportunities Fund. This is my first time actually having a salary and working 9-5 PM 5 days/week. It's been exciting and overwhelming and fun too. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses! :)

Speaking of work, I had an awesome lunch at Bareburger today. Their burgers are so good! They offer all different kinds so definitely try one out.

Macaulay graduation was the night before I started my job. It was beautiful and just as great as I thought that it would be. (It was in Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center.)

I've talked about this fountain so many times on this blog.
 Definitely one of my favorite places in the city. 

Macaulay building! About to go in and get my honors stole before graduation.

That morning, I also visited my high school and the office that I used to monitor for. It was great catching up and telling them all of the exciting things that have been happening. Every time that I go back there, it feels surreal to have to wear the "visitor" sticker. The four years that have passed have just flown by.

Back to Macaulay for a sec. I'm so incredibly grateful for all that Macaulay has given to me. These four years have been such a blessing. Or more accurately a series of blessings. The Opportunities Fund. My amazing advisors: Adrienne Fitzgerald, Jodi Caplan, and Charlotte Glasser. My seminar classes. My fellow Macaulay students. The fact that I graduate with no debt.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

And a huge thank you to Celine Joiris (Macaulay Hunter '12) who started this blog in 2009.

It's been such a pleasure to tell you all about what's going on in my life for the last 4 years. I now have the pleasure of looking back on 150 posts worth of memories as I continue my journey. You know, it's funny. Growing up, I was never good at keeping a diary, but I never missed a post on here. I think that's because I know that I'm writing for an audience. An audience of prospective and current students and random strangers who come across this blog. (hello, random stranger!)

Thanks for reading. :)

S.

For this last semester, I've decided that I'll share one cool/interesting/thought-provoking thing that I happen to run across during the week:

My first post

The End is Here?

Hi, everyone!

The title of this post has a question mark right after it because I still have one more big thing to do before I can say good-bye to college: Macaulay graduation. Ahhh.

I had my Hunter graduation this past Wednesday. It ended up being a great day, but we were running late the whole day. haha. My hair appointment was scheduled for 11 AM, but I didn't end up sitting in the chair until about 50 minutes later because it took an hour to do the curls of the girl before me. But anyway, my mom and I got our hair done and rushed out of there to go home and get dressed. We got home at the time that we originally wanted to leave for graduation. :p We got dressed and hightailed it to the train station. We got to MSG a few minutes after 2 PM (which is when they recommended everyone to show up) so the timing ended up being fine. But then it was kind of a mess at MSG because I couldn't figure out where I had to go to line up. My friend from middle school (who was graduating with me) ended up running into me, and we eventually found our way to where we had to be. haha. Thank God for her.

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and emotional and lovely. Sitting in the theater at MSG, watching President Raab highlight so many amazing students in our graduating class, hearing the words of encouragement from the speakers, and watching the confetti coming down on us (and hearing "A Sky Full Of Stars" at the same time) are all things that I'll never forget.

A piece of confetti, the program, and a pom-pom. haha

I had to get that MSG shot. Forgive the misplaced hood. I couldn't get it to sit quite right. haha

Floral all day. 

For the last few weeks, I've been telling everyone that finishing college hasn't hit me yet, but I think it's finally hitting me now. After graduation, we came home, we had shish kebabs, and I posted a picture of myself in a cap and gown on Facebook, but it was only yesterday that I said the words "I'm a college graduate" to myself and had my own OMG moment.

It also hasn't felt like the end because I'm applying to med school, and I'm still at Hunter all the time taking care of business related to that. It's not a clear good-bye like it was in high school. I think that's actually a good thing though because I'm blessed to still be able to use my Macaulay advisor post-graduation to figure out this whole med school thing. I also just want to be a great alumna and to give back my time and money to make Hunter (and Macaulay Hunter) a continuously better place for students.

Plus, even though I had a more solid good-bye with high school, I've gone back to visit a bunch of times. I went back three times during my freshman year and once every year since. haha. What can I say? When you spend so much time in one place and the people there mean a lot to you, then you should make the effort to continue those relationships.

Both Macaulay and Hunter ask graduating students to contribute to a senior class gift as a way to give back for all that we've received. They ask for $20.15 (in honor of our graduating year), but students are welcome to give more or less than that. I was happy to give $20 to each, and I hope to continue giving back in the years to come. And hopefully in greater amounts as I start to make money. haha

Some things that make me proud of my college experience:

1. Getting over my fear of escalators. Before I started college, I avoided escalators like the plague. I have a lifelong fear of heights, and escalators had always freaked me out with their dizzying heights and unstable nature. When I first visited Hunter as part of a campus tour at the end of my junior year of high school, I freaked out about the escalators in the main building. Just weeks into my freshman year at Hunter, I was over my fear. haha.

2. Never pulling an all-nighter. Seriously. I've only stayed up until 12:30 AM.

3. Working directly with patients. I remember the butterflies in my stomach before walking into my first patient room. And then, how quickly it began to feel natural.

4. Working in a lab. Working in a professional lab gave me a lot of respect for what scientists do everyday and made me comfortable in the lab environment.

5. Making good friends. I'm happy to say that I'm still friends with people that I met during my first couple of weeks of college. My friends have given me a lot of good memories and opened up my world more than they could know.

6. Being in a study group. One of those friends that I met during that semester is the one who started our bio study group. The five of us (others joined us for some sessions but didn't stay permanently) studied together for two semesters. I didn't believe in study groups before this one, and now, I tell everyone that they're a great idea if done right.

7. Love. That's all I'll say about that. ;)

8. Re-imagining my style. I started adding more skirts and dresses to my wardrobe and just paying more attention to what I wear. It's been a lot of fun exploring my style.

9. Picking myself up after Orgo I. I had difficult first half of my sophomore year because of my struggles with taking Orgo I along with 4 other classes. But then, I came back that second semester and got myself an A- in Orgo II. One of the happiest moments in college.

And finally....

10. Not giving up. I kept on going through all of the anxiety-ridden moments. I stayed and persisted and just kept moving. And believe me, there were a number of times when I felt like I was drowning in anxiety. But I've made it my mission to learn how to deal with whatever is thrown at me. I haven't mastered it yet (and maybe I never will), but just paying attention to my breath and giving myself time to rest has done wonders.

Only one more post left...

S.

For this last semester, I've decided that I'll share one cool/interesting/thought-provoking thing that I happen to run across during the week:

Commencement photos

The End Is Near...

Hi, everyone!

A quick Saturday night post for you guys...

The semester officially ends tomorrow, which is also when I have to submit my last paper. Then, Wednesday, I'm graduating from Hunter. The following Tuesday, I'm graduating from Macaulay. And then, summer and the rest of my life. haha

I took my last exam on Thursday. Wrote in a blue book for the last time.

It all feels surreal. I'm ready to graduate and go on, but I also find myself memorizing the way the Hunter bridges look and how it feels to go up the escalators and sit in a classroom. Things that I will yearn to remember one day. Things that feel so fresh in my mind now but will be a distant memory one day.

On Wednesday night, Hunter hosted a dinner for Macaulay students. I'm so glad that I went because I got see some Macaulay students that I haven't seen in a long time. We all had dinner together and toasted to the rest of our lives. Hunter's president was there and the Macaulay Hunter director was there and they both said beautiful things about us. There were also a few faculty members including my seminar 4 professor who ended up sitting at my table. His class is one that I will always remember, and I'm so glad that he was there that night.

Yesterday, my partner and I at The Macaulay Messenger met with the new co-editors-in-chief to discuss their responsibilities for next year. I'm so proud of what we've done this year, and I know that they will do even better.

I've started watching Orange Is the New Black! I know, I know. I'm late. haha.

S.

For this last semester, I've decided that I'll share one cool/interesting/thought-provoking thing that I happen to run across during the week:

Swearing Off the Modern Man

Many things happening...

Hi, everyone!

It's late on a Friday night, and I'm exhausted. It's the end of the semester (I sat in my last class ever yesterday. What?! ), and a lot of things are going on. Finals, the medical school application process, senior events, wrapping up my involvement in student organizations, graduation stuff, planning for my summer job, and a bunch of personal things as well. Ahhh. It's a lot, but I know I can do it with the help of my calendar, my breathing, and sleep. haha.

I went to my last MSC meeting today. I've enjoyed going to these meetings all year and seeing how events get planned and how ideas become something tangible. I hope it's something that gets continually better over the years, and I hope that you all get involved with it if you choose to come to Macaulay. :)

I had a lot of awesome food this week. haha

Monday: buffet at Red Olive (they have all kinds of good stuff) and a lamb shawarma sandwich at the King of Falafel and Shawarma food truck in Astoria (good price and awesome flavor)

Wednesday: all you can eat buffet at Andaz (I've talked about this place before, and it's a must try. I ate way too much and was like a waddling penguin afterwards. haha)

Thursday: Cheesecake at Eileen's (I've also talked about Eileen's before. Definitely the best cheesecake that I've had. Soft and creamy and just perfect.)

Friday: Pizza at the MSC meeting courtesy of Macaulay (cheesy goodness as always)

I also took 2 exams this week, and I'm hoping that I did well on them. Sigh. Exam anxiety is one part of college that I won't miss. Luckily, many med schools are pass/fail now so there's less of a stress.

I also got both sets of graduations tickets (Macaulay and Hunter) on Monday. Ayy. And I also have both sets of caps and gowns. So exciting.

I'll be writing a paper this weekend. I'm going to try to make it as painless for myself as possible. Just get it done so that I can move on to other things on my to-do list. That means more focusing, less time on BuzzFeed. haha

S.

For this last semester, I've decided that I'll share one cool/interesting/thought-provoking thing that I happen to run across during the week:

Love through the ages

Journeying through Nursing School

I'm so tired, but this is one of the last few of my posts EVER on this blog and today was the last day of nursing school, so I feel it's a bit momentous.

I'll be honest, I didn't love nursing before I started nursing school. Then whyever did you apply, Amirah, if you were so sure that your passions lay in film, teaching, english and journalism? Because, I was undecided, and nursing was secure. I thought it was dumb and that anyone with a minimum education could do it because nurses have had a terrible image in the media. But, my friends, this is a lie, because it is one of the toughest undergrad majors there is. I believe this is because it's sort of like condensed undergrad medical school. Also, it wasn't dumb, on account of how my GPA has dropped because it was so very challenging. We do hours of rotations, then a preceptorship (96 hours in one month! Go me!) at the very end all while taking pharmacology or pathophysiology classes in addition to 8credit nursing lecture classes. It is impossible a) not to become a cult group with your nursing friends b) not to love your nursing friends to DEATH because nursing friendships are truly a different kind of friendship. When you wipe butts together, live under constant fear of failure and study seemingly impossible material together, you're bonded for life. My peers were so supportive, so caring, genuine, smart and funny that from the first day I couldn't help but love the career I convinced myself I would hate. I am clumsy, a bit of a daydreamer, and hate(d) needles. But I found out that I loved the human body (proud college moment: getting a 100 on an A&P lab test); that I could draw blood on others without shriveling up (while I hate needles, I'm ok with putting them in others); that needles are useful for medication-drawing; that there's nothing more I love than working with my geriatric patients; that I want to be just like the inspiring faculty I've met here; that endless access to alcohol swabs is life-changing; that running around is what I'm best at; that talking to patients comes naturally and I love being able in a position to help others; that I look decent in scrubs and maybe it's fate that I'm in a career where I can just where the same thing every day cuz I'm really excellent at that; that I'm really, really proud of the way nursing is a lifestyle and not just a profession; that the opportunities and fields in nursing are endless. Nursing earned my respect, and it deserves it.

I came into the program feeling like I'd relinquished my love for English and writing and found that there was a nursing newsletter I could join. I thought nursing closed doors to me - because I couldn't double major, minor, or take too many outside classes - but I was so wrong. It is SO cliche. But I've never been so happy to be wrong and to have grown to love something the way I did with nursing. Hunter-Bellevue changed my life. I cared more about my health - because you can't be a nurse without making healthy lifestyle adjustments - and got mini abs from running these past 5 months! I love nurses and the kind of people that become nurses. They are so kind, and dedicated.

Am I still crazy frightened about a) passing the NCLEX and b) honing my skills as a nurse? YES. Because it is a TOUGH JOB. Being on your feet for 12 hours a shift? Having lives in your hands? I wanted to go straight to grad school because I love being a student, but I've finally accepted that becoming comfortable with my skills as a nurse is a lot more important right now. And for those other passions - journalism, english, media, teaching - of mine? I found a way to follow my English passion in nursing and I know that there's a dire need for nursing faculty. I'm interested in media portrayals of nursing and....I think I'll try to find a way to make it all work. Otherwise, I'll be okay following my love of film by marathoning at home. You can always make your passion a hobby.
I'm excited and terrified to join the field and care for people. I'm anxious about the school to work transition. I'm sad to leave my friends; I'm emotional about being on the "cusp of adulthood" but mostly, I'm glad I've made it this far.

Amirah

PS. May is great, and so busy, much events!
PPS. THEY CANCELED THE MINDY PROJECT AND MY LIFE IS OVER!