The JUNIOR!!!: The Oktober

So it's almost the end of October. The weather in Minneapolis changes everyday. About a month ago the weekend was filled with sunlight and heat. And then the week after that the weather just came back to the fall breeze (that's the week of Fall Leadership retreat!) And now, the whole week is filled with rain and wind. And very soon will come the snow.

I wonder if you have ever wished you could fly, and actually felt that you could fly. Last night I could feel the force of the wind trying to blow me away. At that moment I totally believed that I could have flown if the wind had been just a little bit more strong. It's totally a wet cold fall week. Besides, the leaves are turning to red. I usually have to walk through the skyway to the library, and the view is breathtaking. I just don't want the snow to come so early so that those leaves will have the chance to stay a bit longer. I cannot say that I dislike the winter, because I actually hate it. But I am not good with summer-all-year-round weather like it is in Vietnam either. So, winter is not the worst. The reason why I hate winter is because during winter all the leaves are gone, all I can see is leafless branches poking into the gloomy grey sky. It's all white and grey. But winter makes me appreciate spring and summer more, which is a good thing.

My life lately has been super duper busy. My friends rarely see me online, not many Facebook updates, not much news. Even my friends at Augsburg do neither. We just run into each other on the way to class or work, say "Hi, how is it going?", wishing each other a good day/ afternoon/ night and then hurriedly leave. But yeah, here comes the Fall break, which gave me a three-day weekend, but I already dedicate 2 days for volunteering at MAASU retreat.

I am not the kind of person that cries n makes others worried. But the last 2 months my mom caught me twice on the phone at the weakest moments. She called me when I was extremely stressed and as soon as I heard her voice, I started crying like a child, mumbling "mommy, I'm so tired and stressed." That made my mom so worried, so she kept asking me to quit my job(s). Only then did I realize crying is not a good choice, especially when I am on the phone with a person who is 8,000 miles away and cares for me a great deal. I calmed myself down, and talking to my mom with the best voice I could make up at that time that I have to deal with things like this to get used to the pressure; if I keep quiting when things get harder, where can I go and what can I achieve? So quiting midway is not a good option. Therefore, I am trying my best to keep going with everything, bad thing or good thing, more or less stressful tasks. But to tell the truth, there are many nights I wished I had been at home, resting, and sleeping by my mom and sister without any worries.

My classes are going well. I am taking Psychology this semester, Monday night, from 6 to 9. It is an interesting class, and my professor, Ben Denkinger, is very much an awe-inspiring teacher. I learn a lot of things from the class. I am also taking HON 220, which is supposed to be a maths and science class. Our texts are mainly the book "The lifebox, the seashell, and the soul" by Rudy Rucker, Quantitative Reasoning and the Data Deluge. I learn some quantitative reasoning methods and some interesting but also controversial concepts about computation. As always, professor Crockett presents a lot of thought-provoking ideas to us. Studying under his instruction brings me some memories about last year. I remember how struggling I was every time I had to sit down and finish his paper, and how terrible I felt to consume a great deals of pages of the books we were asked to read. Still, I have to read a lot, and some papers are not easy to finish. But in the end it is a great feeling to realize you get through everything and learn something.

Professor LaFave is an awesome teacher for accounting. I used to think accounting is a boring subject, but now I am absolutely in love with it. He told us a lot of stories from his real-life experience, a lot of useful reminders of how real-life work will be like. And I just love how he connects all the concepts systematically. Next semester I will take another accounting class with him again if possible. I also learn some good things in microeconomics class. And I am applying many economics concepts to my HON 220 assignments. Overall, I think I have been having a good semester so far.

One good thing about October is I have got to know many people, including international students, my floor residents, people whom I tutor, etc. I love the fact that right now I can say exactly the names of people who went on the retreat with me. We had some good time trying to learn each other's name, as well as how to pronounce it properly. In addition, I start to have some good conversations with my residents. There isn't the feeling of strangers talking to each other anymore, which makes me so happy. However, the sad thing is 11 residents of mine will go back to Norway at the end of the semester. And Stefan Tornseifer (he's from Germany), Nawar, Trine Lise, and other exchange students will leave Augsburg at the end of this semester as well. :( Just as I get to know them better, I have to prepare to say goodbye :(

Wow. It is a long long post already... And today is pretty long too. But I met Erin and Rosie (my old roommate's sister and mom) at the safe block. It was so much fun to see kids filling the dorm. I saw a little girl in a dinosaur costume, she is so cute, like other kids. But I noticed her more than other kids as I saw her sitting on her mom's laps. The scene reminds me of my childhood when I was little, my mom usually let me sit on her laps too.

Talking about mom, my misfortune friend in the previous post is doing a great job taking care of his family. We are both so busy that we can hardly talk. He tried to called me twice the past few days, but I either was sleeping or was working :( I hope I will be able to reach him on the phone after posting this.

Have a good weekend y'all! Below is my little gift for the fall to leave in the next few days :) Thanks for sparing some time reading my blog.