(Here's a post that I meant to finish in December that I never got around to. I just added to it and obviously tweaked it to fit into the present, but here's an update of what is going on in my life!)
I never thought my undergrad would just be finished quite like this. I'm not the one to plan ahead and figure out my life, precisely to a tee, a few years from the present (within a bachelor's degree). That said, I came into last fall term oblivious to the fact that I could possibly graduate at the end of final exams in December. Being fortunate enough to have every single one of my course credits from Prov transfer to the UofM, and having really helpful advisors in the Science faculty made it all happen. Who knew that walking into the school mid-summer thinking of only getting a few course suggestions for the Fall, would result in: Graduating in December, an approved full-time packed/suitable class schedule, and a Minor in Biology... I never did.
I've been known to register and sign up for classes after classes have already begun! I've also been lucky enough be the last one in a class to snatch a spot up in the online class selection program. But why has that always worked out for me? I could choose to think of it as unpreparedness and luck, but instead I feel blessed to be so fortunate. I know... I cannot keep thinking that I can leave everything to the last minute, but as my Dad, "The Last Minute Man" says: I've learned it from him. Maybe it is inherited... I'd like to think it probably is. Pressure ignites me perhaps. I've always found it a curse how I could never fully prepare for an exam or a paper the way I wanted to, because I could never force myself to work on it until a couple of days before...
And now being done, I obviously feel I had more to give, in regards to my grades and what I could've accomplished. But on the other hand, although you reap what you sow, you cannot live in the past and ruminate on what could have been if things were done differently--to the point of self-deprecation. You have to move on, move toward a goal. You have to capture that displaced effort and either use it to understand and succeed in your present situation or inject it into your next step of life. This is something that I'm learning, as difficult as it is to admit; and this applies for everything in life, especially in relationships.
Anyway, I believe that the completion of my undergraduate degree is an accomplishment that
I have under rated. It does deserve my respect and I should be proud of
it. I'd like to recognize and appreciate the support I've received from my wonderful family, girlfriend, friends, and most importantly God. I am vastly blessed to have this support and am extremely grateful that it has always been available to me in everything I do.
So what's next? I'm unsure. I know I'd like to experience more schooling, but right now I am working at a new Brazilian BBQ Churrascaria (steakhouse) here in Winnipeg, called CARNAVAL. Because of my flowing hair and Portuguese name, I got the job (JOKES) and am training to become one of their bartenders. COME VISIT!
Other than being graduated and just working a minimum-wage job... all I can say is that life transitions can either be rough and depressing, or they can be a positive, work in progress. They may be confusing, tough, lonely, and scary, but if you're willing to produce the effort for a next step solution (no matter what pace you operate in), only then is it possible to overcome the obstacle confronting you.
Ciao for now.
