The New Me

College has change me a lot. Before college, I'm not used to how to just relax a little bit. I tend to be a little bit controlling and I freak out when things doesnt go as planned. But college help me figure out how to balance things out and how to take things as it come. This happened because I had planned out what I was going to do for my communication project but my group changed the plan at the last minute but I couldnt do anything about except go with it. At that moment, I was frustrated that we didnt get the things we should have gotten done but I'm glad it did because I would probably be stressing out right about now with everything going on all at once with so little time... Definitely a positive change :)

One thing for sure that college has change me is to be more outgoing and willing to try new things. Before, I would stay in my comfort zone and wouldn't try anything I know I will fail at or terrible at. I wouldn't join any club or organization if I didn't know anyone in it. But now, I push myself to do things outside of my comfort zone. I join organization that sparks my interest and it doesn't matter if there are people I know or not. I feel like I need to push myself a little more if I want to enjoy the college experience. I didnt want to just let college past by. It's a nice change :) 

I think the most change that happened since college started would be my writing skill. Since English is my second language, writing and grammar are not my best forte. I hated writing papers so much since high school, but since college, I don't mind writing papers as much because we have to do it all the time. Writing comes much easier for me. Most positive change!

Mis amigos :)

When I first enrolled into BW, I didn't know anyone. But as the semester begin, I saw 2 of my friends from my high school around campus. My boyfriend is also a student at BW. I met a bunch of my friends through the commuter lounge. Commuters would go there to hang out and do homework. I also met one of my good friend now from class. 

My set of friends stay consistent throughout the semester, since I haven't join a lot of organizations yet. Plus, I don't mind having a small group of close friends. For me, I think it has been easier to to make friends because I tend to just go with it. I usually am not the outgoing type of person, so I thought it was easy to get to know people. I'm still content with just having a small group of friends. 

Campus Event

I haven't attend many of the campus events but one event that I found to be very interesting was global friend hour with Dr. Param Srikantia. His presentation was on how education completely turn us into half robots and half human beings. Education system is like a factory, and it is only based on what the input is and what is the output.He said that we're no longer just human beings but walking robots because our "robots" are the ones doing our daily routines and it rarely changes.
I really enjoy this presentation b/c it is another point of view on how we live our lives. He pointed out how we all just want to fit in somewhere and doesn't really want to break out from the norms. The way his presented it was very interesting.
I would recommend this to my friends. And I would like to go to his 5 hours seminar of "Why Life Sucks". I think it would be interesting to hear what he has to say about it.

Boys and Girls Club

Boys and Girls Club is one of the weekly organizations on campus. It does not require a whole year commitment. The organization allows students to be flexible with their schedule. We meet every Thursdays from 5-7 PM. It is located in Cleveland on Fulton Rd. The kids range from 5-15 years old.

I chose this organization because I wanted to work with kids. This give me an opportunity to help the kids with whatever they need help. The organization is more informal. The leaders focuses on the kids from 5-10 years old mostly. The older kids are on their own most of the time. It was very chaotic the first time I visited the location. The kids were running all over the place, but once I got to know the kids, they were very sweet. I also found out that they are most from low income family or they have parents that doesn't speak much English.

I would consider continuing with the organization because I would like to get to know the kids a little more. I think what I experienced the first time convince me that I should keep going.

Finance!

My financial situation is better than I thought. I was told that as a college student, I will be dirt poor, but that hasn't happen yet. I have a budget set for myself because I am paying for my tuition without taking any student loans so I have to be very meticulous with what I spend my money on. Thanks to my job, I have extra spending money because of tips so I don't really have to mess with my budget. I've spent a little more than I would like on the unnecessary stuffs but it's not official until you have the university hoodie. A lot of my money has been spent on books, tuition, food, and gas! Those are the only 4 things I've been spending my money on so far...and it is an awful lot of money. As for now, I don't think I need to change my spending habits because I tend to save my money for more necessary things anyway. Plus, I get nervous when I don't have enough money to pay for tuition. Also, I have a car payment, too so I have no room to spend money on anything else unless I really, really need it or want it.

My Goals

My goals for the next few years would be enjoying college as much as I can. My academic goal would probably keep my GPA to be at least a 3.5 or higher. My parents expect a lot from me so I have to make sure I'm keeping up with all my classes. I will definitely have to ask for help a lot! (which I finally learn how to do with thinking it will be a bother)

My personal goal would be joining more clubs here on campus. Study abroad would be one of my activity. Since I didn't do much extracurriculums in high school, I would like to do more in college. And this would definitely help me improve my social skills. I've signed up for a lot of the things I am interested in, so that's the first step. 

My last goal for myself would be pay off my car! My parents helped me with half of the portion already, so I want to be able to pay off my car on my own. I definitely need to figure out where I spend my money and if it is worth it or not. I only have $9000 to go >_> at least I got some of it pay off :) 

Ten Things You Should Know About Me

• I am 100% Vietnamese
• I was born in Vietnam, and moved to the US when I was 9.
• My baby brother and I are 12 years apart. (He started Kindergarden on the same day I started college)
• I LOVE Starbucks 
• Work in a nail salon. 
• Play the violin & piano
• Enjoy cooking
• Love traveling
• Favorite book of all time is "Tuesdays with Morrie" 
• Favorite quotes: "Just because you can't find a solution, it doesn't mean that there isn't one." "However impenetrable it seems, if you don't try it, then you can never do it." & "Always try the problem that matters most to you." - Andrew Wiles.