People weren’t kidding when they said sophomore year was going to be hectic. My semester so far has consisted of going from one class to another and back to back meetings. I also joined a society on campus called Alpha Phi Sigma, a lecture society, and that’s taken up a lot of my time as well. I’ve met such amazing people through Phi Sig and I’m so glad I tea’d this semester. The sheer support system that exists within societies on campus is incredible, and is much needed in a sometimes high-stress environment like Wellesley. Academics are of course important and the main reason why I’m here, but knowing that there’s a group of people who have my back and who I can go to for help and comfort has made my experience and Wells that much more fun.
I also finally got my driver’s license!!!! It was a long process, mostly due to my lack of time management and impeccable procrastination abilities, but it’s official: I am a licensed driver. As an international student, or I guess because I’m from a city like Tokyo, I’ve never really had a reason to learn how to drive or even wanted to have a car. But living in Wellesley and from relying on (unrealiable) public transportation in the greater Boston area, I started wanting to learn how to drive more and more. Back in May, I got my permit at the DMV in Needham – which is two towns over from Wellesley – and started to take lessons through Newton Driving school. I don’t mean for this to sound like an advertisement for the school but I highly recommend this place. The instructors were kind and thorough, and have experience teaching foreigners. I feel really accomplished because I was able to do all of this in a country I’m not used to yet. In my past year or so at Wellesley, I’ve learned a lot about independence and taking initiative. This doesn’t just apply to getting a license, of course – through my academic endeavors here, my professors and peers are constantly challenged me to go out and seek what I want to do and learn on my own terms. Some things are more challenging to do than others, but I think it’s helped that I feel so comfortable here for me to put myself in situations I’ve never experienced before. I’ve attended lectures at Babson and Harvard, taken classes at Wellesley that aren’t necessarily in my areas of immediate interest, sought social experiences like Phi Sig that I had always thought weren’t “me” because I’ve met people here that come from places I haven’t been to, and that have interests that aren’t similar to mine.
This past week I also registered for Spring classes. I’ll be taking Gender & Sexuality in Contemporary America and a Public Health and Colonial Medicine Seminar offered by the Women’s and Gender Studies Department which will keep me on track with fulfilling my Major Requirements (my major is Women’s and Gender Studies or WGST with a concentration in Health, Science, and Bioethics. I’ll also be taking Developmental Psychology, which I’ve always had an interest in since a lot of my working and volunteering experiences have involved children. I’ll also be taking a Music class, called History of Jazz. I have no particular musical interests or talents (I did take piano lessons for maaaaany years but my reptitour currently consists of a couple Beatles songs I picked up on youtube) but I think this class will be great because it’ll expose me to a part of Wellesley I haven’t really had experience with yet.
The more time I spend at Wellesley the more excited and anxious I get about my future. People – especially our parents’ generation – always seem to be worried about our generations post-graduate opportunities with the job market being so seemingly hopeless and our generations ambivalence toward world issues because they might’ve grown up in a time where social awareness and activism seemed so much more tangible or relevant to their immediate lives. But being here, I have less and less of those concerns because of the students I meet and the professors I’ve had the privilege of learning from. I’ve got big ambitions and maybe not the best track record with putting too much on my plate, but that’s because I feel so capable thanks to the education I’m getting here. Thanks Mom, for letting me come to Wellesley and allowing me to have this beautiful and exciting experience called college.