In the thick of things

I'm back from Philadelphia and WOW is life moving fast. Things are good-- very good, but still a lot.

Before I got to Temple I was pretty worried and nervous. However, the minute I arrived on campus for my diagnostic exam I felt at ease, and filled with delight. I walked out of the stairwell and found a group of students sitting outside the door for the exam. I knew that these were all colleagues! and classmates! We talked and expressed nervousness for the exam together. Fun.

Regarding the exam- I did well. I had been working on my repertoire of songs for the last few months and they asked me to play/sing some of my favorites on piano and guitar. Also sight-reading and harmonizing from a fake book. I passed piano and guitar on all counts- interesting though, they want me to take voice lessons. I agree with their reasons, and am really glad they told me. I tend to strain my voice when I sing and as they told me, if I keep singing the way I'm singing, I won't be able to work too many more years. I'm excited to get some guidance on my singing.

My classes were intense but OH so challenging, stimulating, thought-provoking. Good stuff. I made friends with a few of my classmates, which felt good. By the end I was pretty saturated with information, which made me feel alittle "slow" and emotionally sensitive, but still good in a deeper way.

I arrived in Philly late Monday night, had my exam on Tuesday and then did schoolwork in my bed and breakfast (or coffeshops, libraries nearby) for the next two days. My classes ran from 9am-4:30 straight through from Friday through Wednesday (including the weekends). Intense stuff.

The best way to summarize this trip would be: Emotionally and intellectually challenging, exciting, wonderful. Physically very wearing.

The physical end had to do with a few factors:

• The bed and breakfast I had reserved for the whole 10 days, with no cancellation refund? Not a good place. Well, I wouldn't say it was BAD, but I wasn't comfortable there. Being away from my husband, alone, and mentally overworking during the day meant that I really NEEDED a comfortable place to crash at night. I didn't have that. The windows were covered with a delicate lace. Lovely, huh? I thought so too- until nighttime, when I realized there was no drapery to cover the windows with. I could see out, and anyone passing my first-floor room could see in. I complained to the owners but they treated me like I was ridiculous. They told me that all the windows are like that. (Um, yeah, I can see in their windows too!) I changed clothes in the bathroom. Also, no place to sit other than wooden kitchen chairs. This was hard (literally) when I needed to do lots of reading for school in the evenings. Answer? Next time, I'll book through Priceline and get a nicer place for a lower price.
  
• I'm simply not used to all that walking. And, I'm not used to having to plan out every place I will eat ahead of time. The first 2 days, I would wait until I was hungry, and then spend the next 3 hours walking all over looking for something. Not good. Answer? I have plotted out places to get food near my classes.
• I just didn't get a lot of sleep. Classes ended and then we often had work to do overnight. Getting food, etc. and the anxiety I tend to have in new places meant I just didn't sleep enough. Answer? I guess I just need to get more efficient in the ways I get food, and develop better stress-reduction techniques for these trips.
  

So, other than the physical end, it was good stuff. I'm glad to be back to snuggling with my honey though- I missed him :) The online coursework, reading, and assignments continue. I'm finding myself having to keep moving to meet all the deadlines, but I'm still enjoying it.

The other end of things that's happening at Chez Abigailia is that my mother moved to Gainesville the day I got back here myself. I had rented a house for her based on our conversations and boy did it not work out. I'll save you all the details, but the gist is that we had been renting it since September 1st. The landlord knew she was arriving on 9/12. She arrived to find that he hadn't finished repairing the house and was actually working on it when she got there. He wasn't done and didn't seem to think this was a big deal. After traveling from Michigan, my mother wasn't happy. So, she ended that deal and stayed with us for the next week while she looked for a place. Happily she is in heaven with the apartment she found, so it all worked out. It's nice to have her in town finally (as she'll be living here now), but all of this activity has really added to the stress load too.

Off to prepare for a parent meeting...