Tuesday's To Do List

In an effort to keep my blogs interesting, I’m going to try a different approach with today’s blog. I’m a big fan of making lists, so this blog is basically going to be one long list that will hopefully give you a good picture of my day.

The most obscure thing I did today: I got a neck rub with some eucalyptus-y scented ointment. This may sound like a very strange thing out of context, but it was part of the yoga session I went to this evening. On our excursion Sunday, Alana had mentioned that she thought there were free yoga classes at Rockefeller Chapel. This sounded pretty neat to me, so I looked it up online and discovered there was a class Tuesdays from 6 to 7. I got Tiffany to accompany me, and while it was very quiet and unlike anything else I’ve done here, I personally had a good time. Rockefeller Chapel is a beautiful space, and the instructor was really soothing. I felt very peaceful at the end of the one hour session. We’re really lucky how many free programs we have access to on campus as part of our student experience, and I’m trying to make the most of all these opportunities.

Gorgeous Rockefeller Chapel

The most ordinary thing I did today: I changed my bed sheets, since Tuesday is one of the days for linen exchange. Part of this experience has been adjusting to being aware of everyday life needs, as no one else is paying attention to them for me. I actually had a little difficulty with this task today because the fitted bed sheet was hard to stretch around the mattress, but I managed to make up my bed and it’s currently waiting for me to crawl in and sleep well.

The most creative thing I did today: It was a warm day today so I decided I would get some ice cream after dinner. This week I’ve been playing little games in the dining hall, trying to combine foods to make something better. Today I tried a root beer float with vanilla ice cream and some root beer from the soda fountain. It was satisfactory and I felt happy with my creation.

Something unexpected: While I was working on my paper this morning, I checked my email and found I had received an email from a Japanese student in Shimada, Japan. We hosted a few students in our class this past school year and provided email addresses, but I’d forgotten about this arrangement. I was really happy that I was contacted by Sakura, who I will be pen pals with. I think this will be a fun experience and definitely a good way to practice my Japanese.

Something unfortunate: It makes me sad that some people can’t hear. Obviously there are many other unfortunate issues in the world besides people being deaf, but I’m focusing on lack of hearing because today during my music practice session I got in a very musical feeling mood and went back to my room to listen to songs we’ve played in band before. Music can be so powerful and it’s a really special feeling. It’s unfortunate that not everyone is able to experience music in the same way that I am, and this is one of those moments I’m grateful for how incredible my circumstances are, both on the basic level of bodily needs and on the larger level of having a great experience with music that enhances my appreciation of it.

Something I learned: Our reading for tomorrow’s lecture was an article on how the West’s dominance on ideas about mental illness effect the rest of the world. The article was illuminating both on the nature on mental illness, and the issues that arise due to a globalization phenomenon in mental illness. For interested readers, the article can be found here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/magazine/10psyche-t.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all

My favorite part of today: This is so hard, because it was a really good day. I think maybe walking back from yoga was the best part of my day, because I knew I'd accomplished everything I needed to already, I was thoroughly relaxed from yoga, and I was looking forward to dinner. I love the feeling of knowing it's been a full day and I achieved that sense of satisfaction on the walk back from yoga.

The worst part of today: Today was honestly I really good day for me, so it’s hard to choose a worst part of the day. I guess the worst part might be the time I spent in class today, just because it was a lot of reviewing my work and trying to figure out how to put in graphs and tables. However, this went by quickly and it was an accomplishment to turn in my rough draft before leaving class around 3:00. 

And that was my day! Or at least, that encompasses most of the important parts of my day. It felt luxuriously long because we didn’t have structured class, and overall I am just very content with this last Tuesday.