Dear family and friends,
        Well, another year’s gone by and so as I’m writing this it’s almost Christmas, which means some people will not receive this by then- sorry! As I look back on the year I wonder how all the time passed without my noticing. I guess time flies when you’re not paying attention. At least I used it well, or so I think, read on and tell me if you agree.
        The new year saw me returning to Harvard for my first semester finals. It was then I discovered how much high school did not prepare me for college as I found I didn’t know how to study for exams! I had never needed to really study for exams in high school, memorize formulas or dates sure, but not actually “study.” Both Dad and Mom received phone calls from a depressed and stressed out girl the night before I had two exams in one day (shudder), convinced that I was going to fail both. But in the end everything turned out alright. My freshman advisor gave me some pointers on studying, and I ended my first semester at Harvard with one A, two A-’s, and one C+ (in that accelerated Chemistry course I took- big mistake).
        Second semester had me in five classes, instead of the normal four. For some reason I have the need to take the hardest class load possible. For example, this semester I’m taking a computer programming class, a physics class, and finishing my Math sequence with Linear Algebra, and then my last class, to offset the technology overload, is a core class on music. So anyways, I enjoyed my five classes last spring. I started working for the Harvard dorm crew after spring break doing wet work, which means cleaning student bathrooms. I really wasn’t that bad, and it paid $8.55 per hour, so what the heck! I also joined the intramural basketball and, not by my choice, volleyball teams with my entryway. I continued in the Harvard-Radcliffe Chorus, and our spring concert was a terrific success. Early in the semester, as a procrastination method, I created a homepage for myself with the space Harvard allows each of its students on its server. (Please visit it! My address is http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~jgerman ) And with my earning one B, two B+’s, and two A-’s as final grades, I consider the semester a good success! The only real horrible thing that happened was my best friend trying to commit suicide. I thank God she wasn’t successful, and am happy that she’s doing better and plans to return to school this January.
        Summer wasn’t the best one I’ve ever had. The week I spent in Michigan was great. I was able to see Dad, my grandparents, and my aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was wonderful to take a break from my life for while. (As I recall, my cousin Nate and I spent a fun day together, just the two of us doing whatever!) After school ended I worked forty hours at Harvard on dorm crew, and around twenty at the Pharmacy, for four weeks. The first two at Harvard were to get the dorms cleaned and ready for the Alumni coming for their respective reunions. The third was setting up for and at working at the
Law school graduation, and night-sitting three children of an alumni couple. The fourth, and part of a fifth, was preparing the dorms for the incoming summer students. Then I worked fifteen to twenty hours on summer dorm crew cleaning bathrooms (again, and boy does that get boring really fast) as well as my usual twenty at the Pharmacy. But I suppose it did pay off at the end of the summer- literally. I earned over two thousand dollars! Of course Harvard promptly took two thousand dollars for the first fall payment in August, and then Dad and Mom began paying for the rest of the semester. Still I had a little money left over to buy myself a couple of things I wanted, like my Star Trek CD discman! Oh yeah, I had a boyfriend for a couple of months too, but nothing became of that.
        In September I started my sophomore year at Harvard. I had been very happy I was assigned to Winthrop House in the lottery last April because that’s where my friends from my freshman entryway ended up! Still, I did not room with any of them, so once again I found myself moving in with strangers. Except this time there were only two of them, both transfer students. Adriane and I have developed a good friendship, and Erin... well we’re not too sure about her since we hardly ever see her! Actually she’s a friendly person and a fine dormmate. We all have our own rooms in the suite. I have the one with the fire place, (at least until next semester begins) and I’ve used it twice already! Due to extensive circumstances, I’m not coaching the Colorguard this year, and I couldn’t stay in the Chorus this semester either. But I am still playing intramural basketball, and I played IM volleyball too. I’m still in Rainbow Girls, and was Chaplin during the summer term, which I really loved. I also took ballroom dance lessons this semester. I learned the Foxtrot and the basics of the International Waltz. I began volunteering in October in a Boston day care center at the Harriet Tubman House to help four- and five-year-olds learn critical thinking and computers. It’s so much fun. The children love to play with the volunteers, wheather or not on the computers. We had a great lion/dinosaur/hippo fight once! I work dry work dorm crew (meaning taking out trash and recycling and keeping the building clean) 8-10 every weekday morning, and at the Pharmacy every Sunday, which suits me just fine. At least it gets me up for class everyday at 10! The only other new thing in my life is NERO, which is a live action role playing organization. I’ve gone three times with Mike and loved it each time. The first two were as an elven archer and the last as a dragon. What fun!
        Well, that’s a lengthy recap of my life this past year. Hope ya’ll enjoy your Christmas and New Year, I sure do plan on doing so!

Labels: Year Summaries