gripe

[liveonearth]

Another Friday night and I'm stuck at the security desk. Got no money 'cause I don't get paid. Oh how I wish I had my pillow. It's a rainy night.


Today was the last day of school for a whole week. Not that I actually get a "break". I have two papers to write, a takehome exam to complete, three tests the week following and I forget how many tests in the first week of December to study for. After THAT I get a real break. Maybe I'll even get to read my periodicals or a novel or something.

I just tried to complete the student evaluations of my professors for this quarter. As usual, nothing about this school is easy or smooth. One of my evals didn't go through. And there was a lot of dicking about with windows and stuff to get it all done. Nothing linear or straightforward about it. Took me the better part of an hour. Can't wait to go home. First, I gotta go empty out the student refrigerators. YUCK. Here goes.

Comments

[calizen.livejournal.com]

Hmm. This does seem like one of those proverbial test times in a life. Hopefully you can look back on this years from now and say, "Y'know, when I was in that school in Oregon--" and then laugh uproariously.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is a test of my tolerances for disorganization and bullshit. And in my life I have worked hard to eliminate those, so it seems absurd to go $100,000 in debt buying an education in such an environment. But here goes! I have no way of knowing where this will lead, but I am open to all possibilities.

[calizen.livejournal.com]

That's what my son has done, although I think with his european education, he's doubled the amount he'll owe. On the other hand, what would he have done if he had NOT done this. When he's the most upset about it, he remembers that he'd rather be in debt and doing in the end what he wants to do than not in debt and being in a job he hates. I hope this testing time comes to an end soon for you and you can see more light at the end of the tunnel.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

I am just in the beginning; this is my first quarter of a four year program. I am determined to finish it in four years and not five, as many students do.

What is your son studying in Europe?

I sometimes wonder if this is the best path to what I really want to do.....but a medical education combined with a certain maturity and intuition is of value in all times. I hope that I will be comfortable and engaged in my work regardless of where I end up.

[calizen.livejournal.com]

My son's master's degree was in international relations at Leiden University in the Netherlands. After that he was accepted and went on for his Ph.D. in Scotland at St. Andrews (international relations with emphasis on counter-insurgency). He'll end up in a pretty rareified profession, but he'll be paying for it for a goodly portion of his life.

[liveonearth.livejournal.com]

International relations......it's an interesting time to take that path, eh? Lots of hard times in the making. Intellectuals are as likely to end up imprisoned as respected....must be careful who you decide to work for.....but I'm sure he will do that. And I'm sure the challenges of the work will (pre)-occupy him far more than the debt.

[calizen.livejournal.com]

He's going into think tank territory here. It's such a new field I don't know what the job situation is really like, although I know he's been offered at least 2 jobs in The Netherlands. I guess this is going to be an ongoing story.