Monday

I'm embarking on Week 2 of school here, but my mind and stamina feel like I've been here for months already. UCSD is no joke and classes here are fascinating, but incredibly intense. It feels like finals week at the JC, and it's only the beginning of Week 2. Yikes!

I can't really complain though. For the first time in my life, I'm a full-time student. I'm not working (quite yet), I live on campus, I sleep with my books and laptop, and sticky-notes are plastered all over my mirror and room. I study. That's what I do! I study and read and think and go to class....and then study and read and think some more. It's invigorating, grueling, fascinating, challenging, fun and exhausting at the same time. I really love it.

This past weekend I had lunch with the Program Officer for National Geographic's Young Explorer Grants program and we talked for over an hour about refugee medicine, cenotes in the Yucatan peninsula, the value of photojournalism, and how exciting it is to travel. When I've prepared my project proposal, he offered to read/critique it before I send it in to Nat.Geo...how incredibly amazing is THAT!?

Last week my roommates and hallmates stole down to the beach around midnight to watch the florescent blue waves crash on the shore. Bioluminescent algae caused the blue explosions of light and as we sat on the sand, exclaiming at the incredible beauty in front of us, I laughed with happiness. Since when can you sit on the beach at midnight and watch blue fireworks explode in the waves?

My class is starting soon and I'm afraid I'm behind on the reading. I stayed up till 1:30 last night reading and studying, and I'm still behind. But, my professor likes me and we've already gone out to lunch together (I guess that's incredibly rare at UCSD....some students go all four years and never get to know their professors. Kinda sad.). I'm sure it'll be okay.