In the post Coming Up for Air, I mentioned I had bought several school supplies that make me more purple than the Purple People Eater. My sister-in-law Jen suggested I post a picture of me in my purple glory.  I’m always happy to oblige such requests.

You can just barely see the purpleness of my shirt and my backpack.  I’d take another picture that shows them off more, but sadly, this is the last picture that will ever be taken with my digital camera.  Corey accidentally dropped it after said picture was taken and now it won’t work.  It was a very old hand-me-down camera so I think it’s time for a new one anyway.  Hopefully, that’ll be sooner rather than later and luckily, you get the point of my purpleness.

You can also see the awesomeness that is my lefty notebook. (It’s behind the planner.)  I’m not holding it upside down.  The spiral is, indeed, on the right side!

I’m officially a student once again since Monday was the first day of class.  I still hadn’t had a chance to get a backpack or most of my supplies I also needed to get a new student ID card so I can use the library on campus and other such services.  Because of these things, I took the day off of work.

I came away with an implosion-worthy set of supplies.  What does this mean exactly?  Corey told me that when I wear a purple shirt, the universe is going to implode because I have a purple coat and now a purple backpack, pencil, and lefty notebook. (The lefty notebook was the greatest find ever!  I don’t have to worry about trying to write with the spiral jabbing into my hand now.  All you right-handed people don’t know what it’s like to be a lefty living in a right-handed man’s world.)

I’m excited to brush up on Japanese so I can start learning new stuff next year.  The class is a lot of fun and very effective.  On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, we’re in the class with a Japanese TA (teacher’s assistant).  We’re only allowed to speak Japanese so we’re exposed to the language more.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we’re in the class with the actual instructor and we discuss grammar, culture, writing, etc.  I’ve forgotten a lot in the last ten years, but surprisingly, I’ve retained a lot too.

My English class is going to be a lot of fun.  We’ll be studying short non-fiction stories and writing stories/papers of our own.  I’m excited to develop my reading comprehension so I can extrapolate more meaning from the things I read.  I’m also excited to develop my writing ability as it’s something I enjoy doing immensely.

The syllabus for my Doctrine and Covenants class looked very daunting at first.  I’ve only taken one religion class that was structured like an actual college course so I wasn’t sure what I was getting into.  I have to take this class to graduate from BYU–it’s actually the only religion requirement I have left–and at first, I wasn’t too excited about it.  However, having gone to the class last night, I think it’ll be a good class.  It’ll be a little different and more structured than the other religion classes I’ve taken, but I think I’ll learn a lot.

This week has been one whirlwind after another as I’m trying to get into the swing of things and trying to juggle school, my full-time job, and life.  (Needless to say, I may not be blogging as much as I used to.) I have a lot of work ahead of me.  Until last night, I was a little overwhelmed with it all because I wasn’t sure how–I’m still not sure, honestly–I’m going to deal with and get everything done.  However, I think once I get into a routine, I’ll be okay.  It’ll just take some getting used to.  All in all, I’m still excited about being a student again!

In the post New Year’s Resolutions 2010, I mentioned I’ve been plagued with irrational worries/fears of returning to school.  What are those fears?

I’ve been out of school for almost ten years.  What if I’ve forgotten how to go to school?  What if I don’t know how to be a student anymore?  What if I’ve forgotten important skills I need to succeed, like how to write a research paper or how to interact with other students that are ten plus years younger than I am?

I’m also worried about my hand.  I haven’t really hand written anything in the time I’ve been away from school.  I’ve been glued to a computer and anytime I try to write something longer than a paragraph, my hand cramps up.  Taking notes is going to kill me!  Yes, I know I can take my laptop to school with me, but what if I’m the only one with a computer in my class?  And then, along the same lines but in the opposite direction, do students still use binders, paper, or pencils?  Or, do they only use their laptops?

I know it’s only been ten years.  But, at the same time, it’s been ten years.  A lot can change in ten years.  I’m a lot more mature than I was so hopefully that will help.  But, I’m still very unsure about myself.  That hasn’t changed.  What if I really can’t graduate in English?  I never thought in a million years that I’d be an English major.  I detested English when I was younger (other than writing short stories).  I detested reading!  I still don’t like to read textbooks.  What if I can’t handle reading as much as an English major is going to take?  What if I really don’t enjoy being a copyeditor?  What am I going to do with myself then?  It took me this long just to decide on a major in the first place. What if it’s not the right one?

I really hope all these fears are normal for someone in my situation.  And, I really hope that once Monday comes, I’ll calm down. And, I hope I realize going to school is like riding a bicycle, something you never forget how to do.