Slowing Down Time

I am currently in the library because I had to print something off an "old school" computer because, for some reason, my laptop is not able to send print jobs to the on-campus printing system. And goodness me, was I annoyed. I still have copious amounts of readings to do before tomorrow and I have to do the dishes!

I often get asked what the biggest difference between Spain and the US and I almost always answer with, "The schedule." The Spanish get up late, eat late (try 9am, 3pm, and 10pm), and always nap. It was certainly weird, but gosh did I love it after a while.

The schedule is a certain mindset, where time is valued above being productive. Dinner at a restaurant was a three hour affair; a walk down to the park would be nearly a day's event. It wasn't that the service was terrible or the park was a ridiculous distance away; conversation and enjoyment of the area was the reason. Time in Spain operates differently than time in the US. Time's goal in Spain is not to get as much done as possible; time's goal is to provide happiness and fulfillment.

So, back to the library. I was going to use this time in the library to the maximum by replying to emails, texting people back, and doing things while I waited for the slower-than-my-laptop computer to log me on so I could print and get the heck out of here. After groaning about how dumb it this was, I came to realize how different my concept of time is from when I was in Spain. So, instead, to slow my time down, I put my phone down, refused to check my emails, and sat and enjoyed the time by people watching and admiring the artwork.

Although it may be difficult in the US and especially on a college campus to allow three hours for a meal or a day to hang at a park, it is possible to slow time down. Productivity may decrease, sure, but the quality of what is produced and the fulfillment gained from it, at least for me, far outweighs the loss of the productivity. I need to slow my time down and maybe there will be no need to hit a pause button or fast-forward. I will have used my time in ways in which I need it, by taking the long route home or not doing anything while waiting for the microwave to be done or the computer to load. Maybe if I slow down, life won't feel so overwhelming in stress-inducing or anxiety-ridden times.

Go Spanish Time! Peace!

-Nicole

For Good

1. Not having class until 1:20 is pretty awesome.
2. Wear a jacket, even if you think you'll be warm enough.
3.  Libraries are not such productive places when you are on FB.
4. I have been changed for good.


"Who can say if I've been changed for the better? / But because I knew you / I have been changed for good." - For Good from Wicked

It's been three weeks since I started classes. Three weeks. I don't even know what to think about it. Three weeks ago, I went to class and had my first class of college. Three weeks ago, I met my 'twin' and became closer to everyone around me. Two weeks ago I met someone who changed my life for good. I have had classes already cancelled, started to learn to play guitar, impromptu concerts held in my dorm room, spent too many nights staying up late, and have grown so much in who I am.

Life is a game of imitation. When we are little, we copy our parents and siblings. When we are older and growing into our teen years, we idolize celebrities and mimic what they are doing. When we start middle school and high school, we will do anything to get attention, so we start to 'follow the crowd'. Most of this is not intentional; it is just how we function as humans. We are still individuals; we were born who we are. But we aren't a hard, glazed pot. We are soft clay and different textures, colors, and shapes are put into us; finger prints are left. Life is process, not point A and point B.

We also start to learn little quirks from others around us. Take swearing for an extreme example. When we are thrown into a group that is using profanity left and right, we tend to start to pick up on that habit. It's the same with pretty much everything else. I have begun to notice my new friends' sayings pop up in conversations I have with others. I am noticing some of my mannerisms are a carbon copy of my friends'. And it is happening the other way around too. My little quirks are appearing in my friends and my random saying are becoming a part of the vernacular.

I am not a different person from when I moved into college; I just have a few more colors on my 'vase of life' and a few more finger prints have been created.

And it has only been three weeks. What is my vase going to look like once I am three months, one year, three years into college? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Peace!

-Nicole