Je parle et écris un peu de français and, so far, things are going well.

Ha. I’ll write an entire post in another language one of these days. I’d write some Mandarin pinyin, too. I just need to figure out how to get the keyboard to show the correct tonal accents.

Lots of scholarly events this week, new people, the start of a mentorship for new and ESL students, but the highlight? Seeing Tom Hiddleston in Coriolanus. Brilliant performance for an underrated play. I enjoyed their interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s later works. The humor injected by the actors’ reactions to serious matters made it more entertaining. What I did find fascinating was the innovative set design. Such a small physical space was used to tell a story of a much grander scale. I love watching plays to see how other creative minds transform the written word into amazing visuals. Great inspiration.

WRITING:

Per my February goals, I’ve got oodles of writing to do this month. This weekend, it was mostly assignments–in three languages, too! I’m just glad I’m keeping it all straight. I have a classmate who wrote answers in German for a French exam. That would not be good, although I wonder if she got partial marks, provided the German was correct. 🙂

I have a page quota to write for Aaralyn’s Song. I’ll get cracking on it tomorrow after class. Fortunately, I can catch up during the study break next week.

READING:

I should really try to set aside at least a couple hours a day to read. I’ve gotten a dozen new pre-approvals for NetGalleys. There’s such a wide array of stories out there. It goes to show that I’ve got to up my game and get those revisions polished!

NETWORKING:

The kitchen sink and a partridge in a pear tree. I’ve got so much activities going on, at the moment. For the first time in years, they aren’t toddler-related, either! I do like the pace–so far. I probably shouldn’t jinx it. Case in point, I was swamped that I didn’t do a #ROW80 check-in last Hump, er, Wednesday. Tsk tsk.

LEARNING:

I’ve already learned a couple of important things this semester. Naturally, the languages and coursework, so make that an additional duo of importance.

The first lesson is patience. I love study groups. They help me when interacting with different personalities and learning styles. It’s great practice for my teaching certification. Patience is required when the students don’t want to apply themselves. At the moment, I’m a fellow student and I can see the importance of getting ahead in learning. Am I biased now that I already have a degree and had some time away from the academe to reflect on life? Seriously, though, call me a geek, but if you expect to do well in a class, you might want to open a textbook once in a while, no?

The second lesson is time management. I love organization and planning. Probably why even as a child, I was already playing teacher with my stuffed toys. But as I grew older and life got in the way, priorities shifted and events began to overlap. Delays and other reasons of procrastination didn’t have me truly focused on a clear path, despite my many interests.

Fortunately, all that’s changed for the better now. Things are running smoothly–aside from the occasional study group snafu. I can only do so much. With the myriad of people walking the halls every day, at least it’s never boring. Besides, I’m there to learn and if nothing else, there are so many new people that can go in my books!