*Sigh of Relief* This Past Semester

The final assignment submitted.

I am done!

...for now...

As I turned in my last homework assignment Tuesday I have thought about how the last three months have progressed and all the things I have learned and I have been contemplating how this has been the hardest three months of my life. Being a full time student and a full time mother of two is probably the hardest thing I've ever done... yes, harder than childbirth (mine were actually pretty easy!). I've never been so tired, so exhausted, so unavailable to the household needs unfortunately, yet I felt like it was also rewarding in how much effort I put in to actually learning my material and the valuable knowledge I did obtain. 

Can I say that it was difficult, but I appreciated it?

I wouldn't say I want to do it all over again. Having a baby right at the beginning of a semester when you're taking 14 credits could have been academic suicide for me; luckily it wasn't. In fact, the opposite happened, surprisingly. Elena is sweet and high-spirited, however, I'm not looking for round three any time soon :).

I realized I have learned more in these past three (or you could say 3-6) months, than I have in a long time. I have a fresher, newer perspective on life, particularly the social problems of the world that affect us all, and most importantly myself and my look on life. Some things I learned were: 

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While taking my World Development class I realized there were a whole lot more people out there that are truly suffering from poverty. That the sense of "poor" in America is nothing compared to the poor that people in lower developed countries experience. Even at our poorest, we still have it better than some people do in Africa and other countries. I learned about the United Nations Millennium Development Goals that are trying to eradicate poverty and extreme hunger, provide universal primary education, empower women and gender equality, decrease infant and maternal mortality rates, decrease the amount of HIV/AIDS, ensure environmental sustainability and achieve a global partnership between the nations so that all the rest of the other goals can be achieved by 2015. Before this class, I had no idea those goals even existed, let alone how big of a problem they were. Learning about that has opened my eyes to how truly blessed we are and how many opportunities we have and it makes me feel a sense of duty to be grateful for all I have and contribute back to society in a way that will help others have a better quality of life. 

In my Social Problems class I read an article from our book that wasn't even on the required reading list about spousal abuse and marital rape. I feel so terrible inside for all the women in the world who are treated terribly by their husbands/partners and feel like they have been objectified or have been beaten. When I came home from reading that I gave my husband a huge hug and thanked him for being a wonderful husband who treated me right. I have thought about it some, and If I ever do get a job outside the home, and have a chance to help other people or do any kind of social work, I think I want to work in a woman's shelter to empower women and get them back on their feet after tragedy to reenter society as a person with value. I want every woman to feel she's of worth. Before, I thought I wanted to be involved with helping little kids, but I think I would get too emotionally involved (sometimes I just want to save ALL the children!). But seeing certain videos about prostitution and rape in my social problems class, and reading that article on marital rape and the poor women who went through such terrible ordeals, I feel like they will need all the help they can get if they are going to be out in the world, on their feet again, raising good children. A good child can only be raised by a good mother.

In my Sociology of the Family class, part of a group assignment was that each member was to find a person that was from your topic and interview them, then write up your findings, get together with your group to see the similarities between your and their person and then present the findings to the class. My category/topic was a "parent of a homosexual." So I interviewed a friend's mother and since that interview it has totally changed my perspective on how we should treat others. I feel like I can sympathize better and I have a more open perspective. Even in casual conversations with friends who tend discriminate or make fun of others I try change the topic or tell them they shouldn't say things like that. My mind refers back to the interview and the feelings I noticed while the mother was talking to me and I have a lot of respect and admiration for her. This was kind of a tough assignment, mostly because I was nervous to interview someone, but I'm really glad I got the opportunity to talk to someone else about something that is important to them because it ultimately had a better impression on me.

I have learned a lot this past semester. Sometimes I felt like quitting or giving up, even knowing that I couldn't or that it would be a terrible mistake for the future to just not go to school anymore, despite the burning in my eyes or my pounding headache. Right now I don't know if I'll defer in January for a semester or wait til next April to defer, but I really do enjoy all the knowledge I am getting and wish that every person had an appetite for learning who attends school. I'd hear so many students say "This class is so pointless.. I wish I didn't have to take it," instead of being grateful for attending a great university with many opportunities and trying their best to soak up every bit of information they could. There are many children in the world who don't even have the chance to get basic primary education, and people here are complaining about a class they paid for. To me, it's sad.

 If I have learned one thing from my world development class is that in America we have all the resources and abilities to do great things. We need to show gratitude for it and it is our imperative duty to gain all the wisdom and knowledge we can and then contribute it back to society to help others.