Back to school, little girl!
What I like the most about being in school is that most of the times it makes me feel young.
There is less than a week left until school starts. Back to school, baby!
You would think that after going back to school 22 times, I should be used to it. It shouldn’t make any difference, especially because I have spent all the summer in school, working on a paper. But that’s not the case.
I am nervous and excited as I was 10 or 20 years ago. Unbelievable! I feel like a child again. I have made a list of the things I should do and prepare before September 1’st. I have spent all day today deep cleaning the house. I will reorganize all my drawers and my closet tomorrow. I want to make sure that everything is clean and where it is supposed to be for the next four months.
And I think about next week. About the new people who are coming to school this year. About my friends, whether we will have the same courses or not. About my thesis that I will seriously start working on, this semester. And about the course that I will TA for. About the new undergrad students that I’ll get to know, and torture for the next four months!! And about the instructors of that course who will probably torture me and them together!!
And it’s all so exciting. I am glad that I like my school and I like what I am doing here. It makes a whole lot difference.
It’s the little girl in me in charge these days. She is the one who used to want to have new backpack or new shoes for school. Who used to spend hours organising and reorganizing her new books and notebooks in her new backpack. Who used to go to sleep the night before the first day of school, thinking about her friends and teachers, excited about the new school year.
And I’ll let her be in charge for a few days. And I’ll enjoy it all, while I can.
My sweet 29′th birthday
It’s my birthday this weekend. I am officially turning 29.
Unlike some of my friends who find it unpleasant to age, I don’t feel bad at all. I am where I want to be in my life and I am happy about it. Of course I am not looking forward to some of the signs of aging, like wrinkles and gray hair. I have found a couple of gray hairs this year, not a big deal. But I guess I’ll deal with them when I really have to!
I usually have a sweet feeling about a couple of weeks before my birthday. I cannot really describe it. And my birthday usually ends up very nice, with my family and/or friends remembering it and celebrating it with me. (Except last year!! Can’t talk about it now!)
When I look back at my previous birthdays, there are some very sweet memories.
I have always loved reading, and books have been my favorite gifts. On my 8′th birthday, my parents told me that they were not able to get me any presents. I got very upset and made a scene. So much that my dad got mad at me and dragged my yelling/sobbing body outside to his car and showed me the gift that they had bought for me. It was a bunch of books, about 15 of them. The perfect gift! I don’t forget how happy (and embarrassed!) I was that night.
When I first started dating my boyfriend (currently called Husband), my parents didn’t know about it. And I wanted to keep it that way. So when he got me a huge stuffed bunny for my birthday, I didn’t know what to do with it. How to take it inside without my parents seeing it and finding out about us. So one of my girlfriends brought the gift inside and told my parents that it was her gift to me. My mom looked at us like “Ya, Right!!” , but didn’t say anything at the time. Later she told me that she knew everything.
When I was 18, my birthday fell right after we finished our university entrance exam. My friends and I went to school to celebrate our freedom. They celebrated my birthday by giving me beautiful gifts. Later we took pictures all together holding bits and pieces of the gifts and wrapping papers to make it look like there were 20 gifts or so. I am sure they still look at the pictures and remember those days.
About the same time, my parents got me this beautiful silver necklace for my birthday. I don’t know why, but it felt so good and precious. Like it was the most expensive piece of jewelry that existed. I still have it and it reminds me of them. And I miss them so much.
So I guess I should say “Happy birthday to me, on my last 20-something birthday!” I am looking forward to more unforgettable memories on my future birthdays.
Biking in the city brought back memories
Last weekend we went out to get some food for lunch, when we accidentally ran into three of our friends from school who were going to eat at the same place. They had come with their bikes. After lunch, we went to waterfront for an afternoon walk. (Well, we walked, but those poor guys had to carry their bikes all the way!!) My friend offered me her bike for a short ride. At first I hesitated, but then I went for it.
I hadn’t ridden a bike for about 5 years. Oh, my goodness! I had forgotten how good it felt. The feeling of floating in the air, with a breeze on my face, …. It was awesome.
And it brought back memories… lots of memories.
Memories of 5,6 years ago, biking with my sisters and my fiance at the time, in Chitgar park…, excited about my relationship with him…, couldn’t wait to start a new life together….
Memories of 15 years ago, biking with my best friend in a square near our houses…. How happy and carefree we were, how curious we were about people, especially boys!! We were looking forward to seeing what future had for us….
Memories of 20 years ago, in a small alley where our house was, biking back and forth in the alley…, my father trying to teach me to take right U-turns. (I was only able to turn left and refused to try otherwise!)
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We are going to buy bikes and we are determined to use them this summer.
