Growth

Like a lot of my classmates, I wasn't sure what to expect in this class. It wasn't that I thought this class would be easy by any means, but I didn't realize how much effort goes into just writing about your opinions. Writing various papers and responses does reveal parts of your personality, but it's not the same as what I experienced in here. I found that I have a tendency of hiding behind the material or subject and not really wanting to expose my thought processes much. My hopes are that at least some of my blogs were able to resonate with my peers. In my ideas, I tried to express who I was and how I felt about various topics. Some of the topics weren't very serious in the grand scheme of things, and a couple, at least to me, were very important and something I felt very strongly about. It's my effort to be non-biased and judge-mental in life, and occasionally this is quite difficult. Hopefully I expressed my opinions fairly even when I was at my most opinionated.

The feedback from my professor (as was the same with all of my professors this semester) was always helpful. USAO as a whole, wants you to succeed and be the best you can be when you enter back into the world with degree in hand. I was encouraged for the strengths I had, and made clear that though we all have weaknesses, they can be worked on and remedied. None of us are perfect, but there is always room for improvement. Like I had mentioned above, I wasn't sure of what to expect. To say I was a little intimidated would be an understatement. I realized just how much of an introvert I tend to be when I'm writing in general and to share my personal feelings at times was a real chore. Like another one of my classmates had mentioned, I have a much greater respect for those that do this as a living and somehow manage to keep everything fresh and new.

Initially the blog theme made writing a little easier. I mean, we all learn something new everyday right? Though I was learning new things and ideas everyday, it wasn't always easy being able to express them. Or for it to be relevant to what the theme was. There were times that I admittedly strayed away from the theme some, but for me it was also about putting myself out there in different facets of life. Overall, I loved the theme and think that it has a lot of potential for many students. I hope that J.C. continues it or at least something like it when she teaches this class again to others.

My favorite piece that I wrote this Summer was about friends and family. After talking with some different people, it was apparent that many were polarized in how they felt about it. Some agreed with me in that they had had problems with family in their past, and that friends had helped make up that positive difference. Others disagreed with me in that family is always more important than friends. In a way, I envy those that felt that way only cause it would've meant my family was there for me more. Perhaps they had similar problems as I did but still felt differently. Either way, I was happy to see that it made people think. Here was something that I wrote, something that was on my chest so to speak, and it had people thinking and analyzing how they felt about it! This truly was a huge compliment and if I do continue blogging in the future, I hope that I can write other things that make people think and take stock of their feelings on a given subject.

Lastly, I am grateful to have taken this class. It has allowed me to grow as a writer, but more importantly allowed me to grow as a person. Even if you don't blog, I recommend writing occasionally just about how you feel about something. Perhaps a journal or diary, even if no one ever reads it and you just throw away the paper after. You would be amazed at how therapeutic it can be. Also, it was a pleasure to not only learn from J.C., but also my classmates. Thank you all for sharing this experience with me and I wish you all the best in your endeavors.