A Reflection

Now that I have been in Scotland for one month, the time has come to fully reflect on my accomplishments at this school. As I do so, I am reminded of Culver Girls Academy once again, with its seemingly aggravating and constant leadership reflection paperwork. And yet, if we actually put the time in and filled it out, it did aid us as we matured as leaders, serving as a journal that triggered effective evaluation. Therefore, I have decided to recreate this paperwork that I once hated: old habits die hard, I guess. Hopefully, it will help me to make the most of my time here at Dollar, because time is certainly ticking.

Let's start with the positive, then. In the past 31 days, I have had the pleasure of the following:

-Auditioning and being accepted into Dollar Academy's chamber choir. This is perhaps the accomplishment of which I am most proud, as it is quite selective with less than thirty students. I certainly wasn't planning
-Writing nine essays in three weeks. I have to say that both my efficiency and literary articulation has dramatically improved despite the short time I have been here. That's what I signed up for, though, when I decided I was interested in the liberal arts.
-Finally grasping the concept of authority, power, and legitimacy in politics, with the help of Steven Lukes and Max Weber. Thanks, guys.
-Saying grace at a formal dinner for boarding students last Sunday, and saying it so well I earned myself a fancy individualized meal (smoked salmon and cranachan, anyone?) to say grace again at another event this Thursday. Future career: professional grace-sayer.
-Making rock buns, chili con carne, and spaghetti bolognese all on my own in Home Economics class. Today, I finally got the dicing technique down, and I have never been so proud of myself.
-Rocking the school uniform, woolen blazer and all-- seriously, it looks good. Dad, you'll be proud of me, because I'm shining my shoes regularly as well. I can't wait until October when we wear the fancy ties.
-Getting up the courage to go and socialize during my free periods in the sixth form center instead of huddled in a corner and studying cartography. This was actually the most daunting item on this list, in all honesty, but equally as liberating.

All in all, I believe that I have thrived academically the most, mostly because I keep myself interested and curious. But I've also succeeded in going outside my comfort zone in other ways: volunteering at the next-door nursery school,

Now, for some constructive criticism. In the future, I'd like to accomplish the following:

-Become more comfortable with the girls in my boarding house. I still become shy sometimes. Or, most of the time.
-Practice more. The school has bought a 3/4 cello just for me, since there's no way my hands will do a full size, so I need to actually use it when it comes.
-Drink more tea, because it's tea and I am in Britain.
-Travel around the area more. I plan on visiting my friend Kary this weekend at Saint Andrews, for which I am unbelievably excited, but visiting just Stirling and Edinburgh is not enough.
-Allow myself a break once in a while. Working hard and determination has always been one of my strong suits, even to the point of weakness. I'm here to enjoy myself, too.

This time next month, the term will be halfway over and I will be on my way to Paris for break (which works as quite a motivation). But for now, I am happy where I am, beside the Ochil hills in the greenest area one could find, with a plethora of educational resources and a welcoming community. I'm trying to make the most out of my year here, however that may be, and for the most part I have succeeded. There's still so much more to accomplish, to see, to experience. The fun part is that I don't know when or what the next life-changing moment will be. For now, I'm just along for the ride, and that is enough.