Aloha.
It means hello and goodbye in Hawaiian. I like using it as both a greeting and a farewell, because who is to know whether this is the beginning or the end? I hope most things are only beginning, but things must end as well.
I ended my undergraduate career at Penn State back in May. Graduated with honors, high distinction, as department marshal, the whole bit. Penn State was a thrilling experience in many different ways, some of which I have only begun to understand now that a new class has taken my place in the dorms and classrooms of Dear Old State. Was the degree I earned perfect for my career? Not exactly; I could have transferred to somewhere urban and earned a legitimate undergrad planning degree. But geography is certainly very compatible with planning, and I would have missed out on so much more.
Other things I am now appreciating about Penn State are only starting to come to the forefront because my sister has just started at Temple. Compared to Temple, Penn State really had its shit together in almost every conceivable area: move-in, computer services, housing staff, logistics, and (big time) Internet presence. Temple's motto seems to be "If at first you don't get an answer, ask, ask again. Then ask a 4th time to make sure it's right. Then check back a few weeks later to see if it's still right." And it's not just my sister's stuff they're screwing up; I'm getting paid for August at the original, original (lower) fellowship rate, even though I asked several people to change it and signed a form saying it would be changed. So it took another e-mail to the university business manager, and a promise that my check would be fixed in September. Let's hope so.
Oh yeah. That whole thing. Well, I'm going to Temple. I start in about 2 hours with classes, but I'm already somehow the treasurer of the Temple Planning Student Organization. I'm being paid for 2 years of study, with "no department service required during the first year", meaning I hope to be busy at home with homework and such. (Yes, I'm living at home, because I'm being paid below the poverty line and apartments in and around Ambler are expensive. While I only have to be on campus for a few hours a week, I'll take advantage of living at home. Next year, I have to work 20 hours a week plus take classes, so that could be a little different.)
My classes are Advanced GIS (because of PSU's GIS reputation and my work experience), Planning History and Theory, Planning Analysis, and Environmental Planning. 4 classes, each once a week, all in the evenings. It's not a full-time job, but I'm getting paid, and I have something to keep me occupied.
Hopefully, after all this, I'll graduate with a master's in planning when I'm 22. After that...well, let's just say I'm saying "aloha" to all my options right now.
So I say aloha to summer 2009. Not much to write about there: had a job for 2 weeks unloading boxes at a discount book store, was rejected from 3 different positions, ended up working (and then working myself out of) a position in East Pikeland Township for the second half of the summer, went to Ocean City, Orlando, Tampa, State College, North Philly (4 times) and Woody's Golf, bought a used car, a new cell phone, and a new laptop. Oh, and clearly didn't write in this journal nearly enough. Mainly because I'm Twittering like crazy.
What's up with you? I'll get back to you after grad school. Here we go again.
I ended my undergraduate career at Penn State back in May. Graduated with honors, high distinction, as department marshal, the whole bit. Penn State was a thrilling experience in many different ways, some of which I have only begun to understand now that a new class has taken my place in the dorms and classrooms of Dear Old State. Was the degree I earned perfect for my career? Not exactly; I could have transferred to somewhere urban and earned a legitimate undergrad planning degree. But geography is certainly very compatible with planning, and I would have missed out on so much more.
Other things I am now appreciating about Penn State are only starting to come to the forefront because my sister has just started at Temple. Compared to Temple, Penn State really had its shit together in almost every conceivable area: move-in, computer services, housing staff, logistics, and (big time) Internet presence. Temple's motto seems to be "If at first you don't get an answer, ask, ask again. Then ask a 4th time to make sure it's right. Then check back a few weeks later to see if it's still right." And it's not just my sister's stuff they're screwing up; I'm getting paid for August at the original, original (lower) fellowship rate, even though I asked several people to change it and signed a form saying it would be changed. So it took another e-mail to the university business manager, and a promise that my check would be fixed in September. Let's hope so.
Oh yeah. That whole thing. Well, I'm going to Temple. I start in about 2 hours with classes, but I'm already somehow the treasurer of the Temple Planning Student Organization. I'm being paid for 2 years of study, with "no department service required during the first year", meaning I hope to be busy at home with homework and such. (Yes, I'm living at home, because I'm being paid below the poverty line and apartments in and around Ambler are expensive. While I only have to be on campus for a few hours a week, I'll take advantage of living at home. Next year, I have to work 20 hours a week plus take classes, so that could be a little different.)
My classes are Advanced GIS (because of PSU's GIS reputation and my work experience), Planning History and Theory, Planning Analysis, and Environmental Planning. 4 classes, each once a week, all in the evenings. It's not a full-time job, but I'm getting paid, and I have something to keep me occupied.
Hopefully, after all this, I'll graduate with a master's in planning when I'm 22. After that...well, let's just say I'm saying "aloha" to all my options right now.
So I say aloha to summer 2009. Not much to write about there: had a job for 2 weeks unloading boxes at a discount book store, was rejected from 3 different positions, ended up working (and then working myself out of) a position in East Pikeland Township for the second half of the summer, went to Ocean City, Orlando, Tampa, State College, North Philly (4 times) and Woody's Golf, bought a used car, a new cell phone, and a new laptop. Oh, and clearly didn't write in this journal nearly enough. Mainly because I'm Twittering like crazy.
What's up with you? I'll get back to you after grad school. Here we go again.