Acclimatizing to a New Environment/Location
My MA Journey — Part IV
I went through five semesters of MA classes. As predicted by a church member and then PHD student, the first semester was terrible but things picked up the next semester and in summer. I was dealing with the increasingly cold weather, lack of family, a heavy workload, and responsibility.
The first semester I took two courses, one was on theory and politics, which I loved because I love theories and I am interested in concepts of power, psychoanalysis, the human condition, and humanity. The second was on Emily Dickinson, her poems and letters and I picked the course because she was born on December 10, my birthday. I will not go into detail but my average after that semester was a 77%. The worst I had ever had since my first year of undergraduate study. Thankfully, I had a fellow English major whom I pretended was my enemy (so we could make fun of each other based on our racial difference, his courage in making fun of me, made me more comfortable — he asked me once if I swam across to Canada and I laughed so hard) and he told me not to forget that my grades did not define me because I am so much more than a grade a prof assigns to me.
I have always had a weird reaction to not doing well. During my undergraduate study, I was in a linguistics class. The most feared because the class and prof require students to learn orthography and the symbols used to represent sounds in language. I did not do well on the first quiz and the prof called me out in class for it. I made sure to have a 90% at the end of that class. After not doing so well my first semester (Fall 2017) as an MA student, I had something to prove. I registered for three classes and I worked as hard as I could. At the end of that semester, my overall GPA was over an 80%. Even though one of my best-friends had passed away in January of 2018.
I went for a conference in Washington DC in spring and things started looking up. That summer, I worked at Walmart because the university wasn’t really in session and there were no TA opportunities but I needed money to go traveling. Thankfully, in July, I was introduced to a lady that has been a blessing since then. She gave me a summer tutoring job and eventually my first opportunity to teach a class. That summer, I went to three provinces and for three weddings. I also went zip-lining with friends and on roads trips. I also took a film class, which was interesting and different. My life picked up and I seemed like I was living the dream, but I had experienced home sickness, loneliness, and wanted to go home multiple times.
Here’s what helped me:
- Cohort: My department is probably the best in the whole university. The first week there was a barbecue and I met profs, and other MA students. They were all so nice and like the Head of Department and Graduate chair they made it so I never once thought that I had made a mistake. I was invited to a birthday party and went to a classmate’s home the second time I met her. Even though I have completed my program, I am still in touch with most of them and I will be eternally grateful that I happened to be in the same cohort as those awesome individuals.
2. Church: finding my church was extremely instrumental in making me acclimatize. I went to two other churches that did not feel like home before I went to the church I currently attend. I have not regretted my decision since. No, no church is perfect but like love some people are perfect for you and the season you are in. I found people that were kind, genuinely interested in my well being, and consistent. The atmosphere was everything!
3. Socializing - Events: I went for everything, orientation, the barbecue at the beginning of the semester, TA orientation, and birthday parties. I made sure I interacted with the people I cam across. I said hi and I remembered previous conversations.
4. Friends — I created circles. I had a church circle, I was friends with three people on campus and who lived in my building. I had my cohort and I was friends with them all. I went out with them and allocated time to them and it paid off.
5. Basketball & Exercise: I watched as many basketball games as I could and I loved the atmosphere. I went to the gym and I eventually started playing basketball with my church team and I still do so. The benefits of exercise are common knowledge now, don’t underestimate how much playing a sport can improve your mood.
6. Prioritizing: working smart and not as hard: I learned after a series of days stress vomiting that the problem was me. I was creating my own stress. I was reading all the prescribed texts… not skimming.. actually doing close readings! I would have an idea for a paper, over think it and doubt my creativity and then eventually decide on that idea and then start writing the paper a week before the deadline as opposed to two weeks before. I was also putting unnecessary pressure on myself. Then my dad called me one day and said “you’re not supposed to read everything, all you need to get is the gist of things” and coming from a professor, this was life changing advice.
7. Family — my past: I could call any member of my family and they would get back to me. The time zone difference was hard to navigate but it was great when I did talk to them and for the first few months I talked to my family more than three times a week. We exchanged videos, voice notes, and they encouraged me like none else could.
8. My past/foundation: If my parents had not done a good job making me confident and secure, I would not have been able to navigate my relocation well. If they had not shown and proven that the family of God is the best to situate ones self in, then I would be on antidepressants now. The things we do now influence our future. If I had not learned to be me before I relocated, I would have been lost.
Annnnd! It’s a wrap! Thank you so much for going on this journey with me! I hope you’re back to read my next post. S/O to Tatane, you’ll navigate this kind of move soon! Keep pushing girl.
