When It Rains, It Pours—Texas Edition
Hello! It has been a long time since I’ve posted anything to PomSeeds. Truth be told, I didn’t have a lot of content planned for this calendar year, and I was very busy during the spring semester. So, I thought I would write a giant recap post of the first six months of 2022. There’s been a lot going on, and if you know me, you’ll know why I titled this post the way that I did.
January
Since starting college, I’ve come to appreciate January more. I get the entire month off for winter break, and I can spend time relaxing and taking care of things. As always, I made a few trips to the greater Cincinnati area to see some friends. I took a weekend-long class to obtain my concealed carry license (my shooting isn’t terrible!). And most importantly: I snuggled my cats.
However, the biggest news is this: my dad took a new job in Houston. My mom and I attended his “retirement” party on January 6, and four days later, Dad was in Houston starting his new job. It was really weird knowing that when I left for college on the last day of January, I would never see the Bluffton house ever again.
February
February was cold and snowy, but celebrating my birthday added cheer to the dreary month! I turned 22 years old this year—my favorite number!
College-wise, my classes were either intellectually stimulating and interesting or easy and passable. My two favorite classes were Politics in the Middle East and Intro to Digital Mapping. Digital Mapping dealt with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and I took it to fulfill several distribution requirements. However, I fell in love with the class and really enjoyed it. I even met with my professor later in the semester to discuss future opportunities for me, and he was very helpful.
I also started my first job! I work on campus as a Resident Safety Representative (RSR). Basically, I’m a glorified hall monitor that gets paid. I can do homework while in the booth, call my friends and family, watch TV, and read while on the job. It’s a really nice gig that allows me to have spending money of my own.
Aside from school and work, I made sure to spend time with my twin and friends, as well as visit Manhattan!
March
March is always more-or-less like February (including the weather).
This semester I was more heavily involved in clubs. I tabled a lot for Hofstra’s chapter of UNICEF (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) to raise funds for Ukraine. For Hofstra English Society, I was on staff for Font as an assistant design editor. And of course, I copyedited for The Hofstra Chronicle. Later on in the semester, I joined Hofstra’s MENASA (Middle Eastern and North African Student Association). While I am obviously not part of that community, I joined because while I know about some of the politics and history of the region, I don’t have a lot of opportunity to engage with the culture. Everyone was so nice (there’s no hospitality quite like Arab hospitality), and I got to eat some amazing food.
While things were pretty much status quo at Hofstra, it was a different story with my parents. On March 1 they officially left Bluffton and began the journey to Houston—cats, bunny, and all! While they were dealing with the process of moving, Mom made sure to send me many pictures of the cats as they were traveling to their new home, as well as acclimating to the new space. Mom also asked me which bedroom I wanted and in true Lex fashion, I picked the one with the most bookshelf space.
And on a more personal note, I started dating someone! His name is Adam, and we went to high school together. We had been talking on and off for a couple of years since I graduated, but last fall/winter we really started talking more consistently. I’m very happy with him and he makes me smile every day.
April
While I was really happy to finally be on campus for a full spring semester, it really did solidify the fact that fall semesters are superior to spring semesters. The biggest factor in my observation is the breaks. We get a long weekend every month during the fall semester, but during the spring, there is no rest from the end of spring break all the way to the end of the semester. However, there were a lot of fun things that happened during April that broke up the monotony.
First, Trevor Noah, a comedian and political commentator, visited Hofstra for a live Q&A. I hadn’t really watched or listened to him before, so I had a great time learning more about him. He was both funny and insightful, and in June I watched his two Netflix comedy specials.
In the middle of April, Alex and I went to see KALEO in concert. A friend gifted me tickets for Christmas (thanks, Cole!), and I was very excited to see my favorite band live. They did a phenomenal job.
I also had the opportunity to see two Broadway musicals. Through the Hofstra Honors College, I won tickets to see Hadestown (and I may or may not have skipped class to go see it). It was a great production, but I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would. However, I had a great time with friends. The other musical I went to was SIX. Funny enough, the plan to go see SIX was cemented while my friend Sarah and I were talking to see Hadestown. She had mentioned wanting to see SIX, and I told her I wanted to see it too. So we bought tickets while waiting for Hadestown to start, and the following week we saw SIX live. It was phenomenal! It was more “concert” than musical but still—it was incredible.
On the last day of the month, me and a few friends spent the day in Manhattan. In the afternoon we walked around Central Park before taking a boat out on the lake for an hour. For lunch, we ate at my favorite pizzeria. We also spent a lot of time in Koreatown; we visited a bookstore, a few Korean shops, and ended the day getting boba tea. It was a great way to relax before the end of the semester came barreling towards me.
May
May is always an exciting but stressful time. It’s the end of the semester so final projects, papers, and exams are due—not to mention all the time I need to study. And I also had to think about work, as well as end-of-the-semester plans of packing up my dorm and heading home.
For the first time since COVID began, the English department held its yearly celebration in person. I was inducted into Sigma Tau Delta, which is the international English honors society. I received a certificate, cords to wear at graduation, and a pin. I also was one of two people who were awarded the Hofstra College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in the English Department! I am so thankful for all the amazing English professors I have had so far.
About a week after getting home, my grades were posted and I earned a 4.0 GPA for the Spring 2022 semester, and I made it to the Provost List. This is my second time being on the Provost List, and it felt really great to know all my hard work paid off.
Being home after a long semester is amazing. I get endless (forced) cuddles with my cats, my mom’s home cooking, my own private bathroom, and access to all my books. Mom and I got manicures: it’s one of our favorite things to do together. And I had to start the processing of becoming a resident of Texas. New license plates, drivers license, etc.
June
June has been the best month so far this year. Why? Because I got to see my boyfriend!!! Being long distance isn’t ideal—since he lives in San Diego and I live (mostly) in New York—but it is what it is.
During Adam’s visit, we spent a lot of time in the pool, saw Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness in theaters, saw the Houston Sympathy Orchestra play the score live for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows–Part 1, went to church with my parents, visited the mall, spent the afternoon at the Houston aquarium (where I got to feed stingrays!), and had a campfire and made s’mores. The six days weren’t nearly enough time with him, and I’m counting down the days until mid-August when I’ll see him again.
The rest of the month was filled with appointments and phone calls, but then something really exciting happened! One of the deans from the Honors College sent an email alerting us students about a Research Assistant position for the fall. This position is with the Religion Department, and one of the two professors spearheading the project is a professor I’ve had before! But then I saw the words “Mapping Project” and knew I had to apply. After a short interview with the professor I previously knew and a few days’ wait, I was offered the position as Research Assistant! I’ll be working with the two professors and two other students.
From the emails and interview, the Mapping Project revolves around pinpointing “religious” institutions (I use the term “religious” loosely because we will be incorporating atheist/agnostic beliefs, etc. into our research) and building relationships with these various institutions both for the Religion department and other departments at Hofstra. From the email I received when the position was offered to me, I gathered that I will be the main person for the GIS work. While it will be a busy semester, I am so excited for the fall!
Overall, while there’s been a lot of ups and downs so far, it’s been a great year. With the money from my job, I bought a Kindle Fire and have been reading a lot while on the job (and off the job… I just love reading). I’ve also delved into my love of fragrance and perfumes (you should see the spreadsheet I have going). Unfortunately, I have been battling some health issues, but I have doctors appointments lined up, and I’m praying that we can figure out what’s going on with my body.
I don’t know when I’ll update the blog next. I’ve missed writing but I am low on ideas. However, keep an eye out for my The Middle East tab and Graphic Design tab. I’ll need to update them now that I’m done with my junior year.
Here’s to a hot summer and a great rest of 2022!