Week 2 and what a lovely week it has been if you are a freakin' polar bear. This semester has started with a lesson you don't learn in school, take care of yourself. I read April's blog to us all. I do agree that you have to give 100%, but to give a 100% you need to be a 100%. I about landed my behind in the hospital. I stress to all of us, instructors included, take care of yourself. This program is demanding, life is stressful, there is nothing you can do to avoid it. Try to eat right, get some rest & relax every once in a while. Good grades are nice, but they are not everything.

Take my advice cause I sure "ain't" using it right now.

I love what we are doing, I thought the fairy tales were a blast & that we enjoyed doing them & that we were honest w each others critiques. It was a good relaxed way to have some fun & learn. I would love to do that once a week for practice. I enjoyed it, just wish I didn't fatigue so easily.

I will be back on my feet in about 2 more weeks & have learned a good lesson. I am not going to freak out about everything, some things I will do well, some things I will not. I have to approach this semester with a different attitude. Failure in this class is a good thing, it lets you know what you need to work on, it doesn't mean that you aren't trying or that you don't have the ability. If being an interpreter was an easy job everyone would be doing it. There would be no demand for it. This isn't going to happen in a day, a week or even a year, it is something that you will continue to learn for the rest of your life.

In doing the ethics homework I have realized that you learn a lot about yourself & other people in this program, there is so much of you personally that you put out there.

One day at a time right now, I am being patient with me. I want a healthy balance of school & life. I made it this far, I will make it the rest of the way, IF I am smart. Good luck to everyone even though I know we don't need luck, just do the work, the rest will come. :-)

Wow here we stand on the edge of the abyss that is the last semester of the ITP program, how did we get here? It has been a crazy ride. I wish we could have taken these classes in a vacum, without the outside stress of a personal life, social life, paying bills, crazy room mates etc. A friend asked me why I took this program if is is so demanding, the answer how was I to know?! It is a little like being pregnant, too late once you get there. But, I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. I have learned so much about myself, met some great people & had two of the best instructors I have ever met. You don't usually get close to college instructors because you usually have them once & move on. We know our instructors & their families & that Calvin Losch is going to have a temper!! LOL
I have learned that above all my health is important, this semester I am going to try to find a balance of work & play & rest. I let myself get out of balance & about paid the ultimate price, my adrenal system is stressed & I became really sick over Christmas break. I had been forgetting my medication, among other things it seems, like eating....
We have put our heart & soul into this program. I approach this semester w a lot of emotions, I am scared, sad, happy, hopeful & ready to move forward with my life.
I have never lived through this much change this fast, I am ready to get done w school & transition back into the real world & a routine....maybe a normal life? Going home to normal? Does that ever really happen, ready or not, here we go.........................................