In life, we are all bound to experience some kinds of challenges that are both pleasurable and painful to us. Some of them may happen unexpectedly or not but the importance of having them in life is how we deal and learn from it although we may want to give up. Most times they occur only to make us realize more about ourselves, look at things at a better perspective, and prepare us for any other challenges to come in the future.
I grew up not being much involved in any kind of sports or physical activities. I was more of a student in high school who joined extra curricular activities/clubs and volunteered at hospitals. I didn't know who I was or where I belonged my freshman year so I joined clubs I thought I'd enjoy and so I could meet new people. I felt like I needed to do something "different" for a change besides just joining clubs, something out of the ordinary no one would think I would do. I had a friend in my biology class who already began training way before the track season actually started. I had told her my plan in wanting to join something unlike me and she gave me an idea to join track and field. I told mself, "piece of cake" if all we had to do was run, but what I didn't expect was how difficult and painful it was going to be. What made it a little easier on me was the fact that I joined with one of my closest friends who also wanted to do someting out of her comfort zone. I had someone to suffer with.
I remember the first day, we ran a mile not having to reach a certain time. It was hard because everyone seemed so much faster than I. I tried my best to at least keep up behind everyone else rather than be afar. For the first couple weeks, my legs, my arms, my entire body ached. Weeks past and our work outs began to get a lot more intense. Our required times to meet for the miles were decreasing which meant we had to pace ourselves even faster. I was a long distant runner so speed and endurance were the main elements. The number one rule was never to stop while we ran. I cried a few times because never in my life did I feel so much pain both emotionally and physically. During practice, it was hot, I felt dirty, I was soaked in sweat, out of breath, and it just hurt to keep on running. Many times I seriously felt I couldn't last on my legs any longer. It was challenging because I had others around me I had to try and beat. Every time I wanted to give up, I would ask myself what I had gotten myself in to. The good part was that I had friends and my coach to cheer me on.
I wanted to quit. I couldn’t imagine anything else that could beat me down any more than track did. I went home everyday exhausted. Some times I wouldn’t even eat dinner because I’d fall asleep as soon as I got home and not wake up until the next morning. The first month was the hardest because my body had to adjust to running everyday considering that I was out of shape and never ran more than a day in a week ever in my life. After a month, it was still challenging but I didn’t hurt as much as I did in the beginning. I even lost a couple pounds which made me very happy. The work outs continued to be more intense and we had to prepare for the track meets that were to come. Believe me, I still had days when I wanted to just quit track and be done with it, but not only did I know deep down I’d regret it later, but I didn’t want to disappoint my coach and myself.
I still had days during practice where I wanted to stop and quit, but luckily I had others cheering me on and that kept me going. I honestly don’t think I could have made it if I didn’t have people around encouraging me. What made me really proud of myself was the fact that I didn’t take off and just quit when I was at the verge of doing so many times. Every single time I completed my miles and runs, I felt somewhat accomplished and I never felt any like it before. Sometimes, I would be in disbelief that I actually completed the course run. Although I wasn’t the fastest runner, I was just happy at the fact that I didn’t up and leave when I could’ve. My body became adjusted to running everyday that sometimes while I was running, I had that feeling as if I could run forever. It was odd but a pleasant feeling. That’s when I knew I had improved. For once, I felt like I achieved something I never thought I would.
I continued the season my freshman year and joined again my sophomore year. Unfortunately, sophomore year was the end because I decided to focus mainly on my AP science classes for Junior and Senior year. I completed my goal of joining a sport no one, not even I thought I could do. I joined and continued all the while wanting to give up numerous of times. I went in being an unexperienced runner and left with an accomplishment of being faster and completing the season. Every sweat and every ache was worth it and it was fun while it lasted. In the end of it all I wouldn’t change it for anything. I learned that when things get at its toughest and you want to give up, think about all of the things you’ve done to get that far and ask yourself if it’s worth putting it all to waste. Track had got me through some physical and emotional pain but in the end, for once, I left the season knowing I had accomplished something challenging.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
I feel.......
Today I feel tired and blank. It's just another normal day of college and nothing much to look forward to besides getting done with my classes for today and kickboxing class in the evening.
I'm not much of a morning person and having speech class at eight in the morning is not the greatest thing because it's too early for me to think or do any work. I went to speech class and although I was physically there, I wasn't mentally completely there. In that class, my teacher talked about what our first speech should consist of and gave us some tips on how to make it interesting for the audience. She also gave us some examples of mistakes people usually make and gave us pointers to avoid making them. I hate having to give public speeches in front of a class so the entire time, I just kept dreading that day when I finally have to give my speech. I kept telling myself," two weeks to prepare, two more weeks". I kept in mind that I should get started with it soon so that I don't have to worry about it when it gets closer to the day I present. I'm anxious in getting it over with but I'm also terrified. I do know I'm definitely going to start working on it sometime this week. That way, I will be extra prepared on the day of my presentation.
It's just the the third week of school and I still continue to think about home in (Hawaii) often. I feel incomplete because not only am I thousands and thousands of miles away from home, but it's also difficult being away from my family, my boyfriend, and my friends. Considering that I have a very close relationship with my family, it's hard not being able to see them for another three months. I've never had to do anything like this before. The first semester is and will continue to be a struggle for me because I'm homesick and I'm still trying to adjust to college life and change. It's even harder because I'm far away from the people in my life I trust to help me up in any struggle. But now, I have no one to help me but myself. Last semester when midterms and finals began, that's when my days, even weeks began to fly by quickly. I try not to think so much about the day I get to go back home in the summer, but I can't help but think about it. I try to keep myself occupied as much as I can. I'm just taking each day as it comes. I still feel homesick at times, especially when I'm alone which is why I go to a friend's room just so that I'm not by myself. I barely get to see my roomate because she rarely sleeps over at the dorms. It's feels like I have my own room but I'm not complaining and I like it.
Besides feeling homesick, I look forward going to kickboxing in the evening today. I want my body to sweat and feel like it got a good exercise. In the past two classes of kickboxing, I left with a soaked shirt and it's been a long time since I've had good work outs like that. For an hour straight with no breaks in between, there are combinations of punches, kicks, and other kinds of silly but fun moves. The cool part is that we move along with hip hop music and it really does help my movements flow with the songs. It makes it that much more enjoyable. At the end of class, my body feels rejuvenated and I feel accomplished.
I'm not much of a morning person and having speech class at eight in the morning is not the greatest thing because it's too early for me to think or do any work. I went to speech class and although I was physically there, I wasn't mentally completely there. In that class, my teacher talked about what our first speech should consist of and gave us some tips on how to make it interesting for the audience. She also gave us some examples of mistakes people usually make and gave us pointers to avoid making them. I hate having to give public speeches in front of a class so the entire time, I just kept dreading that day when I finally have to give my speech. I kept telling myself," two weeks to prepare, two more weeks". I kept in mind that I should get started with it soon so that I don't have to worry about it when it gets closer to the day I present. I'm anxious in getting it over with but I'm also terrified. I do know I'm definitely going to start working on it sometime this week. That way, I will be extra prepared on the day of my presentation.
It's just the the third week of school and I still continue to think about home in (Hawaii) often. I feel incomplete because not only am I thousands and thousands of miles away from home, but it's also difficult being away from my family, my boyfriend, and my friends. Considering that I have a very close relationship with my family, it's hard not being able to see them for another three months. I've never had to do anything like this before. The first semester is and will continue to be a struggle for me because I'm homesick and I'm still trying to adjust to college life and change. It's even harder because I'm far away from the people in my life I trust to help me up in any struggle. But now, I have no one to help me but myself. Last semester when midterms and finals began, that's when my days, even weeks began to fly by quickly. I try not to think so much about the day I get to go back home in the summer, but I can't help but think about it. I try to keep myself occupied as much as I can. I'm just taking each day as it comes. I still feel homesick at times, especially when I'm alone which is why I go to a friend's room just so that I'm not by myself. I barely get to see my roomate because she rarely sleeps over at the dorms. It's feels like I have my own room but I'm not complaining and I like it.
Besides feeling homesick, I look forward going to kickboxing in the evening today. I want my body to sweat and feel like it got a good exercise. In the past two classes of kickboxing, I left with a soaked shirt and it's been a long time since I've had good work outs like that. For an hour straight with no breaks in between, there are combinations of punches, kicks, and other kinds of silly but fun moves. The cool part is that we move along with hip hop music and it really does help my movements flow with the songs. It makes it that much more enjoyable. At the end of class, my body feels rejuvenated and I feel accomplished.
My Holiday Break Disappointments
Christmas and New Year's are my two most favorite holidays not only because it means giving and getting presents, but most importantly celebrating and being together with my family. I enjoy being together with my family because it's a time where we can all catch up, talk stories, and joke around. My 2007 holiday break was filled with tons of fun but there were also a few things that made my break a little disappointing. The reason for my disappointment was one, it was difficult to manage time equally between the most important people in my life, and second, the painful healing process after removing my wisdom teeth.
I had to manage my time equally between my family, my boyfriend, and my friends because I felt I had only a limited amount of time with all of them. I had to make sure I wasn't spending more time with one than the other or else I'd end up feeling bad. During the first week and a half, I went out every day and before I'd leave the house, my parents would make comments like, "You're going out again" or "Don't go out, you're never staying home with us" in an upsetting tone of voice. I'd go out anways but feeling guilty. Most of my second and third week was spent with my family and boyfriend because it was the holidays. It gave us time to bond. Even if it just meant staying home together, we still found ways to have fun. After Christmas and New Years, my friends called me almost every other day because there was always something going on, but, I only went if my parents said it was ok without complaining. I was happy to see my friends again even if it wasn't as much as I wanted to. For the last week, I laid low and instead of going out to parties and kick backs, I rather stayed home and spend quality time with the family and boyfriend. My mouth aching from just removing my wisdom teeth was another reason for rather staying home. When it came down to the last three days of the break, I realized my break was nearly over. I felt it passed by way too quickly. It seriously felt my break was only two weeks.
The wost part of the break was towards the end when I took out my two bottom wisdom teeth. I was numb the first nine hours after removing them so I didn't feel any thing except the fattness of my cheeks. When the numbness had worn off, I began to feel the aching in the back of my mouth where the holes remained. It was painful. For two weeks, it continued to ache and I had such a hard time eating because I couldn't chew anything hard from the back of my mouth. I had to chew with my front teeth. To prevent any infection from food getting stuck in the holes, I used a syringe to wash it out after every meal. During that time, I could only eat food with soup, soft noodles, and pasta. My diet contained anything that was soft to chew. That wasn't the worst part. On top of that, one of the pills that was suppose to stop the aching made me drowsy, dizzy, and nauseated. I stopped using that pill so I just dealt with the pain because it was sort of bearable. Sometimes I would spend my days just sleeping it off. Either way, I had to get this over with because it kept giving me tooth aches and bleeds way before I went back home.
The holiday break was filled with much more enjoyable memories than disappointing ones. I was just happy to be home again and be able to spend time with the most important people in my life. The only terrible part of my break was that it felt like it passed by too quickly and the pain after having my wisdom teeth pulled out. From here on, I just look forward to going back home and seeing everyone in the summer.
I had to manage my time equally between my family, my boyfriend, and my friends because I felt I had only a limited amount of time with all of them. I had to make sure I wasn't spending more time with one than the other or else I'd end up feeling bad. During the first week and a half, I went out every day and before I'd leave the house, my parents would make comments like, "You're going out again" or "Don't go out, you're never staying home with us" in an upsetting tone of voice. I'd go out anways but feeling guilty. Most of my second and third week was spent with my family and boyfriend because it was the holidays. It gave us time to bond. Even if it just meant staying home together, we still found ways to have fun. After Christmas and New Years, my friends called me almost every other day because there was always something going on, but, I only went if my parents said it was ok without complaining. I was happy to see my friends again even if it wasn't as much as I wanted to. For the last week, I laid low and instead of going out to parties and kick backs, I rather stayed home and spend quality time with the family and boyfriend. My mouth aching from just removing my wisdom teeth was another reason for rather staying home. When it came down to the last three days of the break, I realized my break was nearly over. I felt it passed by way too quickly. It seriously felt my break was only two weeks.
The wost part of the break was towards the end when I took out my two bottom wisdom teeth. I was numb the first nine hours after removing them so I didn't feel any thing except the fattness of my cheeks. When the numbness had worn off, I began to feel the aching in the back of my mouth where the holes remained. It was painful. For two weeks, it continued to ache and I had such a hard time eating because I couldn't chew anything hard from the back of my mouth. I had to chew with my front teeth. To prevent any infection from food getting stuck in the holes, I used a syringe to wash it out after every meal. During that time, I could only eat food with soup, soft noodles, and pasta. My diet contained anything that was soft to chew. That wasn't the worst part. On top of that, one of the pills that was suppose to stop the aching made me drowsy, dizzy, and nauseated. I stopped using that pill so I just dealt with the pain because it was sort of bearable. Sometimes I would spend my days just sleeping it off. Either way, I had to get this over with because it kept giving me tooth aches and bleeds way before I went back home.
The holiday break was filled with much more enjoyable memories than disappointing ones. I was just happy to be home again and be able to spend time with the most important people in my life. The only terrible part of my break was that it felt like it passed by too quickly and the pain after having my wisdom teeth pulled out. From here on, I just look forward to going back home and seeing everyone in the summer.
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