Everyone comes into situations with different amounts of strength and resolve. We can't all be the super prepared presenter who knows exactly what to say all the way through a presentation. Here's a post about some of the occasional anxiety-inducing/stressful events that I've faced so far this school year (yup it's been two weeks and am still facing at this moment in time.

I've managed to actually decorate and personalize my very own apartment that I'm leasing with my best friend. While it took a little getting used to with actually having to lock the doors and walking a bit farther off campus to get things from my place, I'm happy to say I've been adjusting very nicely. While the walk is a bit longer than I anticipate most days (and everyone in fluids gets to class way too early) I have yet to be late to a class and I will adjust accordingly. And after hosting a small gathering of some close friends with a taco night, our oven is finally completely utilized and it feels a little more homey.

I've gotten a research position at Gateway Park! For all of my non-WPI readers, Gateway is a relatively new lab building with some really cool equipment and sponsors. I'm going to be working on the catalysis of a pharmaceutical process. The whole adventure of getting in touch with professors who handle research and figuring out what exactly I would do with them and their current lab helpers was very daunting (and still kind of is). The very first meeting I had with my professor started off as a welcome to the team, and then she matched me up with a graduate student she was working with on this project. Now since I haven't started in the lab yet, I've been super nervous about time commitment and such and just working closely with a new person on something I have really limited knowledge of. I just don't want to mess up.

And like most freshmen have been doing, I've also been expanding my horizons on the clubs and such that I would like to be a part of this year. I'm always a little afraid to put myself out there, but I'm planning on making some new friends this year with the cool people from WPI's chapter of Active Minds, The Odyssey, and perhaps acapella as well.

The Odyssey at WPI is a club in essence, but our lovely editor in chief, Amy, is trying to make us a Student Government Association-sanctioned club. So as a contributing editor, I'm here to make sure that her life isn't too difficult, and that we can really flesh out a good constitution for our club. So we're trying to simultaneously build on the number of writers we have and make sure that by the time we both graduate, we have a well founded team of writers who are dedicated and ready to continue on our legacy.

I mentioned acapella in a paragraph above, and honestly that's been something super nerve wracking for me. I'm a Junior, so realistically this is probably my last year to be able to audition for any kind of acapella group. I just recently had my audition, and let me tell you, I've been worrying about it since I went to the activities fair a couple of weeks ago. I auditioned last year and it was a disaster (at least I think it was). So I knew I needed to be more prepared this year, so I enlisted a friend's help and he gave me some really awesome tips that made me feel exponentially calmer. I walked into the audition knowing exactly what I wanted to do and that was to have some fun with it and try not to worry too much. To make a long story short, I had a good time, and while it may not have been perfect, I became more confident in myself that I can sing and I can sing in front of people.

Then there's IQP things to worry about. My roomie and my boyfriend are both going away in October for a couple of months to do off campus projects in lands far far away. These are my people, my rocks and the fact that I won't see them for that long freaks me out. Not to mention the fact that I'm going far far away in January for a couple of months too, so that means more time away from the people I care about so deeply. But as I've approached my friends, my boyfriend, my family with this topic, everyone has said essentially the same thing: they'll be there for me. Whether it's in person or by phone call, I'll be able to confide in the same people, have friends at school and abroad that I can talk to, and know that the arrival dates back home will be some of the greatest days ever.

While I haven't quite completely convinced myself yet of all of the good that will come out of these situations, I know that it's there, and I welcome it all with open arms. That doesn't mean that I'm any less of a nervous wreck about traveling abroad or meeting new people or looking at the fate of my singing career in an email, but here I am, still chugging along to my optimist-wannabe beat.