what i've learned so far...

With Easter break starting today, I've decided to reflect on what I've learned from the first 3/4 of my master's degree:

1. Get an early start on things.

Yes, you would think that four years of undergraduate work would've beat this into me time and time again, but I managed to graduate and still be a major victim to procrastination. I've tried harder this semester, getting half of my midterm done super early and then forgetting about it until now (I have like three weeks before its due, so its fine), but I've still managed to convince myself time and time again that binge watching the first two seasons of Master Chef Junior are much more important than working on my coursework (but come on, can you blame me? Those kids are adorable and I am amazed at their cooking talents). Or that baking a banana pie should take precedence over doing background reading for my dissertation (to be fair, those bananas would've gone bad if I hadn't made them into a pie for everyone to enjoy). Or, like yesterday and today, that I desperately need to  complete Dragon Age: Origins over reviewing end term paper ideas. I did finish. I beat that dragon into the ground and it was awesome. Although I very much realize that this is something I need to get better at doing, it is really hard to actually sit down and make myself work when Netflix is just a click away. But this brings me to...

2. Treat. Yo. Self.

Obviously, I am a very strong advocate of treating one's self. The combination of very little willpower and a horrible shopping addiction has meant that I spend a lot of my time indulging myself. This has been true of me since I got my first job and started earning money for myself. Each and every cent was invested in my wardrobe. These days, though, I come back to my flat full of remorse for spending money that I shouldn't have and end up returning half of what I've bought (that said, I've still done a ton of shopping since moving to England). It's the guilt that's the worst. I know I have plenty of money left to live on, but I feel horrible that I've spent it on frivolous things for myself instead of something actually necessary. This is true of shopping and of wasting time, two things I excel at. I'm very good at talking myself around things (please just look back at those excuses from the first point) but sometimes you have to take a little time for yourself to indulge in what you enjoy so you don't lose your mind. And yes, I do need to get control of my shopping addiction, but I've learned (thanks to my mom and Donna and Tom from Parks and Rec) that it is perfectly alright - and sometimes absolutely necessary - to treat yo self. 

3. Always make time for friends.

Friendships are essential when living a stressful life. They let you vent and will share your troubles and then ease your mind. I try to make sure to have time for coffee or drinks with my friends once a week, to get away from work and classes and catch up. It keeps me sane and helps ensure that I keep my friendships strong. I also have Sunday lunch with my boyfriend and his family. It's really nice, especially since I'm so far away from my own family, that I have this time to spend with them. Last semester was a lot harder and this spring has been way less stressful since making time to spend with my friends. Its harder to do with my friends and family back home; the 6 hour time difference makes aligning schedules really difficult, but I've managed to Skype my parents at least once a week and my friends a few times. I'm still not very good at that though...sorry everyone. I should probably go try to Skype them. 

4. Take risks. 

I don't mean risks on your life, of course, but do things you wouldn't normally do or don't think you'd enjoy very much, because you never know what may surprise you. I've gotten to know some great people while I've been here and made some really good friends. I've also gotten to travel around and see things I never would've seen if I just stayed at home, or even just stayed cooped up in my flat. Last week, spur of the moment, Jack and I took a train to London because there was an exhibit I wanted to see at the Victoria & Albert museum that was closing the next day. I bought the tickets the night before and we spent the morning in the museum and then the rest of the day just wandering around the city. We didn't have a plan or a schedule (which I think irritated Jack a bit) but it was so nice to just meander around and stop if we saw something interesting. Today, we went out to Bakewell, a village in the Peak District, just because. It ended up being market day and, although it started raining right when we got our fish and chips, it was a nice day out. And I've learned a lot by doing things I didn't think I'd enjoy. I took a course on Human Osteology (bones) this semester. I've never been really into bones (besides the TV show) and didn't think I'd like it very much, but its ended up being my favorite course I've taken. My professors were awesome and I've learned all about identifying human skeletal remains (creepy, but very interesting).

5. Do your best.

As simple as that sounds, its true. Just do your absolute best and you can be proud of yourself. My end of term results for last semester were not what I was hoping and I really let myself have it. I'd worked really hard on these essays and, although the results weren't terrible, they weren't what I was used to from my undergraduate work and I felt awful for days. I was afraid to text my parents to let them know I'd not done so great, but I knew they would ask, so I told them my results and how horrible I felt. They made it clear that I was being way too hard on myself. This was a new subject (I'd studied history before doing my masters in medieval archaeology) in a new school in a new country with a completely different grading system. My grades weren't going to fail me or anything near that so all I could do was pull myself together and do better next time. Easier said than done of course, especially when your degree program is only a year long, but I am trying and I know I'm doing better this year. I did my best and, even though it wasn't the best by the university's standards, I have to be - and I am - proud of how hard I worked. 

So that's what I've learned in the past seven months. It's not a revelation, but I think its useful to sometimes step back and assess how far you've come from where you started.