Waking Up Late...

I woke up this morning feeling really, really uneasy. Something was off. The sunlight in my room wasn't like it usually was. The whole aura of everything felt off. I'm not even talking crazy hoodoo stuff here. I looked at my clock, already knowing one of my worst nightmares had been fulfilled. I had accidentally slept in. 10:36 to be exact.

At 10:36 on a normal, "Celinda woke up" day, I would be walking FROM my biology class to my Spanish class.

I broke out sobbing. If you haven't read my blog entries http://celinda-davis.blogspot.com/2011/09/loserville-population-me.html or http://celinda-davis.blogspot.com/2011/09/homesickness.html, know that the social part about college is a little difficult for me. Because of that, or maybe because of Uni, I really want to succeed at the academic part of it. So, there I was, sobbing, calling my mother, running in and out of the shower.

I walked across an empty campus. Everyone else was either in class, at home, at work, or studying in a cozy chair at the library. Many of you know of the "walk of shame", the one after overnight shenanigans. This morning, I walked a very different kind of walk of shame. The sun was shining. It was warm. I was wearing one of my favorite shirts. But I felt shame, with tears still clinging to my eyelashes. I walked into Spanish, halfway through the class period.

I have done that at Uni a few times, but it never felt absolutely shameful because I knew everyone. Not today. I walked into a class of half strangers. Looking back, I realized people glanced my way, gave me a sympathetic look, and went back to listening. One guy even smiled. It was a private joke because on the first day, we had shortened periods, so he had missed the entire class.

I listened, even answered a question after I got my bearings. After class, I talked to my Espanol Profesora. She listened as I spilled my plight. Though my extreme tardiness counted for one of my allotted 3 absences, she was very understanding.

I then went to lunch with one of my friends, and proceeded to pig out on bacon, cookies, and fries. Honestly, I think it's excusable. Today was NOT my day. After lunch, I went to work. *Women: At work, I discovered yet another reason that made today sucky. I discovered it a little too late. I walked awkwardly this afternoon.*

Work was actually fun, I put stamps on a ton of prospective "Hey, we're gonna be at your school on blah blah blah date" cards. There was one from PBL, and I remember we play them. I also met a really nice senior that also works at the Admissions Office. I went to class directly afterwards. It was also fun, with an interesting discussion. And people were nodding at my comments! It was like Uni English all over again! (Btw, I noticed I do really weird hand gestures, and I also trail off at the end of my comments. I noticed it in Uni English, but it's so much more apparent here...)

All in all, the day improved. But, the feelings of shame and a sense of failure are natural at first. The important thing to do is not to continue feeling that way.

Here's how to turn it around:
1) Remember that even if a class isn't marking attendance every time, you are hurting your own education by skipping out. Try to avoid skipping.
2) If you do skip, or miss a class from sickness or sleeping in, remember that this happens to everyone. The senior I was talking to at work said it happened to her at least once every term.
3) Panicking and/or crying is definitely allowed, but should not hinder your "get the heck out of bed and into class ASAP" process.
4) It's okay to eat gobs of sugar and salt on these kinds of days.
5) Email or talk to professors. Even if you lose points or get an absence, they are understanding, and they respect your maturity and openness.
6) Ask for notes, do extra work, or do alternative homework.
7) If it's an alarm issue (...), find alternative or supplemental ways to wake up. I'm getting a wake-up call all week from my mom, as well as setting my alarm.

I hope you all learn from my difficult day today. Remember though, in the long run, missing a class isn't going to make or break you. I can still rock these classes. I can still get my homework done. I can still get a great education. It's not the end of the world. It might feel like that at first. But, by the end of the day, you feel okay. Growing up, waking up on time, finishing deadlines without a million people to remind you, it's all difficult and new when you first start at college. You will mess up! Learn from those mistakes though, and grow. Because it happens to everyone, and it's normal.

And, on the bright side, I've caught up on my sleep :]
....
On second thought, it's too soon for jokes.

Much love!
Celinda McLatePants