Remember when I tried writing a post every week like clockwork? Yeah...it's been a month since my last one...
I don't really even have a good excuse. I'm attending community college right now for one class and I work on the weekends, but there's still plenty of time. Time that I just end up using to nap and binge watch PewDiePie.
Anyway, I thought I'd update what I've been up to since my last day of freshman year.
First, I went back to work in retail. That first week back was rough. I got yelled at by at least one customer each day, and I struggled to catch up on all the new information that had compiled in the past 5 months since I was last working. But I've been working again for over a month now, and I feel much more confident and on top of things. And I've been with the company for over a year now. It's strange how comfortable it feels, considering how I wanted to walk out on my first day a year ago.
And I realized how far I had come, too. I was helping train a new associate the other week and I had to teach her all the things I do automatically with very little thought--all the ways we fold things, the system for processing shipments, the formula for communicating with customers. Watching her struggle to grasp everything reminded me of how I felt a year ago, and how much I have actually learned. Recently, on a crazy weekend, I had about 100 clothes to fold and put back on the floor, and a customer looked at me in awe and said "You have a hard job". Which I greatly appreciated, because anyone working in retail doesn't get enough credit for everything they have to do. Thankfully, I have amazing coworkers that I love working with and make the job fun at times.
The other thing I'm up to these days is my summer general chemistry course at the local community college. Why the community college, and not my actual university? Because the same class at my university would cost $1100 more. Yeah. No joke. So I thought I'd take one for the team (more like my parents) and take it at the community college. I was told everything was easier at community college anyway, so I just assumed it would be a breeze.
The class itself is all good and easy. But I dislike the community college. I don't have that comfortable feeling of anonymity and being ignored like I do at my university. I could go days without talking to anyone if I wanted to. It was great.
Here at community college, though, people try to make eye contact with you when you pass them. And try to talk to you. And hit on you. And even have the audacity to ask you for money.
Okay, so she only asked me for 50 cents. But still. It was weird and I didn't like it.
I've tried all kinds of my usual tactics to dissuade people from trying to talk to me. Not looking at anyone, wearing sunglasses, not wearing makeup, and having the bitchiest look on my face have all failed to work. I'm out of ideas.
Oh, and yesterday, they had army recruiters on campus. All I wanted to do was make a beeline to the Subway, eat, and go to the lab. I was passing by one of the recruiters, completely soaked from the pouring rain I just walked through, hungry, and with the best "don't talk to me" face I could pull, when he suddenly said,"Hey, can you do my a favor?"
Me, being too nice for my own damn good, asked "What?"
"Smile for me."
Dickhead.
I gave him an uncomfortable, sarcastic smile, and he proceeded to try to talk me into joining the army. Well I haven't really considered joining, but I wouldn't if the army was full of douchebags like you I thought. Me being too nice again, said "Well, I'll think about it" and walked away, completely annoyed and feeling victimized.
Ten minutes later, I sit down to eat, and there he is again, just smiling at me. Like he's trying to get me to smile. "Did I talk to you already?" he asked. "Yes, I think you did," I replied sarcastically. "Good, I hope you're still thinking about joining us." Seriously man, do you not take hints???
A stranger telling me to smile doesn't sit well with me at all. I don't care if you're a soldier or whatever. It's so condescending and creepy. No stranger has the right to tell me to smile. Why on earth would he think he had that kind of authority? It's very upsetting to think that I'm just supposed to be someone who smiles. That I'm not supposed to be expressionless and antisocial. I'm supposed to smile. Because he said so.
Anyway, that's pretty much all I've been up to so far. I did go bowling and out to eat with my friend group from college and it was great. There's something about driving a little faster than your parents would like with your friends. It just felt like summer. So cliche, I know. But I'm just glad to have a group of intelligent friends to hang out with.
So far this summer hasn't been bad. It's frustrating when I'm in class, but outside, it's been pretty positive.
I will keep you updated.