Almost Done...

So the spring semester is drawing to a close, and my final comprehensive exams are less than a week away. It's really strange, I've mentioned this to a few other people, but at least in my eyes, most of my academic career will be summed up in an one hour session next Thursday at 10AM. So I've been in school since what, roughly 1988 or so (preschool included), and if things go well, nearly 19 years later, I'll come out with a masters degree. Granted, I'll be back in the fall for another 1.5 years, but I'll definitely be excited to get engineering behind me, and as I see it, the next 1.5 years will be much more enjoyable. So roughly how would I sum up this last year. It's really hard to describe. Grad school is kinda a hostile place. I don't feel that I've been able to get nearly as close to people as I wish I could have, but maybe that's a product of being at a competitive school, and a different place. I think it's always interesting to see if people are really a product of their environment, and where they grew up.

But in terms of a life experience, I cannot think of a place where I would be happier. I've had a chance to learn to sail and windsurf, snowboard, rock climb, and hike, all from within a day's drive from home. I feel really fortunate to have a chance to do all of these things, and even more so, I feel fortunate that I'm still capable of doing them. I think it's easy to become near-sighted being in grad school. Despite seeing a wealth of individuals, for the most part, it's still a close-association of well-educated, well-off, well-to-do individuals. It's easy to forget the rest of the nation while being here. Being here another year or so, I hope I do not become to jaded and always remember the midwestern roots of my childhood.

So looking back, it really has been a great year, full of awesome and new experiences. But, I also find myself often reminiscing about the past, and it becomes harder and harder to remember the past, especially since my senior year in high school was six years ago. But looking on into the future, I'm hoping that I can continue to fill my time by learning new things, and making sure to experience life to the fullest. It's definitely been a transition, this is something that I think Catherine and I are both getting use to, together and individually, but in the long run, I think that it's been worth it, and I hope she feels the same. Grad school truly is a transition, but I think it is much easier than had I went straight to work after my undergrad. The past year has also been a very introspective time, I have always found myself as a very external and outgoing person, but I feel that this year has lessened that characteristic in me. Why that has happened, I cant' exactly explain why. I have my own hypothesis, but who knows what the root cause of this change has been. I'm also not sure if its a bad or good thing, but hopefully that will sort itself out within the next few months, or I will at least come to terms with how I am changing along side my environment.

Looking forward, I will be in Australia and New Zealand within the month, and you cannnot believe how excited I am for that. Despite being a bit nervous, I think it'll be an awesome experience, and I better know how to kite-surf, and have good stories of surfing on Australia's Gold Coast. It's also my goal to do a better job posting while gone over the summer, so for any of you constant readers... get ready for more Paul Supawanich.