English 106: First-Year Composition

Ok so I misunderstood the whole showcase taking the place of blogs, so now I get to write a lovely blog about my discourse communities and how they overlap.

It is always hard writing to someone you don’t know and I don’t know what I will be like in 11 years. This is you at the age of 19, writing a letter to my 30-year-old self; remember it was a homework assignment for English 106 class in your freshman year of college. Just as a reminder, I will tell you what you were up to at 19, in case you forgot. I am in freshman year of college and am rooming with Jenny. Jenny and you get along but are starting to drift apart slowly. She is going into an apartment next year and you are joining the sorority. I am in the slow process of switching to elementary education and so far love it.

Dear Sarah,
This is me (you), almost ten years from now. I know, it is a little confusing but I have some advice for the future, but hear me through. Life can be tough sometimes I know. You have a lot of homework right now in Mrs. Duvall’s class. You will learn how to organize your time. The next few years though are going to be really difficult, just remember the world isn’t really out to get you, everyone loves you. You are going to meet some really nice people in middle school and when re-districting comes, just relax, Lincoln isn’t that bad. You meet some friends there, which I still have today. You are starting to get to the age where girls can get really caddy, it is going to be hard, remember though it doesn’t last forever.

In high school I always was able to do just the homework required and pass my classes. I always had to work at school, but when it wasn’t required, I had a tendency of not working on it at all. Then I got to college. I went into Dietetics and was in my first chemistry class since sophomore year in high school. I really liked chemistry in high school. We were the honors class and were able to do a lot of fun experiments. I hated chemistry here. I didn’t do the homework assignments, they were never due, so I didn’t do them. There was always something else that I “had” to do so I didn’t ever get around to looking at the homework. I continued to hate chemistry and not understand as the classes went on through the semester. Then the tests came, I bombed them. I realized this was the homework that I hadn’t been doing.

Unfortunately, I haven’t found that one perfect spot to study yet. Here it is second semester and I still study in my room, with all the distractions around me. I have found though, when studying for a test, lying down on the soft carpeting in my room on my stomach, surrounding myself with all my notes, handouts and books for my class has been successful. The light shines in through the window, displaying all of my material in such detail and vividness. I will wander over to the middle of my room from my desk and plop down on the floor, knowing the mental workout my brain is about to receive. I always grab my huge JCPenny’s microfiber polka dot square pillow, which my roommate calls the “dog pillow,” for its big size and square shape. Lying on the floor probably isn’t the best place to study considering the distractions though. The TV is right there in front of me, waiting to be turned on and the Gamecube system is staring me in the face as I lie on there floor.

My name is Sarah Pluckebaum and I am indecisive. I am an independent 19 year-old, who still has problems making up my mind. It is sad, I know, but true. Throughout my life I have probably declared over 50 careers that I wanted to do in life: marine biologist, surgeon, genealogist, movie star, writer, ice cream truck driver (I think I was like 4 when I declared this one), librarian, business, dietetics and so many others. So I am currently enrolled in the major of dietetics but am now taking education classes. Last semester, as I was taking my dietetic classes I knew that this wasn’t the subject for me. I went through 4 different ideas as a profession before it finally hit me of what I should do. I love children and am a compassionate person, why I had never thought of education before is beyond me, but it is perfect. So now I have found my perfect career and am so psyched about it.