Hey, guys. I’m officially back. After spending time with a lot of family and adjusting to moving out, I have time to blog again. I think the best way to get back into the swing of things is sharing my monthly goals. I hope you enjoy.
//How I Did Last Month//
//July Goals
(I didn’t get anything done in July because of a house guest. I started all of the completed goals in the first week of August)
Get Ready To Move Out– Complete. I waited until the absolute last minute to do all of the moving out stuff, so I was starting from scratch in July. Thankfully, I got everything done by move-in day.- Open Bank Account – I ended up opening my friend’s bank account instead. I was going to open mine on the same day, but there wasn’t any time.
Finish 7 Books– Complete. This is the only goal I got done in July.Declutter Closet– Complete. I’m gonna be honest. I didn’t think I would get this done in time, but I managed to declutter my entire room before moving.Organize Blog Navigation– I hope you all like it.Required Undergrad Sexual Assault Prevention Course– I transferred schools, so I had to do the AlcoholEdu and Sexual Assault Prevention courses again over the summer. This one was due in August. (The Alcohol one is due in October). I knocked this one out within an hour.Start Writing E-Course– I started writing it, so that’s something.
//August Goals
I didn’t share my August goals last month, but I thought I would put them here for those who are interested.
Pay Tuition & Housing– Complete. This was more of a to-do list item than a goal.Completely Decorate Dorm Room– Complete. I put up all the decorations I wanted to up on my side of the room. I will post a dorm tour soon.Join2Clubs– half-complete. I only joined one club. I will join another one this month.- Alcohol EDU Course – This was the second course I need to do. It’s due in October, so it’s not late.
Read 5 Books– I almost didn’t complete this, but I’m proud that I did.Syllabus Assignment List– Complete. This will keep me much more organized this semester.Figure Out Bus System– I got lost quite a few times, but I’m relieved to say that I figured it out.Create A Daily Routine– Complete. I’ve gotten used to life at the dorms and have created a pretty balanced daily routine.See Orinta 7 Times– One of my cousins came from Bangladesh after six years on the second day of school. I wanted to see her as much as I could, so I made it a goal to see her a total of 7 times in two weeks. I ended up seeing her nine times. This gives you a visual on how many times I drove home.Go To A College Sponsored Event Once A Week– I went to a lot of welcome week events to get to know the campus.- Blog Twice A Week – Nope. Life was way too chaotic for me to even think about blogging. (More on that later.)
//September Goals//
I can’t share a few of my goals for September, so I’ll share some of my weekly goals, instead.
//Write A Budget
I kept track of all of my expenses in the month of August. I didn’t want to create a solid budget before moving out because I didn’t know what my spending habits would be. I didn’t go crazy or anything, but I wasn’t following a set spending plan. Especially since I had to help host so much family and had to pay for things like gifts and food and movie tickets. The only thing I have to adjust my budget for is gas for my car because I won’t be driving back and forth as much these next few months. Everything else, I can estimate. I will share my college budget on the blog as soon as I’m done with it.
//Read 4 Books
That’s roughly one book per week. It’s not summer anymore, so I don’t have as much time to read books. Four feels like a lot, but I want to challenge myself a little bit.
//Reread And Edit All Blog Posts
I have a terrible habit of publishing blog posts before rereading them, so the vast majority of what you read on this blog is a first or second draft. I’ve set this goal a couple of times before and have gotten through a bunch of them, but I hope to go through and edit a good chunk of my old content. by the end of the month. I’m hoping not to find too many typos, but that’s inevitable.
//Stay On Top Of School (Self-Disciplined)
This isn’t a very specific goal. This is more of a reminder for myself to get out of bed with my alarm, finish my homework, study every day, etc.
//Blog Twice A Week
I had two exams last week, so I wasn’t able to post, but starting this week, I will try to have two blog posts up every week for the rest of the month. (Wish me luck. I doubt you believe me anymore.)
//Meet Up With A Friend Twice A Week
This is more doable now that I live on campus, but this also includes meeting up with friends when I go home on weekends.
//Work Out 3-5 Days Per Week
I’ve been really good about this in the last few weeks. I’ve been working out almost every weekday. I don’t want to pressure myself into working out every day of the week, but I want to work out at least three times. There is a gym right next to my building, so I don’t have many excuses.
//August Recap//
Here are some fun things I did in the month of August.
//I Moved Out
I really like living on my own. Prior to last month, I had lived in the same house my entire life, so you would think it would’ve taken a bigger adjustment. I don’t feel homesick and Mysoon is handling it pretty well. I will write a whole other post talking about the guilt that comes with leaving a special needs sibling because there is a lot I want to talk about and it doesn’t make sense to write it here.
//I Saw A Bunch Of Family
My cousin from Bangladesh came to Atlanta after six years, another cousin from New York came to visit, and a third cousin drove down from Tenessee, too, so I had a lot of people to see. That’s why I drove home so much in the first month.
We did a lot of fun things together and I can’t wait to see them again.
//I Adjusted To My New University
In the midst of all that chaos, I had to get used to my new university. I’m liking it so far and have finally figured out the bus system (I’d been late to a good chunk of my classes at the beginning of the semester before that). I’m taking 17 credit hours, which is exhausting but doable. It’s only been a month, so I haven’t even started building a community here. Mostly because I went home 2-3 times per week last month (I would go back home on Weekends and Tuesdays. I’d drive back early Wednesday morning).
//Eid
Korbani Eid was on the second week of school. For those of you who don’t know, Eid is a religious holiday Muslims celebrate. It’s our Christmas, so to speak. After my first class, I drove to my cousins’ house. We ate brunch and then our cousin from New York begged us to go to the pool, so I borrowed some clothes and we went. I think we only stayed for two, but it was a lot of fun. After that, we hung out at the house and got ready. People started arriving at around 6:00. That’s also when I saw my parents and my brothers. That was the first Eid where I didn’t spend all day with them.
I was up past midnight. I knew if I spent the night there, I wouldn’t have slept a wink. I drove home with my mom and went to sleep a little before two and woke up at 6:30 AM to drive the hour back to school. I went straight to class.
//I Took A Break
Knowing how chaotic life was going to be in August, I took a break. You all know that I took a break from blogging already, but I also took time off of work. That probably wasn’t the best financial decision considering I have to pay rent now, but I was already exhausted from all the driving, school, and socialization that I probably would’ve collapsed. It was nice to take a break and enjoy time with my family, but now I’m jumping back into my regular routine.
That’s it for now. What are your goals this month? How has the first month of school been?