The evening class, I-E2013.
The past five months have been some of the most productive months of my life. I have learned that I can do more than I thought I was capable of, but also that that still wasn’t enough. I have learned that yes, I can be disciplined sometimes, but that no, it’s not enough. I have to be more disciplined.
I have learned that I can sit still for hours without talking to anyone else (not opening my mouth would be too much to expect of me; I eat instead of talking, which is why I’ve grown fat). I have learned that I can actually keep my mouth shut when other people are talking (not for long, but I’m still learning; don’t give up on me yet); and that I can speedread and actually remember some of the things I’ve read.
I would like to think that I have actually managed to make friends, with people who do not see me as a reporter who may quote what they say at any given time; people who will still have time to talk to me even when I’m no longer a reporter (taking for granted, of course, that they’re either not in law school or it’s in between semesters. Working law students have very little time to talk, even to themselves).
I have found out that I can will myself to read in a moving vehicle without getting headaches. Until I entered law school, I never could read in a car because I would get a headache after a few minutes. Now I don’t, most of the time. I have found out that I can sit and read for several straight hours without getting bored or sleepy, getting up only to go to the bathroom.
One of the most surprising things I have learned about myself this semester is that I can stay up all night without getting sleepy, with very little coffee. I still have enough adrenalin in my system to do that. And that I still fall asleep in class, even when the teacher is talking in front of me.
Whatever happens, I will never be a freshman again. And I will never forget the lessons learned, and the friendships made, in my first semester in law school.
