End of the Year Ramblings: 2011 Edition

So this is really late, but yeah, I've been lazy this Christmas break. Apolizing in advance, but here is my end of the year ramblings I try to write up every year.

I just read through my end of the year ramblings from last year and it was interesting how I basically just focused on the last few months of 2009, not all of it. Anyways, that was a time where I was in transition: school was pretty close to over, I was finalizing decisions about university, and I was learning to say good-bye to Bangladesh. I also am reminded of how hard that last year of school was for me. Honestly, I had a lot of hard work that year, I really never understood some of the stuff I was supposed to learn in Math and Physics, and, as much as I did enjoy some aspects of Latin, I did not apply myself nearly as much as I should have in that class, mostly because I was lazy, but also because I honestly did not have a lot of time. I wanted Bs in Physics and Math, and by the grace of God, my mother and my teachers, I got those Bs, but as a result, I didn't do nearly as good in Latin as I should have. Thank God that Mr. Spotts grades easily enough.

And now, that's all behind me. I mean, really behind me. I can say (with a smug face of course!), “ahh highschool, I remember when I did that.” To my siblings. Of course, the best thing about having a really tough time in High School, especially in classes like Advanced Composition (My 11th grade English Class) is that I'm actually having an easier time in University. Okay yes, I did get a big fat C in Math last semester, and that did really frustrate me, but I did very good in every other class I took. I think I managed to get As on all my papers in my Honors class (I got an A in the class) and that... really excited me. Why? Because, honestly, I know my writing on some of those papers was not my highest level of writing, I cut corners and my writing suffered. I love writing, and it pains me to remember that paper and remember me cutting out entire paragraphs and then leaving others in a completely unfinished state because I didn't have “time” because I was stupid and played League of Legends all night instead of writing a paper 2 people (myself and my teacher) will ever read on American Beauty. Truly a foolish move. :P

Anyways, I was prepared for college. This really made me happy. I thought college was going to be hard, not so much because college is hard, but because I had been accepted into the honors program and I was going to try and apply myself really well in my classes, because, let's face it, writing really good papers, when I know the standards that I can reach, are hard, and that learning the details of the English Language will frustrate you like no other. My American Grammar final was one of the most challenging tests I've ever taken. I got an A on the test, and when I finished it I knew that I would get an A, but it still hard, and some of the questions really through me for a loop.

But that's not all this year was about: my first semester of college and the classes I took. This year was also about saying good-bye. In June, I wrapped up my affairs here, I said good-bye to my Youth Group, to my friends in Church, to my friends at the Game Cafe, got on a plane and left. I did summer in the US: I played League of Legends, I visited family, I saw Inception at midnight (Yeah!), I went to a Transition Seminar in Colorado where I DID NOT see Demon Hunter (boo! :( ) attended Orientation, attended my Cousins wedding and started classes. Before summer it was a combination of school stress, leaving stress, and the emo-nature that both of those put me into (tip to becoming a die-hard emo: listen to depressing music while very tired around 1AM every night; then attempt to write meanginful blogs or poetry. It works. * nod *). Honestly, in hind-sight, it wasn't very exciting.

College, college... has been fun. College has been awesome. Its been different as well, and its interesting for me to get a better picture of how my own culture operates right now. I just had a conversation with my mother about a controversial subject of political and religious nature today, and it was interesting because I realized she didn't realize what the general opinion of that subject is among people my age in my demographic (that is, generally middle-class, smart, young people), and how that view is going to and is continuing to effect the United States. But its not just been that, its also been about hanging around young people, but not just young people, young Americans. Bangladesh is wonderful and the people here are wonderful, but I think its important that I learn how exactly young Americans act and think. I'm an American, I need to, at the very least, understand my own culture before I can leave that country for another. (No, I don't want to live in the US. That would be boring!)

Its also been good to be in the US because I can do things I can't do in Dhaka. My weekends in Dhaka generally involve going Youth and Church and Gaming. All of these are done at reasonable hours of the day and while fun, are not as exciting as some of the things I've done in the States. See in America, I can go to Concerts that have reasonably good bands and generally safe venues. I can see really good metal shows for 10-20 bucks. That's a good deal! Last semester I managed to see Children of Bodom (really bad lead guitar; I blame the venue, I don't believe it could have been Laiho's fault that no one could actually hear his solos), Black Label Society, Epica (amazing!), Blackguard (more amazing!), Scar Symmetry (… interesting? I dunno, not a big Scar Symmetry fan), the Agonist (… mind blown? I'm not sure if that's the right level of awesomeness somewhere between “this crowd really needs to mosh more” and “omg! Montreal actually has good music!”). This semester its garutneed I will see Fintroll and Ensferium, and if I'm lucky I'll get to see Elueveite, I'm gonna try and see Symphony X and Blackguard again after the semester ends, and hopefully catch Sabaton during the USA tour this summer, but I can't promise that.

Of course, its not just Concerts, its not just waking up with a sore neck from headbanging all night long, its also just... hanging out. One of the greatest evenings I had involved discussing AI at a Whataburger at 2AM in the morning. Another stupid trip we had was going to Wal-Mart at a similar hour. Then of course, there were the parties. I discovered that Pop and Dance music actually have their benefits, after finally getting out of the eternal metal scene that is Dhaka, Bangladesh, or at least it is amongst my friends, and entered the world of America, where Pop is king (and after that, its Rap and Alt-Rock) and the best beats are the ones you can dance, not mosh, to.

Anyways, this has been good... probably better than a lot of years before. Maybe the best year since the end of my Sophmore/Beginning of Junior year. That was a good year. But yeah, certaintly the best year since then.