Hi, I'm Eli! I've been working on my degree for some time now. Until
this year, I've felt like a perpetual transfer student; I was always
accumulating credits but never graduating. In the meantime, I've managed
to change my major a few times, get married, and have a kid who is now
11 years old. I've also bought and sold my first house so I could move
my whole family back in with my mom to afford this college thing again.
I'm finally a senior not only by hours but also in the Social Work
program. It has been a long road but the end is in sight. Assuming nothing crazy happens with this pandemic thing, I should graduate in May!
As I mentioned, my major
is Social Work. All of my classes last spring & fall were actually directly
related to my major. Still, I think the best one was our Motivational
Interviewing class, and I wish it was open to non-majors. Even with the
sudden switch to online courses after Spring Break, we still managed to
have all our simulations and interviewing practice. Applying the content
within fields of social work practice this year in our practicums
should be challenging!
I
have too many favorite books to name - I spend almost all of my free
time reading. According to my Kindle app, I have read at least one day
out of the last 131 weeks and last year completed 352 titles. That is down a bit from 2019 but I know I played a lot of hours of video games over the summer because we didn't go anywhere! My favorite TV show or movies are often
whatever I find that looks interesting on Netflix or another streaming
service. Although I do make it a point to keep up with the new seasons
of Call the Midwife and Doctor Who.
We are currently a one-dog
household, which is exactly the way Bernard likes it. He is a Chihuahua
mix that has been so happy most of his people have been home since
March. Heated blankets and any of our pillows are his favorite things.
Some
of my favorite foods I have to make from scratch because I have Celiac
disease. This means I cannot eat gluten - wheat, barley, rye, and a few
other grains like triticale. So delicious things I used to enjoy, like
soft pretzels or deep dish pizza are always homemade! It also means I am
very creative with how I make things, and I'm always experimenting with
different flour blends. (P.S. If you enjoy making chicken at home and
aren't allergic, mix coconut flour into your breading! It's delicious.
Also, chickpea flour makes excellent gravy.)
I did list Santa Fe,
NM as one of my favorite places. Santa Fe has excellent gluten-free
food, and the high desert scenery is beautiful. A favorite place I
haven't been to yet because of travel plans cancelled by the pandemic is
Italy. Despite being the land of pasta and pizza, or maybe because it
is, Italy has many people with Celiac. Because of this, they also have a
high number of restaurants where you can easily get Celiac safe
gluten-free food.
I do have some hobbies besides making
allergy-safe food and reading. I also like to sew, which makes my kid
happy. Between my sewing and my spouse's metal and woodworking skills,
we're basically a fabrication shop. This comes in handy for all the
crazy ideas our child has come Halloween or any other time.
Hey Eli! Congrats on making it to graduation! I hope this last semester goes smoothly for you. I can't believe how many books you read last year... I was wondering, are all of those like decent-length novels or were some shorter? Either way it's still impressive! I love to read but I usually only am able to do audiobooks for enjoyment while I drive because otherwise I'm reading something for school or doing homework or any of the other million things that I seem to have on my to-do list. Anyway, I'm listening through the Outlander books right now and highly recommend them and the tv show!
ReplyDeleteEli! It is very nice to see a fellow 2021 graduate, congratulations! I also changed my major several times before deciding on Social Work, so we have a little bit in common. You have a very impressive reading history! I love reading, but haven't found a way to manage my time where I can read for class and fun. My minor is Philosophy, so I read a lot of philosophical texts, which I would count as fun in addition to being required. It was very nice getting to know you and I wish you well with the rest of your semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Eli! Congrats on getting to graduation! Having that much drive is so impressive and speaks a lot about your personality. Also, I am shocked by how much you read! I love reading, but I am not sure if I could surpass you! Your little Bernard is so cute and sweet looking. My puppy also lays her head on pillows like that and I think it is adorable. I am sorry about your Italy trip! I went to Italy in 2018 and LOVED it! I would definitely say spend a lot of time in Rome/Florence if you love looking at culture and different shops. I went to Pisa, but spent too much time there, as there is not much in the city except the tower. I also went to Capri, which is an island near Sorrento. There is a beautiful cave there that you have to be escorted there by a small boat, otherwise you cannot get in! I highly suggest it!
ReplyDeleteHey Eli! I too am a senior and planning to graduate this semester. I actually have been to Italy through an OU study abroad program (several years before COVID began), and I saw those bridges in Florence that you showed a picture of above in person. Florence is nice, but I honestly preferred Rome, and I did not like Venice (it smelled really bad and there did not seem to be much to do). Just some thoughts for whenever you get to go!
ReplyDeleteIt is also so fun meeting people a second time around, Eli! This time I can connect the dots better since it's all about somebody I know, instead of somebody totally new.
ReplyDeleteAnd how great that your kid can celebrate your graduation with you: that sounds like the best kind of graduation!
I love the idea of Motivational Interviewing: what a beautiful topic! Do you know Ben Heddy in the Ed School at OU? He works on motivation too, and I've been learning new things from him at Twitter (he shares all kinds of cool stuff there): @benjaminheddy
And yay Doctor Who! I'm so wrapped up in my Tiny Tales project, but someday ... SOMEDAY ... I am going to write some Doctor Who fan fiction. The Doctor needs to spend some quality time in India IMO.
And Star Trek, ha ha.
It is very satisfying to me that both of those beloved franchises from my childhood are still going strong... hopefully they will still be going strong when I get ready to take the fan fic plunge! :-)
Hey Eli!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on almost graduating! I bet you must be so happy seeing the end of the road. I am a senior as well. That is a lot of books that you have read. I love reading as well, so I can understand that. I like to watch series on Netflix, but the problem is that by the time I find something I want to watch, I am already tired. I just found out that I have Celiac disease as well. It is difficult, but it ultimately makes you feel better when it is cut out of one’s system. By the way, Bernard is so cute! I recently got my first pet. He is a yorkie named Milo.
Hey Eli! Congratulations on applying for graduation! College is definitely an exhausting process, but you’ve persevered and are going to make a big impact through social work. The Motivational Interviewing class sounds really interesting; interviews are always a stressful experience for me, so I might look into some classes that could help me. It’s also really impressive on how much you’ve read. I’ve been trying to make reading a habit, but it’s tough. Still, your success gives me inspiration!
ReplyDeleteHello Eli. Glad to hear you are graduating in May. It sounds like your spouse and you make a good team between the sewing, metal, and woodworking skills you all have. I do not know too much about any of those hobbies, but I think it would be really cool to learn. It was good to read about you and I wish you the best with your last semester.
ReplyDeleteHi Eli! First I want to say congratulations on graduating. You’re almost done with school pretty much forever. Education definitely took up a large part of your time and I am glad to hear that you found what you really want to do. Your major sound super cool. This is actually the first time I heard about the major. I wonder what field will you be working with that degree?
ReplyDelete