- #1
romerito
- 1
- 0
Hey guys!
Long time since my last(first¿?) post. A lot has happened over the past few months; I think I need a little catharsis.
I just finished my first semester as a physics major and today arrived home (I don’t study in my hometown).
Here in Colombia there is a national exam that every student presents when he graduates from high school. Something like the SAT (Im guessing). I got the first place last year, it was cool, of course, I got a full scholarship, met a really impressive girl (that’s going to be my next post!), and of course enjoyed the social infatuation you get from being constantly appraised and the like, I even met the president!(and understood a bit more of why our country is as it is). I always said to myself: that exam is worthless, it does not show anything about yourself, don’t get carried by people’s frames, but of course…
My physics 1 course, is a compulsory subject for most of the majors, and there is no "honors" alternative, so I thought, immaturely that the level was too "low" for me, then I found myself skipping classes, during the first three I months never went to the problem sessions, needless to say I pretty much never worked one problem for the class, Instead I chose to work Spivak calculus, that book ate me, too much for me to handle, struggled really hard for just a couple exercises, but I loved it. I remember once saying: I am working Spivak, that halladay should be walk in the park! Then one weekend I went (at least I thought so) through half of that physics book, and guess what? I bombed that exam, while people whom I though weren’t the brightest kids on the block (yes I know, I was –really- immature back then) got some nice grades. I didn’t learn the lesson; I continued skipping classes, seeing someone solve the occasional problem, ogling Kleppner and kolenkow, result: I failed the course, I also did not progress much with Spivak, learned very little physics, almost bombed my calculus final (no luck using LUBs to derive), learned very little on my programming course, did not reached the full potential offered by my introduction to mathematics course… So I ended up with a very low GPA, barely enough to sustain the scholarship (they are not demanding), a failed physics 1 course, and also with a nice, really nice smile on my face.
I learned many things, I am really happy, now I should pay for my sins, accept the regret in the faces of my uncles (my mom is really supportive, so not applying to her) when I tell them that I don’t have perfect GPA, then calmly listen to the speeches they’ll surely give, telling me how life is, what my priorities should be and obdilada, yes, people will say that I am not as bright as everyone thought me to be, and Ill be there listening some Pink Floyd, and smiling, for now I don’t care(well, being honest, I am working towards it).
Of course plenty more happened: I had to move four times in one week, got a girlfriend, realized I had some kind of alpha male complex, so I broke with girlfriend (who, in reality, I never liked much). Met really amazing people, some of whom I could claim to be my friends (really important in your life, you get to realize). Got into Buddhism. But most important of all: I learned that I should live one day at a time, not hurrying, not idealizing, just living.
So what's for me to do now? I am going to study K&K over this summer together with Spivak and some Sheldon Axler(linear algebra), Spivak is really a wonderful book, I like what I've read of Sheldon, and K&K, well, it’s almost as good as Spivak(best praise I can give at the time). I am retaking my violin lessons, Ill start exercising again, Ill read some books(literature) I've got in my list, Ill go out and dance some too, but above all, Ill take it easy, breathing and smiling... for there is so much worth living for.
Long time since my last(first¿?) post. A lot has happened over the past few months; I think I need a little catharsis.
I just finished my first semester as a physics major and today arrived home (I don’t study in my hometown).
Here in Colombia there is a national exam that every student presents when he graduates from high school. Something like the SAT (Im guessing). I got the first place last year, it was cool, of course, I got a full scholarship, met a really impressive girl (that’s going to be my next post!), and of course enjoyed the social infatuation you get from being constantly appraised and the like, I even met the president!(and understood a bit more of why our country is as it is). I always said to myself: that exam is worthless, it does not show anything about yourself, don’t get carried by people’s frames, but of course…
My physics 1 course, is a compulsory subject for most of the majors, and there is no "honors" alternative, so I thought, immaturely that the level was too "low" for me, then I found myself skipping classes, during the first three I months never went to the problem sessions, needless to say I pretty much never worked one problem for the class, Instead I chose to work Spivak calculus, that book ate me, too much for me to handle, struggled really hard for just a couple exercises, but I loved it. I remember once saying: I am working Spivak, that halladay should be walk in the park! Then one weekend I went (at least I thought so) through half of that physics book, and guess what? I bombed that exam, while people whom I though weren’t the brightest kids on the block (yes I know, I was –really- immature back then) got some nice grades. I didn’t learn the lesson; I continued skipping classes, seeing someone solve the occasional problem, ogling Kleppner and kolenkow, result: I failed the course, I also did not progress much with Spivak, learned very little physics, almost bombed my calculus final (no luck using LUBs to derive), learned very little on my programming course, did not reached the full potential offered by my introduction to mathematics course… So I ended up with a very low GPA, barely enough to sustain the scholarship (they are not demanding), a failed physics 1 course, and also with a nice, really nice smile on my face.
I learned many things, I am really happy, now I should pay for my sins, accept the regret in the faces of my uncles (my mom is really supportive, so not applying to her) when I tell them that I don’t have perfect GPA, then calmly listen to the speeches they’ll surely give, telling me how life is, what my priorities should be and obdilada, yes, people will say that I am not as bright as everyone thought me to be, and Ill be there listening some Pink Floyd, and smiling, for now I don’t care(well, being honest, I am working towards it).
Of course plenty more happened: I had to move four times in one week, got a girlfriend, realized I had some kind of alpha male complex, so I broke with girlfriend (who, in reality, I never liked much). Met really amazing people, some of whom I could claim to be my friends (really important in your life, you get to realize). Got into Buddhism. But most important of all: I learned that I should live one day at a time, not hurrying, not idealizing, just living.
So what's for me to do now? I am going to study K&K over this summer together with Spivak and some Sheldon Axler(linear algebra), Spivak is really a wonderful book, I like what I've read of Sheldon, and K&K, well, it’s almost as good as Spivak(best praise I can give at the time). I am retaking my violin lessons, Ill start exercising again, Ill read some books(literature) I've got in my list, Ill go out and dance some too, but above all, Ill take it easy, breathing and smiling... for there is so much worth living for.
