Hi everyone, I hope this month has been treating you well! This month has been full of exciting events! I would like those of you reading to feel free to tell me about how your month has been!
This month has for sure been busy. I have been doing a lot of coaching, studying, socializing, and participating in Tennis Club and HACO Club. It has been treating me quite well, for I have been able to find a good balance between everything so far. It most certainly is way easier than my Freshman year. I am not sure if it was because of me being physically and mentally drained some days due to practice or what, but it does feel more manageable.
Classes has been great. I am learning a lot, and my favorite two classes are Lifespan Development and Computer Science. In Lifespan Development, I have been learning child development. The learning material has been chronological as in the age of children, birth to late childhood. This is all I have been learning so far, and I will be learning more, like adolescent teens, young adults, and much more. For child development, the material covered explains how relationships affect the development for children, and which methods of parenting are best to get the most positive outcome in child development.
Computer Science on the other hand is different. I have been programming and learning python which is quite interesting. The methods of python has similarities and differences to other programs, but that’s how it always is. My class has already finished five projects and are currently working on the sixth. This challenges my thinking at times, but I have resources to aid me if I am stuck, which makes it helpful. Being able to program something and see it actually work is satisfying, but to get to the outcome, there is a lot of thinking behind the structure of the functions and how they work together to make something work.
My other classes are fun and interesting too, but not as much as these Computer Science and Lifespan Development. My other classes are Buddhist Philosophy and Japanese Film. Learning about philosophy can be challenging at times, for it challenges every perspective I take, and making sense of certain topics can be difficult to understand. Japanese film on the other hand is more straight-forward. We watch Japanese films, analyze them, and discuss them.
Clubs has also been entertaining. We have our annual Hmong New Year for HACO in the beginning of November, and everyone, especially the board members has been working hard on making sure everything goes smoothly and according to plan. We will be having traditional Hmong food, performances, and singing in Hmong! I am excited to watch all the hard work put into one big night. Though I am not performing or doing anything much, I am involved in the fashion show we have organized, showcasing Hmong clothing.
Tennis Club has been something I always enjoyed last year, but never had the time to participate in because of how physically tired I would be, and how busy I was. This year though, I have been making a stronger effort in participating in Club Tennis, for I need my exercise now also. They go to tournaments and recently hosted one, but coaching has conflicted with it, but that is totally fine, as long as I get to play tennis during club ‘meetings’ I am fine.
Coaching has also been a success so far. I have learned a lot, and the expectations are always high no matter the circumstance. I am learning a lot from observing how the different coaches here coach and day by day I try to understand their philosophy in coaching. Everyone has different philosophies in coaching here, yet they are similar, in which brings them together and ultimately, the team. I do a lot of the grunt work, like setting up equipment, but when I get the chance, I love participating in drills. I think that’s the most enjoyable time in coaching by far at this time. I also enjoy the JV games, where I get to try and be an actual coach because not all the coaches attend those.
At the end of the day, I still make time to study and socialize a bit. I am proud of how much I have grown with a year of college. Of course there is much more room to grown, and I am looking forward to it.
I hope you all have found this blog somewhat enjoyable to read, and hope to hear about how your month has been for you.
Peace, Alex