Insecurities come easy around August.
I start to roll left and right minutes before the alarm signals that it’s time to wake up and continuously whack the snooze button three times for good luck.
But there is something about the month of August. I don’t know if it’s the humidity in the air or the overwhelming amount of U-Haul trucks in front of Vaughn Center, but each time it rolls around I feel a little bit anxious.
My unusual sleep patterns mixed with a lack of motivation starts to wear me down. I get lazy and bored and utilize naps as a hobby or temporary escape. I start to feel as if I’m in a daze and reality is always out of reach, especially in the first week.
The steep stairs in Plant Hall never get easier and weaving through a crowd minutes before class gets more dangerous each time. The residence halls start to fill up quickly and the paper-thin walls allow me to indirectly eavesdrop on disreputable conversations.
September calls for optimism. This month requires that I go to all six of my classes, manage to stay awake and get my homework in on time.
Never have I thought that just being a student with extra responsibilities could be so frightening. I have no more time for slacking or the “Negative Nancy” types. My attempt at being serious means I can no longer procrastinate.
Thankfully, I have the support of my friends and staff members to keep me on track. This year, along with taking 21 credit hours, I took on the position of Resident Assistant—some call me crazy. Such a job can be overwhelming at times, but it has really forced me to crack down on my time management.
At first, I felt as if I jumped into the position headfirst and was nowhere near prepared for the commitment. I thought, “If I can’t manage a long-term relationship, how can I maintain such a time consuming job?”
This year, I have the responsibility of watching over a floor of residents who are both eager and worrisome.
Training, managing floor meetings, scheduling duty, hosting programs and being a valuable resource and friend to my residents takes its toll on my body. Sleep is slowly becoming a rare occasion, almost like a privilege.
However, despite an overloaded schedule, too many organizations and a new job, I surprisingly feel at ease.
I love being busy. Having everything organized and planned out to the “T” is my utopia.
You’ll always see me roaming campus with a black Moleskine and pen in tow—ready to schedule and check off my many to-do-lists.
As an RA, I feel as if my worries and insecurities have transferred from how to manage so many responsibilities to rearranging my priorities. I have obtained a plethora of new tasks that are more entertaining than inconvenient. Beyond that, I have been given a new family and another place to call home.
I have eleven other staff members with completely different personalities that brighten my day and a floor full of residents who keep me on my toes.
Because of them, being homesick is not an option and amongst the chaotic aura of a new semester, I feel prepared.
August was an obstacle on its own, but so far the people I’ve met and the things I’ve learned from training have been some of my best experiences to date.
Let’s just hope I come out of the new year alive.
Narisa Imprasert can be reached at nimprasert@spartans.ut.edu