18. November 2024 – Another week just passed, and, to be honest, I don’t think that time has ever gone by as fast as it currently does. The mix of classes, doing my readings, working on assignments, and attending events, all while maintaining my self-care routine, is quite familiar now, and yet, it never feels the same.
Lessons on Mindfulness and Productivity for Busy Days
Despite being overloaded with many activities, I find great joy in them. When I fall into my bed in the evenings, I fall in there with a smile. Sure, not every day is the same, but I am learning valuable lessons on this journey: First, I can’t do everything and be everywhere at once, so I need to choose wisely. Second, I can only work on one task at a time. Therefore, I have been trying to be present with what I am doing and what lies within my power at this moment. For instance, while writing this blog post, I can’t change anything about the four assignments that are impatiently waiting for me. Meditation definitely helps me with this mindset, as well as a piece of advice I once received: “You can do things quickly as well without being stressed about them” . This is easier said than done, but this is what I try to do. It’s starting to work, even though some trade-offs like water bottles and biking helmets have been lost along the way. These losses reveal that I still have not fully moved beyond my old pattern of mentally being at the next destination while leaving another place.
Embracing the Colors of Autumn at Harvard
The leaves are changing along with the days on my calendar. Instead of watching the amazing gardening staff planting colorful flowers at the Quad, I now observe them busily cleaning the leaves with leaf blowers. I wouldn’t do my time in Boston justice without mentioning the beauty of autumn here. I love the cracking sound beneath my feet and the way fall dips the leaves into paint pots, giving them the colors of a sunrise. While I’ve admired those colors on my way to class and during my runs or on a hike in New Hampshire, I miss the easy access to mountains and nature in general that I’m used to from home.
Pumpkins and Carrots - Soaking in the Fall Spirit
Fortunately, there have been plenty of other activities to help me soak in the fall spirit, like picking carrots on a farm or carving a pumpkin. Looks scary, right? (Almost as scary as a “Krampus” in Austria). At Halloween, I myself looked scary too – more or less – walking around Boston as a skeleton in the Boston Pub Crawl, accompanied by friends mainly from my cohort, as well as my dear friend Ava, who was in town.
Weekly High, Low, Buffalo & Lessons Learned
High: Delicious Dinner with Amazing People
On Thursday, I had dinner with a couple of amazing people from my cohort. While the dinner was amazing (I had fried rice), the company was even more memorable! We discovered hidden talents, like some people being able to sing/recite poems in other languages like Chinese and Russian. I also really enjoyed my classes and the insights I received on global health, peacemaking and leadership practices!
Low: A Race Against Time And Battery
Thursday was a race against time – not only for getting from the campus of Harvard Medical School to my class at Harvard Law School and then to the next class at Harvard Kennedy School, but also with submitting my assignments. I had planned to submit two papers between classes. Sitting down in one of the cozy chairs in front of the fireplace at Harvard Law School, I realized I had left my EU adapter at home. There was no time to bike home and other chargers somehow don’t work for my laptop anymore. Luckily, a classmate walked by, had an EU charger with him, and offered to stay as long as it took me to submit the paper. A big shout-out to this kindness. He turned this low into a high!
Buffalo: The Mystery of 1/2 Floors
Could anyone tell me why there are 1/2 floors at Harvard Kennedy school? I am always amused when I enter the elevator and see the instructions…
Lessons Learned
Apart from the lessons described in the beginning, there is one other thing… Blenders don’t like being left alone. Not even for two minutes while brushing your teeth. I made that mistake this week and my blender literally fumed with anger and refused to ever work for me again.
I’ll get back to you again next Tuesday. Feel free to reach out and continue to let me know what you’re interested in!
Until then,
Liebe Grüße aus Boston!
Sophie
Is there anything you want to know about me or my experience? Feel free to leave a comment or reach out!