I am certain that when Ray (R) introduced the ***project*** in class last week, he spoke in tongues. He spoke for a long time. He spoke of a crown and a jewel. Then, class ended, and I had been mindblown by R’s majestic ideas, and I had admired his vocabulary, and I had noted his engagement with the audience, and I had come to understand one thing: I still had no idea what the project was supposed to be.
And by that I mean I still don’t. But, I read the***project*** section of the syllabus several times today, and now I understand a little bit better. So here is what I think:
I want to create a collection of essays, and I want the collection to explore this question: What did I learn in undergrad? I want to do this because I’m about to graduate (approximate cost $100,000), and I can’t stop thinking about this question, and so trying to devote a semester to answering a different question would feel like a filthy lie. I also want to do this because I’m forgetful, and so having a collection of essays addressing some lessons I’ve learned might help me to not forget those lessons. I also want to do this because I’m seriously intrigued by what college teaches you…i.e., Does it teach you about academia? Does it teach you about how to maneuver your way to an A in a class? Does it teach you that failing is inevitable? Does it teach you to figure stuff out like how the buses work and where to go to replace your M Card? Does it teach you social skills? Does it teach you that you can’t be a substance abuser forever because it gets boring after a while?
Disclaimer: I don’t want to make this a Lifetime movie and tell you how college has taught me so much, and LOOK AT ME I’VE COME SO FAR!!! I am imagining several creative nonfiction pieces (varying in length and topic) about some experiences I’ve had in undergrad that I thought were cool and that altered my identity, path, etc. And maybe the individual pieces could together tell the greater story of what I learned here. More to come.