A hiatus
/As you might have noticed, My College Advice has been on something of a break for some time now. There are several reasons for this...
A metaphorical bend in the road of life. Photo by Gregory Nolan. Used with permission.
- I started a business (as described in my previous post...after which I stopped writing for six months)
- I became very involved with several organizations and communities in Portland, which has been a joyful experience but hasn't left much time
- I started a nonprofit organization called Another Look, which provides professional photography and storytelling services to nonprofits.
The biggest reason that I stopped writing, though, is that I started teaching.
I was hired to teach intercultural communication for a nearby community college. We talk about international encounters--travel, business, culture, etc--but we also talk about different cultures within the US. We talk about race and class and ability and sexuality. We talk about age and the way culture and identity shifts over time. We talk about current events and the ways that police violence and social change and immigration are represented in the world around us.
I love teaching this class.
It feels a little weird, though, to write a blog about college advice while simultaneously teaching at a college. It feels like snooping on my students, or like preaching to the nice young man asleep in the second row. Teaching has meant that I have ever-more stories to tell, but I feel more motivated to tell the students in front of me, rather than a faceless audience online.
I loved writing this blog. I poured countless hours of time into the writing, but also into the formation of my opinions and ideas. I wanted to give you the very best of what I had learned as a student.
Photo by Another Look.co. Captured at the Ventura Park Elementary School Summer Reading Program
If I was going to take my current moment and make some recommendations...I guess I would suggest that you let go of things that have run their course. Don't get bogged down by guilt over tasks left undone. Say "yes" to opportunities, and do your best to live up to your commitments, but be clear when a change is needed.
I plan to check back here from time to time. I still answer email questions from time to time, and I might very well decide to share some of my new insights from class here (the first of which is it is actually super stressful to write tests. Who knew?). But for the most part, this is me signing off.
And if you're interested in nonprofits, seriously do check out Another Look. It's pretty awesome stuff, if I do say so myself.
Mostly, I want to say good luck to all of you. I hope you find great opportunities and adventures out there. Keep on keeping on, and perhaps our paths will cross on the interwebs in the future.
