After two weeks(ish) off, it was the beginning of Summer quarter. I have taken classes all four quarters, every year since I started school. When, after high school graduation, you wait 14 years to start college, there is an overarching feeling of urgency to get done as soon as possible. Taking the summer off of school seems like such a waste when you are already so far behind. At least, that's how I have been feeling... At WCC, the summer quarters are about 8 weeks long. Taking ten credits as opposed to the usual 15, is considered full-time as you have to cover the same material as a regular quarter, in a shorter time period. I have always found ten summer credits to feel much more difficult than 15 credits in Fall, Winter, or Spring, but it was doable... Toward the middle of Spring quarter, I had done as usual and registered for two five credit classes for summer. What I failed to realize was that both were in the "extra-short quarter" category, at just six weeks long. Yes, you read that right, six weeks, which is approximately HALF a regular quarter... Uh-oh...
In addition to the time crunch, both my classes were online, which is often a little more difficult for me. I decided to go with online, as I have major heat intolerance issues (just ask ANY of my friends, especially the one who found me barely conscious and incoherent from heatstroke one summer) and a sun allergy. I don't just burn easily, I break out in extremely painful/itchy hives within moments of sunlight touching my skin. That part isn't usually a problem in the winter, as the UV index is much lower, but I am always careful... Anyway, online classes. Right. Although the campus would have air conditioning in the buildings/classrooms, there is generally a bit of a walk from one class to the next and while a parasol helps with the sun, the heat radiating up off of the bricks causes me to get dizzy and nauseous and gives me intense migraines. That being the case, I decided that sitting home in minimal clothing, always having a huge glass of iced-tea or ice water by me, and avoiding the sun at all costs was the best option... While, health-wise that was true, it turns out that class-wise, it was not.
I was excited about the classes I had signed up for, Sex & Gender in Culture and Aztec, Inca, & Maya Archaeology. I really shouldn't have taken them in the summer... For exactly six weeks, I left my house approximately once a week to see friends, and spent ALL of the rest of my time doing school work. My stress level during that period is impossible to describe. I feel sorry for all those who ventured too close during that period. I was frantically trying to wedge information on culture, language, art, warfare, politics, and religious and sacrificial practices from three different cultures AND learning about perceptions of gender and gender practices from about a dozen other cultures into my brain all at once. I think, having face-to-face classes would have helped. With so little time in which to absorb all of this, being bale to talk with the professors and my classmates would have made a huge difference. As it was, I mostly felt so stressed out that I was as sick as if I had spent several hours a day in direct sunlight in 100 degree weather. On top of that, having to rush through all the material so quickly, I don't think that I got nearly as much out of these classes as I would have if I had taken them during a different quarter. It was really a shame, as the subject matter of each were topics I had really been looking forward to. Don't get me wrong, I learned a lot. Don't ask me questions on any of those topics unless you want to sit through a long-winded lecture. I just feel I missed out on a lot.
Looking back on that highly charged month-and-a-half, I am surprised that I didn't end up at the hospital again. Maybe it just all happened SO fast, that my anxiety & depression didn't have time to realize how stressed I was, and respond accordingly. I can say though, that I am grateful I didn't COMPLETELY lose it. Instead, I only lost it 3/4 of the way. 3/4 was enough though. I needed some serious recovery time after that quarter. I don't know how I got through it, much less in a fashion that had me nominated for a national honor's society... Oh well, I will count my blessings and move on...
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