Spring Break

Woohoo! It's spring break for me with my LR classes. It's nice to have a little break from my professors. My schedule is a bit wacky though because I am still following the Catawba County School Calendar with my Symphonic Band class. This upcoming week I will be performing at MPA with my high school at LRU so I'm not really escaping from campus. It's okay though, it's part of my decision of deciding to do my senior year at LRU. The program has allowed to take challenging courses that I would have been unable to take at my high school due to scheduling conflicts. Even though it's distanced me from some of my friends, it's help me realize who I am and what I'm capable of.

Going back to the topic of spring break, I feel like this week is more of "prepare for the last home stretch" week. After spring break I have about 7-8 more weeks of school left until my high school education is over. It looks like I'm more busy catching up with all my classes even though I do look forward to sleep in a couple extra hours. So as a reminder to myself, here's everything I have to do during spring or else! Or else stress will reach as high as Mt. Everest.

1.  Time to buckle down for Senior Piano Recital!

• I've been preparing for this shindig since last summer. I'm playing pieces from the Baroque Period to the Contemporary period. My repertoire consists of about two pieces per music period. So, I think it is a total of 9 pieces which includes a duet. I have so far memorized 5/8 pieces I want to memorize so I still have a lot of work to do! I also have to prepare for the public speaking part of the recital which makes me feel like this whole thing is a huge fury ball of anxiety. All this performing and public speaking will make my heart pop out! Just kidding, but seriously.

2. Read, Read, and Read

• Okay. So I have a lot to read for my AP Literature and Composition class (figures) in fact I have to try to get through two books. One of them is The Eyes Were Watching God and Invisible Man. I'm honestly not a big fan of literature but I'm starting to appreciate it a little bit. I've really been trying to improve my writing. I tend to have writer's block way too much so hopefully writing more blogs and attempting to focus might help. I also have to read a book for biology (who knew?). I chose a book that I hope would find somewhat enthralling so I chose a book Bombardier Beetles and Fever Trees. This book is about how animals and plants were used as a weapon in chemical warfare. Yeah, not the best book morally but I find it more interesting than reading an extremely detailed novel on the evolution of everything.

3. Try to apply for more scholarships

• As exciting as college sounds in the distant future the money factor isn't that hot. It's easy to say that my family is pretty well off (which I am entirely grateful about) but being the first one to go to college in America in my family can be frustrating. They don't completely understand the financial process. I don't completely understand the financial process. So when the word tuition is brought up, I can feel the tension behind each and every word. I can try to apply scholarships as much as I can but honestly there's not a lot anyone can offer me since a majority of the scholarships require proof of financial aid or if a merit reward requires a perfect SAT score and a bajillion AP credits. I think it's the downside of being more in the upper-middle class family in America. College is just expensive. Upper classes can afford it and lower classes are able to receive financial aid help from the government or through the college's financial aid department. 

Yep it's looks like my break won't be much of a break! But I can look forward to a few things though. On Monday I will be taking a visit to UNC-CH to meet the saxophone professor and visit the Jazz Band. I know it falls like two days before MPA but first off I've been trying to plan this for over a month now and it's one of the few times one of my parents are off work. Also, I'm not missing my college classes. 

Well I think I might end it just here. I have to wake up early since I decided to be a good consistent swimmer and head to swim practice. I am also waking up early because I am such a loving sister to bring my brother to his violin audition tomorrow. Oh my sister is having her MPA performance at LR tomorrow too! Hopefully she can earn a Superior! Being in that process for nine years I completely understand what's she's going through. I know both of my musical siblings will knock the judges out! 

May everyone have a blessed upcoming week! Thanks for reading from the outside looking in...

Kirsten Nicole Zaldarriaga Consing