The Unbearable Lightness of Being...in SIPA

OMG I got accepted! Congratulations! Thank you! But wait, congratulations on being part of the most privileged among my country? Being able to afford learning English, traveling, studying in a private school and working in NGOs that paid low wages but gave me an attractive experience for the admissions committee? Yes. Well OK, I’ll embrace this privilege to learn and try to impact the lives of those who weren’t born in a golden nest and that are currently having their rights denied by conservative pricks who don’t give a damn. 
Its orientation week, I’m so happy it finally started and that I’m here. 

Damn it, I forgot all the math from school. Damn it, there is no free coffee even though I’m paying a s**t load of money. Hey, it’s a privilege to be here. Don’t complain so much. True, sorry. 

Its registration day. I’ve searched through the thousands of courses, but didn’t actually find a course on activism and advocacy that I wanted to take. It’s okay, I’m sure I can use this course on American Politics and Engagement to learn something about my developing country. Well, actually, no, I can’t, course drop … boom.

School has started, met a lot of amazing people already, but I kinda feel weird that people don’t say "Hi" by giving a kiss on the cheek and hugs seem to burn their skin. Maybe people think their is a anthrax epidemic on campus. Or maybe their way of greeting each other here is just saying “Hey, what’s your concentration? And your specialization” Maybe that's what people meant when they said New York is cold. Damn cultural barriers. 

LASA party is this weekend, awesome! 

Oh f**k, I’m so hung over and I needed to study and I have that paper due. I’m not going out in the next couple of days…

Hey, its Thursday, we deserve a beer, yep lets go. Damn it, 7 dollars, that's three times the price in my local currency. Hey, live a little! OK, whats another 7 bucks in my 6-digit debt. Speaking of debt, sorry, I can’t give you any money Mr. Metro Beggar with four kids to feed, I’m a student with no income. But hey, thank you for reminding me why I’m doing this Master’s in Public Administration. 

Ok, let’s head to the library, those hypothetical numbers and formulas that I'll never use won’t graph themselves. Seat taken, seat taken, seat taken, seat taken. WTF, its a Saturday night don’t people know what Netflix, Tinder and Silvana’s are?

First exam, check! Let’s chill. Chill? Aren’t you looking for your summer internship? Wait, did Trump change the months of summer so we'd think climate change isn’t real? No, you just got to be on it, eight months might not be enough to find something. OK, I’m on it, thank God I bought that 20 dollar book for my Professional Development class, now I’m more then prepared to compete with millions of local Americans that have connections in the city. 
Don’t worry, you’ll be fine. BTW did you do that paper for class tomorrow? What paper? Damn it, I must’ve read the syllabus wrong. Let me squeeze that in the agenda tomorrow, bye bye running, bye bye cooking, bye bye being healthy. 

Healthy? Yeah right, this is grad life, you need to be proud of not being healthy. The less you sleep the more you get to say to people that you didn’t sleep enough and win the glorification of busy competition.

Did someone say competition? Yes, I want to participate! What do I get? An ego boost and a footnote on your LinkedIn profile. Oh, and less hours of sleep. Awesome count me in! How about the SIPASA and LASA elections are you going to participate? Yeah sure, this girl said we need more sense of community in SIPA. Totally agree, but she doesn’t say "Hello" when we cross each other on campus. Hello? Who has time for hello’s? It’s mid-terms week!