#08.29.2016

A week in the life: Bernice Blackstock August 29, 2016 to September 2, 2016

     I thought transferring to Stony Brook would be exactly what I needed. A fresh start, a chance to get a better education, even an opportunity to better myself. It’s 10:03A.M. and I’m sitting in the Melville Library because my 8:00A.M. class was dismissed an hour early.       Normally, my shitty schedule only includes a four and a half hour break between my two classes. Today, my shitty schedule granted me five and a half hours.      I don’t remember the last time I had an 8:00A.M. class aside from when I was in high school. Actually, that probably was the last time I had this early of a schedule.       I already know that I don’t belong here. You may be thinking, “How? It’s your first day.” Well, let me tell you. I am sitting next to a girl who is making a study guide for something about molecular functions and it is only day one of the semester.      Maybe I’m so upset about all of this because everyone back at Albany is posting fun Snapchats and Instagram pictures of themselves enjoying rush week. Or maybe it’s because I feel like I’m doing all of this work for nothing.       Going to college and having no idea what to do afterwards absolutely kills me. Not having any goals set for myself makes working hard seem pointless and much harder than it has to be.       Hopefully as time goes on I won't feel so lost here. Wandering around the campus aimlessly has me feeling like a freshman all over again. Having to ask the faculty where things are makes me really nervous, which is weird because for the most part I think I’m pretty outgoing.       It’s crazy how quickly my mood can change. When I started writing this post I was feeling extremely pessimistic. This morning when I left my house the GPS on my phone wasn’t working, I had to pay to park because I was unable to register for a parking sticker online, and my journalism professor made his class sound extremely difficult. But, mid-writing, my parter for my journalism project e-mailed me and made me feel much better about not only the project, but working with her in general.       I normally hate group work. Usually the other person doesn’t do their part, or sometimes I feel like I didn’t do enough. Either way, group projects are not my thing. My partner, Yawen, seems really proactive and willing to work together to get the entire project done on time.        Surprisingly, just my interaction with her made me feel a bit more optimistic about my time here. I’m scared but ready to work hard. Although I may not know where I’m going, and although I may not be 100% comfortable here, I’m ready to find out what Stony Brook has in store for me.      

Today, Romano was outraged about the price if gas. He remembers when everything costed cents.

Have you felt unsettled, sad or angry about the recent police shootings? Are you uncomfortable with the disparity between the daily experiences of white people and people of color? Are you wondering about how you can help work for justice? Please join us. We need all of our voices and all of our energy to move forward! This meeting is the inaugural SURJ-UA meeting and will be our opportunity to start a conversation about how we can make our town just for all of its residents, and how we can support our schools in telling everyone's story so that our children can have the knowledge they need to grow up to be champions of freedom.