"Hello, I'm Jerri Blank. Thirty-two years ago I dropped out of high school and ran away from home. Oh, I made a lot of friends... did a lot of time. I was a boozer, a user and a loser. I stole the TV... Did some more time. But now I'm back in school! And though the faces may have changed, the hassles are just the same."
-Strangers with Candy
I love that show! Amy Sedaris is amazing as forty-six year-old derelict Jerri Blank. If you've never seen this edgy Comedy Central cult classic(YOU SHOULD GO BUY IT ON AMAZON NOW!), it's about an ex-con picking up the pieces of her life and going back to school in an attempt to improve her life.
Ever since I first started the application process to Grad School I kept making connections between myself and the journey of Jerri. I was
of course
joking...mostly. But ya know, maybe there is some truth to Strangers With Candy.
Not much
has changed, college is just how I left it nine years ago. So naturally I imagined myself in Jerri Blank orthopedic loafers as I walked onto campus this past Wednesday. I immediately decided to post these feelings to Facebook. My status for that day read:
It's my first day of Grad School and i'm feeling a little like Strangers With Candy....Will the kids like me? Will they think i'm cool? Good thing i'm wearing the turtleneck sweater I bought at The Comfort Zone...
All the old expectations and anxieties were still there. I guess no matter how many times I go to a new school, or start a new job, first-day jitters won't be something I'll easily shake off.
Anyhoo...
My first week of classes are over! I did it! I survived! And even though the hassles were just the same, something other than the faces changed. I changed.
There is no doubt the next three years are going to be hard, but this time around i'm ready for whatever academia throws my way!
Good times!!