I'm a big fan of new beginnings. I've made quite a few of them over the years, some personal and some professional and I've learned that on the whole, change is a GOOD thing. Along the way, however, there have also been some resounding failures, which like most people, I've preferred to sweep under the carpet and ignore. One of these, back in 1983, was an ill-fated attempt at university.
At the end of '82, with a nursing qualification, a post-grad in midwifery and two years ICU experience under my belt, I felt it was time for the next step up the ladder, so a friend and I decided to apply for admission to the medical school. I'd dropped maths in early high school so I spent five months doing a crash course in and passed - but my grades weren't good enough and I didn't get a medical school place. But the idea of going back to study still appealed so I enrolled instead for a BA and picked interesting but random courses for my first year: psychology, Greek and Roman myth and legend, intro to French and English 1. At age 23, I was already far, far older than most of the other students. Living off campus and working part time, I struggled to fit in. Back in 1983, there was no internet, no support for mature students so by mid-year, depressed, confused and with no specific goal in sight, I dropped out.
Life continued. Nursing, marriage, babies, depression, divorce, illness, recovery, redundancy, raising kids, spiritual highs and lows, adventures in writing and travel, and finally, in 2009, a major geographical shift when, still a single mom, I emigrated from South Africa to New Zealand. And so now, with my kids almost fully grown (19 and 22), it's time to change it all up again. I've spent countless years in nursing and I know that I really don't want to be rushing round a ward with a bedpan when I'm 62. So now it's time to give some serious attention to those things that have proven themselves enduring loves over the years, things I've dabbled in by reading and thinking abou them on my own in the most informal and unstructured of ways.
The good thing is that now I'm older, I've gotten to know some important things about myself. One, I get bored easily. Two, I'm intelligent and I write well. Three, there are a wide variety of things that interest me: literature, writing, anthropology, film, linguistics, philosophy, cosmology and religion are the first ones that come to mind. So, with a view to effecting a career change within the next five years, I've enrolled at our local university for a part time BA degree. My plan is to major in English Studies (includes the option of focussing on any two of literature, linguistics, media, film and theatre) and to pick up a smattering of interest papers along the way to have a taste of the other things that continue to fascinate me so.
So, this is a real New Beginning for me. I'm combining being a part time mature student with being a part time RN, working 0.7 FTE in a busy medical assessment unit, and with being a mom, as both my beloved kids still live at home. Interesting side note: both of them started at uni this year as well so it's a bit like flatting - only not! It's interesting to compare our experiences but also challenging as I try to keep my roles as mom and fellow student in balance.
Next post I'll talk more about the challenges of getting it all sorted out and actually starting back in class again, after twenty plus years away.
