Submitted by Lauren Brooks on the 2022 spring semester program in Paris, France…
This past week has highlighted that both school and my internship are now in full swing. Compared to my life back on campus in Newark, I have quite a number of extra responsibilities that I have not encountered before. Classes, homework, internship, cooking, household shopping, laundry, social life, and exploring—the list goes on. As a result, I’ve leaned a lot on my time management skills that I have been building up over the years in order to keep things in line.
Not only does this situation allow me to bolster my time management skills, but it gives me a larger appreciation for what my parents have provided for me back home. I can remember many instances in which my Mom would come home from work exhausted and usually would still have to cook dinner for the family. On the Newark campus, we also luckily have laundry facilities within our dorms. When living in an apartment, sometimes such luxuries aren’t available, and we have to take the clothes to a laundromat instead. Little by little, I’m continuing to grow and become more independent. These experiences are surely the building blocks of my future.