As a TESOL/IEM student, my day begins like many others – with my phone’s alarm (Tiny Dancer by Elton John, no less). As I curse this classic song, I drag myself out of bed and jump into the shower. I cruise down to Plumes where, Sim, used to seeing my bleary eyed smile, is ready with my usual coffee and bagel sandwich. The grey mist begins to lift from downtown Monterey and, adequately caffeinated, I hop back into the car (now, perhaps with classmate and fellow coffee-addict, Cameron) and head to class.
My 8am begins and our professor, Thor, breathes life into the still drowsy students. Lucky for us, he couldn’t be more passionate about grammar, semantics, morphology, phonology; applied linguistics… the list goes on. Needless to say, having a professor get psyched about these topics at such an early hour is uncommon, extremely awesome and engaging.
As I maneuver through the rest of my classes… I take a lunch break and retreat to my favorite place on campus: the garden. People come and go, small talk is exchanged as well as the perfunctory, “What’s growing in your plot?” (Kale, carrots, lettuce and broccoli – I’ll have you know). I even get some time to Skype my friend Katie, who is off on practicum in Paris. As we reminisce about our 1st year adventures, she reminds me of why MIIS is so darn special. Everyone here has his or her heart in a different place in the world. Whether its in Paris or the Philippines, you’ll be hard pressed to find a MIIS student that doesn’t have extensive experience and passion for another country. And don’t get me started on the languages you’ll hear around campus…
Lunch is over, as is the catching-up session, and it’s back to class. Autumn is upon us and before I know it I find myself at a yoga session on Del Monte beach – led by a classmate offered to any student that finds solace in his or her mat so as to unwind from a busy day.
Life at MIIS has, oddly enough, turned into a personal quest – not a search for the best grades or the best happy hour. No, life at MIIS has become a search for balance (which is a tricky thing to encounter). As all will attest – reading, work, essays, deliverables, takeaways, and so on and so forth – are unending and even grossly overwhelming around finals time. Yet, going through a Vinyasa while watching pelicans fly overhead and a seal playing in the bay, sets an easy stage to reflect on how beautiful and privileged Monterey really is.
After the final, “Namaste”, it’s back home to scarf down a kale salad, set up the computer for some more homework – or maybe watch some Netflix – before falling asleep while listening to some very boisterous sea lions barking down at the pier. Buenas Noches.