My name is Christina. I am a 32-year-old graduate student. I am a 32-year-old graduate student studying ancient history. I am a 32-year old graduate student studying the history of Ancient Greece from 3000 BCE. If you are anything like my parents, you are asking yourself "What the hell are you going to do with that?" and until about ten days ago I would have snarkily quipped back, "A bad-ass barista." Life, however, has a unique way of throwing a wrench in even the most grandiose plans of becoming a snotty coffee diva.
Now before I get too involved discussing my new focus, I should really tell everyone a little bit about myself. I know next to nothing about technology. Granted, I'm not using a typewriter to write my papers (although I do own one), but up until nine days ago I was a complete technology neophyte. I have a smartphone and I spend a unhealthy amount of time on social media just like everyone else. They're not utilized for practical application (snort). Their used for mocking my friends and watching videos of kittens -- just like everyone else.
That is all about to change.
The end of spring semester 2013, I expressed my interest in learning more about the technology side of archaeology. Over the summer the state university system experienced a financial crisis that had wide-sweeping ramifications and the majority of my intended courses were suddenly unavailable. They were unavailable two weeks prior to the beginning of my fall semester. Suddenly, I had to dive-in head first into the technology scene at a break-neck pace and leave behind the traditional "Classics" background (much to the relief of my Greek language professor). Needless to say the learning curve is pretty extreme. Am I worried? "Worried", "terrified", "filled with self doubt"... there are not enough words to cover the very genuine fear I have of failure. Am I smart enough? Am I too old to learn all of this? The other students are young. They learn so much faster. I am going to fail. I will never find a job. I will be living in a van down by the river. *Take deep breath*
Then I shake myself and take a step back to better evaluate the situation unencumbered by my neuroses. I am surrounded by truly brilliant and talented individuals who want me to succeed. This can only deepen my conceptualization of the Ancient Greek world, archaeology, and heritage preservation. Instead of focusing on where my weaknesses lie, I need to focus on the possibilities. How can this technology change my career? How can this technology change how I interact with people around me? How can this impact my interactions with people across the globe? How can the technologies I am about to learn help me preserve and educate others about Ancient Greece and all her facets? How can Ancient Greece be more than Gerard Butler chirruping about "we are Sparta"?
The possibilities are endless, but I am starting slow. Five days ago I learned what RAM really was. Three days ago I learned how to build my own computer. Today I started learning about building a web page. This week has been great and I feel utterly empowered to change the way Ancient History, Classical Archaeology, and Classics are approached. I will change the study of Ancient Greece beyond that of a lecture. I am going to get people excited about learning.
But for right now, I am just going to learn. There will be rants and rages. There will be victories. There will be shenanigans. So be patient with me for I will have none for myself and let's see where this goes.
