As a kid, I had a ridiculous love of reading. When I say ridiculous, I mean it in the most literal way – I was basically eating books. I read everything I could get my hands on and I loved it. The adventures, knowledge, mystery, romance, and outer body experiences that literature provided me were the equivalent of turning on a new TV show. Then as I got further into school, my love affair with reading seemed to stop. Sure, I was occasionally reading my assigned books, but suddenly when someone began assigning me texts and forcing a time limit on them, I lost interest in the recreational act of reading.
Now that I am back in college I can confidently say- I have fallen back in love with reading. Why the sudden change? I enrolled in an Africana Literature course and it requires roughly a novel a week. I find myself speeding through the pages, digesting the chapters, and craving the conclusion to these stories similar to the way I did when I was younger. I have rediscovered the bliss and indulgence of enjoying a great book.
The love I have for this class has inspired me to even consider possible additions to my academic plan. I am looking into the pursuit of a minor in Africana Studies or even English, due to the immense enjoyment, I get from taking that literature class. It is so refreshing being in a class that I look forward to every single week. Not to throw any shade at my other classes, but everybody has their favorites!
This is the class that allows my creative imagination to run wild. It’s the two and a half hours of every week that I can speak freely and say the most outrageous ideas that come to mind. In turn, I learn about hard hitting topics that have been expertly woven into the novels, and my eyes are opened to the parallels that they serve even in my life today! This class is not only re-teaching me to think outside of the box, but it is also teaching me about myself, and my existential role as a woman in today’s world.
In all this, I’ve learned the importance of taking the time to go back to the root of what defined my childhood. My advice to any student, college age, or beyond is to take the time out of your schedule and life to take a class in something you really enjoy. You just might surprise yourself.
