Old lady, comin’ through.

I think the hardest thing about going back to school is that I am older than 4/5 of my class. There are a few even older folk than I, and I am sure they struggle with the same issues. Sometimes, being older and having experience makes it hard.

I do have friends in class. They are smart, well spoken, educated, and funny people. Most of them are also at least 6 years younger than me. That doesn’t sound like much until you realize that when I graduated high school, they were in 6th grade. My own sister is 17. These people range around 20/21.

Sometimes, I feel more alienated than usual. ‘Than usual’ meaning that I’m a girl geek who likes to roleplay, play video games, write, and watch sci-fi. I’m not exactly a common breed outside of the internet. I’m slightly agoraphobic and very clausterphobic - I don’t go out to live music very often because it’s loud and I’m surrounded by people. I work - most of the people in my class do not have jobs, so they have oodles of time just to do nothing.

I was ranting about this to Drew today (based on some conversations in class today - I’m older, I have experience, I know what I’m talking about, but I have to hold my tongue and not denigrate these people’s thoughts since they are just as valid as mine), and he told me that there was an article in today’s Metronews about adult students that expressed some of my frustrations. It is a whole different game for adults. I have life experience that some of these younger students (some of whom are living away from home for the first time) don’t have, and I have a hard time relating. I’m not very good at making friends in the first place, guys.

I guess I just feel boring and old next to these younger breed. I’m a homebody, I can’t help it.