I have tried to make the best of this year as it is my senior year at UT. I have been more involved in my organizations and have tried to go out and to some of the places that I have not been to recently. During my freshman year, I explored almost everything that I could but as the years went by, I didn’t really go back to them.
Last semester, I decided that I wanted to run the Austin Marathon. Since I volunteered in the hydration stations my freshman year I had been wanting to do it, but I never took it seriously. I have been running since I was in high school, and this past November I decided I needed to go for it specially because it is my final year at UT. I was a nervous because it was last minute decision and I didn’t train as much as others but I was able to make it through the finish line.
In February, the Ellen show was on campus and although I didn’t dress up I still went and spent some time in the crowd. I had been at work and in my classes so I did not have the chance to try to pull something together. However I was glad I went and experienced how everyone tried their best to look like Beyonce. It was a great experience and one of the costumes that caught my attention was the one of Bevo dressed as Beyonce.
A few weeks ago my best friend came to visit. I showed her around campus and we went out to several places. One of the highlights was going to the Austin Graffiti Park, she has always wanted to go see it and this was the perfect opportunity to do so. I had planned to go on Sunday but on Saturday we decided to go after we had lunch and we took many pictures of the wonderful view when we climbed to the top. The climb was a little harder than usual this time as we hadn’t planned on going, so we weren’t wearing the most appropriate footwear.
Overall, in this semester my digital culture hasn’t changed a lot. I have been taking pictures of everywhere I go for a long time. Even if it’s not of myself all the time, I always take at least one picture to document where I have been. It is common for me to post them on social media, usually on Instagram or Snapchat. It allows my friends to see what I am doing and by seeing their posts, I get ideas on what to do as well or gives me the opportunity to tag along when I can.
Hi Johana! It’s great to see that you’re doing all these fun things during your senior year. I have always wanted to run a marathon but I don’t think I have the stamina. Also, it’s interesting to hear that you enjoyed your experience when the Ellen Show came to campus. I’ve seen many videos on Facebook and thought it was really exciting! I have been to the Graffiti Wall a couple of times too. I remember the first time I went there I wasn’t wearing the appropriate footwear either so I couldn’t climb up to the top.
Hi Johana,
I also went and attended the event on campus in February when the Ellen show reported live from in front of the tower. I did not go all out dressing up either, but it was very interesting to see everyone else’s costumes. This was so cool that she decided out of all of the schools to come to UT! So many people always talk about the graffiti park, but I have actually never had the chance to go visit it yet. That is on my list of places to go to before I graduate, so I hope that I will get around to it soon!
-Meg
Hey Johana,
I really enjoyed your section of the post talking about your experience running the Austin Marathon. I can totally relate to your last-minute decision about running 26.2 miles before you graduate as I plan to do one as well before I graduate. I’m actually curious about how you felt running your first ever marathon with no prior training? Was it extremely difficult? When you finished how did you feel?
– Shannon
Hey Shannon,
I was very very nervous to run my first marathon, and after I register I would hear about how difficult it was because of all the hills and that made me doubt myself even more. When the day came, there was so much support from the Austin community, and my family and friends that I didn’t feel it as difficult as I thought it would be. I felt so relieved as I was crossing the finish line, I was so happy that I was done and that I actually finished in the time that I had set for myself.
-Johana
Hey Johana,
1. I’m impressed that you could finish the marathon without training too much for it. That’s an awesome achievement!
2. It’s interesting how much the iPhone played a role in that day Ellen’s crew was on campus. It felt like I couldn’t go on social media without seeing someone dressed up like Beyonce. It’s interesting how an event can take over your digital world. Regardless, I’m glad you captured that Beyonce/Bevo picture, that’s one of the best one’s I’ve seen.
3. I think you bring up an important point in regards to taking photos. While many focus on the social aspect, I like to think of iPhone pictures as a way of storing memories.
Best,
Ezra