It's been a long summer. Really long. With way too much time in my own mind attempting to plan out my entire life, or at least what I'm gonna do after I'm done with school. You're probably thinking, well didn't you think about that before you went back to school? The truth. . . I did but I couldn't come up with anything that seemed exciting or challenging enough to do for the rest of my life. Sounds bad I know. But the interesting part about this line of thinking, is that it was the common theme at the conference I went to with all my fellow ANZO classmates this past week in Buffalo. At least I'm not alone :)
In case you were wondering, ANZO is the awesome word the program came up with for all of us crazy enough to pursue a graduate degree in a field so new the majority of people in the US have never even heard of it. The field: Anthrozoology. Unless you were someone I explained it to before I left, I'm guessing you've never heard of it either. A year ago, I was terrified of the idea of going to a school I'd never heard of for a program I'd also never heard of. Try explaining that to your parents or boyfriend. Not easy. "So I found this degree I don't really know what it is. . . or what it studies. . . or what they hope to accomplish with it since its brand new and the field just became known. . . but I'm gonna take out a bunch of loans and try it anyway. . . ok?" Thinking back, they must have thought I was crazy! Heck, I'm sure a lot of people still think I am.
I'll be honest, I was starting to panic the first week of class. What in the world was I getting myself into (well, besides debt)? It just seemed like there was no specific direction we were all supposed to be headed. We were so free, and it was weird. Because I like structure. And lists. And deadlines. Apparently graduate school teaches you to teach yourself in whatever way you want. Ya, I kind of thought it sounded like an easy way for teachers to get out of grading tests and making lectures, too. Needless to say, it was an interesting week of learning to just relax and learn, but in a whole different way.
So as you can guess, week 2 was approaching quickly and I was incredibly nervous to fly to Buffalo for 5 days to meet all my new classmates and professors. Imagine having a group of very strong willed and confident people with the same passion, but with very different upbringings and views on that passion, spending 5 long days voicing their opinions. I still can't even describe it. Definitely intimidating, and definitely exciting. But even more so, I felt immensely confident about my decision to be an anthrozoologist. And I still have no idea what all that even entails. Haha! But it's ok, because I know that we're all unsure and we're all in it together. Just typing those last few sentences reminds me how crazy that must sound. Then again, hearing some of my classmates' opinions on things sounded crazy at the time. They also made me realize how similar we all really are.
And guess what? I've never been more excited to follow my dreams and spend everyday of my life fighting for animal protection and showing them that humans can be compassionate. After all, we are animals too. And the more I experience this world, the more I'm convinced it can be immensely disturbing and twisted. But don't worry, because I'm also convinced that there are some incredibly brave people out there who dare to stand alone.
Even if I'm the only person in my family, my group of friends, my neighbors, my community, my town. . . I don't want to blend in anymore. I want to make a difference. Differences aren't made by following the crowd or holding back. I was put on this Earth to do something amazing (why else would I be here!?). Maybe that something is small like bettering the life of a single animal, or maybe its something huge like eliminating all zoos and turning them into sanctuaries where animals can be free. I don't know what my future holds. But I do know that there are some pretty awesome people all over the world that are working hard to have the field of Anthrozoology be known for all the right reasons, and I'm lucky enough to call them my friends.
I also wanted to show you a few pictures from my trip to Buffalo. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of my new ANZO friends yet, but soon. Enjoy :)
Welcome to Canisius College! (School of only about 5500 total)
It has so much character!
I got to meet Wayne Pacelle (and got my copy of his book signed) while I was there. Wayne Pacelle is the CEO/President of the Humane Society of the U.S. They've done some amazing things for animals, so it was very exciting to meet him!
