Proud to be a "Nerd"

This morning I was thinking about what I had missed in my list of hobbies / what-nots  that I talked about yesterday and I realized that I failed to include something very important indeed: PROUD NERD.

I think that the term "nerd" is so misunderstood and misrepresented in our society. I saw an excellent quote by John Green the other day (author of The Fault in Our Stars and one of my new favorite people):

"... because nerds like us are allowed to be unironically

enthusiastic about stuff... Nerds are allowed to love stuff,

 like jump-up-and-down-in-the-chair-can't-control-yourself love it.

 Hank, when people call people nerds, mostly what

 they're saying is "you like stuff." Which is just not a 

good insult at all. Like, "you are too enthusiastic

 about the miracle of human consciousness."

And boy, do I get excited about things. Anyone who has had the misfortune of getting me started on Latin or Classics or Lord of the Rings has experienced that part of me. But I love how John Green's definition encompasses the heart of what it means to be a "nerd", and the idea that it doesn't matter what the subject matter is, only the passion and excitement that is exerted towards it. 

For example, by that definition, I would consider most athletes to be "nerds". They spend countless hours pouring over strategies and fine-tuning their skills, just as any "nerd" who loved a particular class would. I experienced this when I played softball my whole life, and I guess that that's one of the main reasons why I never understood high school stereotypes. It is so incredibly possible to have passions for things that are vastly different in nature. My senior year of high school I was an athlete on my school's varsity softball team, but I was also taking 4 AP classes and was enthusiastic about participating in science bowl. I loved it all and that was the only thing that mattered.

In college, I have found that these stereotype lines have been blurred significantly, yet I have thrown myself into one of the most enigmatic stereotypes there is - sorority life. Many people were surprised when I joined AOII last fall, and in some ways, so was I. I mean, who would have ever expected a mellow, "nerdy" girl like me to join a sorority - especially when most people in my hometown think of the Greek system, they think of Legally Blonde. But the truth is, the girls that I have come to know in AOII are so filled with passion for their respective fields of study, and moreover, we all share a love of community and investment in those around us. We all have a passion for serving others and for trying to make the world a better place.

So in conclusion, I believe that the answer of tackling stereotype barriers lies in the classic cliché "it's what's on the inside that counts." It is for this reason that I didn't mention any of my physical or physiological characteristics in my "Who Do You Think You Are?" list yesterday, because they are simply irrelevant. Sure, I own a couple of fancy dresses and it's fun to dress formally every once in a while, but my favorite articles of clothing by far are baseball shirts [I have three and am always on the look-out for more]. I also own a t-shirt that has the periodic table on it front-and-center and one that displays all the college crests of Oxford University. And yes, when I go back to school I will be participating with my AOII gals in Berkeley's Fall Formal Recruitment, and I will be wearing dresses and heels and my hair and make-up will all be done carefully and neatly. However, when I talk with the girls who are rushing throughout that week, I will be sure to focus on their eyes rather than their clothing, because there is nothing more beautiful or telling about a person than when their eyes light up as they talk excitedly about the things they're passionate about. And that in turn makes me so unbelievably excited in return. How nerdy of me :).

Sincerely,

Olivia

"Who Do You Think You Are?"

Some of the last few conversations that I've had with friends have involved me saying something about one of my hobbies or some little tidbit that had grabbed my interest and them responding "Who are you?!" in a joking manner, as if they'd never met anyone else like me before. I don't like to think of myself as being that extraordinary, and I truly believe that everyone should consider themselves to be unique and special in their own way. I guess I just do the things I do because I love them - and that's as simple as it is. I love being so certain of where my passions lie and in that I consider myself to be very lucky! This reminds me of one of my favorite movies, Secondhand Lions, in which Robert Duvall's character answers that timeless question of identity with such confidence and style, that you can't help but feel awestruck by it. If you'd like to watch the scene, here's a link.

 I would have to say that that's one of my ultimate goals in my life, to be able to answer that question, "Who do you think you are?", as effortlessly and assuredly as possible. So even though I'm typically a fairly private person, I thought that I would share a few fun facts with you all today, because learning new things about my own friends is so precious to me :)

WHO AM I???

Olivia Marie Graves

Eighteen years old

California Golden Bear - Class of '17

Aspiring Archaeologist / Adventurer

Part-Time Librarian

Lover of Opera, Standards, and Classic Rock

Self-proclaimed Thrift Store Goddess

Avid BBC fan (Doctor Who, Sherlock, Downton Abbey... you name it)

Future Cat Lady

Daughter of THE KING

Sorority girl

Pun Crafter

Beginning Knitter

Pinterest Addict

 Lord of the Rings Enthusiast

Latin Speaker

Puzzle Solver

Coffee Drinker

Mug Collector

Northern California Native

Lover of Words / Quotes / Etymologies

Hopeless Romantic

Dreamer of Big [and oftentimes ridiculous] Dreams

ETC.....

Of course, all of these things only make up part of the picture because my hobbies and interests don't touch on any of my weaknesses, temptations, or strengths. Obviously, those things are important too, but I think that there is so much value in taking time to notice the little things that make you who you are :). So I encourage you all to make a list, because there is so much freedom in it. How would you answer the question of "Who are you?". If you're ever interested in telling me, I'd love to hear. People are just fascinating aren't they? Every single one of them.

Sincerely,

Olivia

Home for the Summer

What a year this has been! I've been home from Berkeley for about two weeks now and it has been so wonderful to get some quality rest and relaxation after a hectic semester. Every once in a while during the last couple of months it would occur to me that I had not blogged in a very long time, but then life would catch up with me and I never made time for it. I don't have very many regrets about my first year of college, but that is definitely one of them.

Anyways, I'm here now, and life is starting to get really exciting! I have decided to alter my career path, and I am currently pursuing archaeology as a profession! The more I think about it, the more I fall in love with it. Archaeology is simply a ram-shamble of all my favorite things. I would get to travel to far away places, study and handle objects that haven't been touched in thousands of years, and continue to learn about people and cultures that I have loved since I was a little girl. Besides, in order to become an archaeologist, I would need to get a Masters as well as a Doctorate - that means that I would be Dr. Graves. How fitting, am I right? :)

In preparation, I began taking Latin last semester as many of you know, and I will continue taking it as well as Ancient Greek and German. Next summer, I will hopefully be traveling to Nemea, Greece, to assist with a UC Berkeley excavation site with one of my favorite professors! There have even been hints that we will be excavating tombs! So exciting! I also intend to seek out volunteer positions and internships at local museums in my next few years at Berkeley.

On another note, it was hard to say goodbye to all of my friends that I made on my dorm floor since we won't be living together again, but I know that we'll still see each other in the years to come :). I'm going to be living in my sorority, Alpha Omicron Pi, next year and my room has a bay view! I will literally be able to lay on my bed and see the Golden Gate Bridge out my window. I don't know how I got to be so lucky.

This summer I'll hopefully be working and adventuring! My best friend is coming home in less than two weeks and I am so stoked to be reunited with her after spending six months apart! Other than that, I'm just going with the flow and seeing where God takes me next. I love you all and I want to thank everyone for your support and well-wishes throughout this past year! There were certainly a lot of changes but they were mostly amazing, and I'm looking forward to all of the great things yet to come!

                     
                     
                     
                     
                     
                     

Here are some of this year's snapshots via my Instagram. You can follow me at @oliviamgraves, if you'd like! More news to come! Thanks again for all of your love and support!

Sincerely,
Olivia