Caprice and me

CAPRICIOUS: (adjective) impulsive, like when you change your mind on a whim, or unpredictable, like when you're teetering on the edge of disaster

My Ukrainian host mother, Alya, once told me that I was capricious. What? I wondered. I didn't know the word in Ukrainian. We had to look up the translation. At first, I was shocked. I know my own mind, I thought. Why would Alya think that I was such a flake?

It turns out that this word describes me more than I would think. It's not a horrible thing. It's not as if I can't make small decisions and rely on other people to help. Instead, I tend to make decisions quickly and on a whim. My check book has always suffered from this part of me. I'm what my mom calls an impulsive shopper. It's sad, I know.

Before coming to the U of O, I actually had a bit of a mid-twenties crisis. I couldn't decide whether or not to attend. I asked so many people for advice. What should I do, I asked. In the end, it didn't really matter what they said. I decided to come here because I fell in love with the program, or the idea of the program at least.

I'm hoping that my capriciousness doesn't hinder me in some way. Example: meeting some guy on a trip to Vegas and getting hitched because I "feel the spark." Not a good idea. We'll see. I never know quite how my life is going to turn out. And that's a good thing, I think.