Bildungsroman

My english class my freshman year of high school was all about character growth and coming of age stories. I read the classics: Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, Secret Lives of Bees, The Kite Runner (and some others I can't remember because I'm old and that was 8 years ago). While the details and plots of the books are no longer fresh in my mind, one memorable moment from the class is. It was the first exam and I was sitting at a wooden circular table in the cafeteria on wobbly chair that I could never quite keep still with 3 other students from my class. I went about my business writing my answers, erasing my answers, rewriting my answers, re-erasing my answers, stretching my hands, hopelessly trying to get the cramps out, glaring at students who had the audacity to cough or sneeze within 10 feet of me until I came upon one question that stopped me dead in my tracks:

"What is bildungsroman? Give an example from one of the texts we have read thus far."

My body became rigid. My face flushed with embarrassment. My hand became sweaty so the pencil in my hand slipped. I felt the need to take my sweater of because all of a sudden the room went from hellishly freezing to hellishly hot. My mind, upon drawing a total blank, started going into full on panic mode. What the fuck was bildungsroman? I've definitely never heard of it before. Did I zone out one day and miss it? No, this seems too important to be discussed in just one class period. Has my brain finally given up after just 13 years of use? No, your brain is fine. Probably. Am I genuinely stupid? Stupid, no. Crazy? Debatable. You are having a conversation with yourself. But, at least its not out loud. God, is it hot in here? It's like a sauna. Why is no one else freaking out? I'm so sweaty. Did I remember to put on deodorant? Quickly, check to see if you did as inconspicuously as possible. No, you're not subtle about anything so don't draw attention to yourself by putting your face in your armpit. Stop arguing with yourself and answer the question. But, I don't know. I don't know what bildungsroman is. I'm going to fail. What will my parents say? I'm going to dishonor myself, my family, and my cow...
After a minute of internal turmoil and panic I pulled myself back to the world of logical thinking. I came to the realization that we must have covered this in the two weeks before I had joined the class. I had been told to get notes from those days from a class member, but I forgot. No, I didn't forget. I didn't want to have to talk to anyone or have any more human interaction than absolutely necessary. thinking back on it, that human contact might have been necessary. Whoops, too late now. I was left with one option: Make some shit up and hope it works.
I decided to write that bildungsroman was when the title of the book was written into the text of the story. That seemed the sort of thing that would happen in books and seemed like a real enough literary occurrence. Almost all these books had the title in the text, didn't they? I gave as many examples as possible (maybe if I could convince myself with textual evidence it would become real), patted myself on the back for being clever and moved on. I could sell a glass of water to a downing man I was so persuasive and logical in my answer.
When I got my graded exam back I found that bildungsroman was not when the title presented itself in the text (I did get half credit because my teacher found my answer funny and clever, a fact which I am proud of even to this day). In red ink I found the real definition: Bildungsroman is a literary genre characterized by character growth, a change from childhood to adulthood. I really should have seen that coming. Almost every book we had read so far had the same theme of character growth or coming of age, but I was young and dumb and it was not relevant to me yet.

What was the point of that riveting and in no way poorly told story from my salad days?
Well it was one way to introduce this blog, this story, and me. Hi, I just graduated from college and I have no idea what to do, and because I'm clueless about what to do or how to even start, I've decided to write my own coming-of-age story, my own take on bildungsroman, in the hopes that some magic will happen and just like the characters in those stories, I'll grow up and become an adult.
So, here I am on Blogger chronicling, hopefully semi-regularly, my experiences as I start actually becoming a proper adult. I'm not really sure how to define"proper adult" yet, but just to start I'll make a preliminary requirement list and as time goes on I'll add new items and achievements:

1. Being employed and making money
2. Actually having money in my savings account
3. Not living at home with my parents
4. Being emotionally stable and grown up-ish

Adult Status Update: I am temporarily employed in a job that provides housing with some savings in the bank. Woohoo. I won't go into detail about my mental state. Suffice it to say I am very stressed. But, I'm kinda-sorta-mostly regularly working out so... go me. Maybe that makes me more adulty? 

*achievement badge: sorta getting in shape*

There you have it (my probably imaginary reader because no one should have to endure the torture that is hearing about my life). I start my journey of personal growth today. Of course its figurative because I've been looking for a job and apartment for months and I've tried to be an adult for months and, come to think of it, I probably started the process years ago, but figuratively it's absolutely on. On like Donkey Kong. The game is afoot. And in the game of adulthood you win or you shamefully go back to your parents' house and cry into a pint of ice cream as you tell your dogs they're the only one's who really get you.

I need to stop. 

B out.