I'm freaking out!!!

Remember when I was talking about the ISV programs and going to a different country for volunteer work? Well, today I wake up in the morning and I log onto my email and....TADA! I've been accepted into the ISV program. Which means? $500 down payment and now I get to SAVE SAVE SAVE for this trip.

Why am I freaking out?

I'm so excited about this whole volunteer thing but I didn't actually think I would be accepted into this thing. I really didn't. I just thought it would be an amazing experience but it's an INTERNATIONAL Student Volunteer program which means not just USA is going to be applying. It's everywhere. I never thought I would actually get accepted. But I did.

So now I'm floundering around thinking about how much money I'm going to have to get with my little part time job (which by the way, I can only seem to work on Saturdays which doesn't produce enough money for this trip) and wondering how in the world I get sponsored and wondering if I can use my student loan towards this volunteer thing.

Which, I should be able to use the student loan, right? I found out about it through school and if I go about it the right way, I can earn credits towards my college education. So basically, I'm totally allowed to, right? I mean, I won't get into trouble if I use some (or most...or all...give or take) of that loan money...I hope.

And then I've never NEVER been outside of my country (USA). I have no idea what to expect. I hardly ever travel outside of my own little state. Talk about getting out of your comfort zone. I've only been on a plane once (well twice but it was in the same trip) and I never had to deal with switching planes to continue your journey. How does that work? I'm quite terrified about that little fact. But it will be okay. It will be okay.

What if I end up going to a Spanish speaking country? I can't speak Spanish. I'm hoping and praying I'll get to go to Australia or New Zealand because I can speak the language. That's a huge thing for me. My greatest fear is being in a place where I can't communicate with people. I mean, yeah, I'll be taking a two week Spanish class thing and living in a Host home, but I just don't think you can learn a whole language/culture in two weeks. But it'll be okay. It will be okay.

Not only am I freaking out about this trip and money but I'm starting to freak out about my leg. It has started to hurt constantly and I'm limping all over the place. I don't know what it is. Maybe I just sprained it somehow?

But how am I supposed to get to all my classes in time? I'm walking so slowly and limping. I feel like I'm in so much trouble. I'm not looking forward to climbing all those stairs tomorrow. Wish me luck!

I'm so nervous and excited about my life right now. I'm not really sure what I'm doing. I feel like I'm just leaping into something and hoping and praying I land safely and doing something right and something I need to be doing. I wonder if I would have the opportunity to attend my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) in a different country while I'm there. I don't think I could handle not going to church for a whole month. But I'm sure it will work out.

Elections

I can't believe people are already starting the election processes for president/mayor/city counsel, etc. A person on my facebook account posted a link about supporting "Obama 2012" by giving him your money. Like he needs anymore money. Thank goodness for freedom of speech or I'd probably be in major trouble right now. 

I'm not exactly smart when it comes to politics but I'm smart enough to know when I see a bad idea when I see one and Obama has "BAD IDEA" written all over his forehead. Yeah, maybe it's the things he's done while in office but it's also that gut feeling you get when you just...know. 

I've tried to be neutral to this guy because so many people were against him when he took office. But I felt uneasy. And then that earthquake/tsunami hit Japan and all he did was play golf. Seriously, Mr. President? How kind of you.

And why, why, WHY is he on TV shows and what not? Shouldn't he be so busy running a country he shouldn't have time to do all these TV show interviews? I just don't understand. Aren't there more important things on his plate?

And could you please explain to me why he said he would fix America's economy and yet put us more into debt? America is so into debt, I can't even grasp how massive this number is. I just can't understand being in debt that much money.

These are just my personal opinions. Freedom of speech. If you don't agree with what I'm saying, well, that's okay, you have freedom of speech as well and I probably most likely don't agree with your views either. So we're even.

I will be able to have the opportunity to vote this time around in presidential elections. I will, without a doubt, vote for anyone besides Obama. I want to put my opinion into the world and I want to have MY vote be counted. 

Maybe Obama will still win this upcoming election next year. But at least I will have made my opinion known. And hopefully, he won't win.

Australia or New Zealand next summer? Oh yeah!

What if I get this amazing opportunity to travel outside of my country to somewhere I've never been to do a ton of volunteer work and also have an amazing vacation of a lifetime? You have no idea how badly I want this.

However, the price tag isn't the greatest thing in the world. But the good news is I have a job and because I'll be going on this amazing vacation/experience/service thing of a lifetime, through ISV, I can be sponsored! I don't know if anyone would sponsor me...but still, I could try.

Now what would I do there? Well, in Australia, I could be doing a lot of habitat protection and after that I could be snorkeling, and scuba diving in the great barrier reef. Not to bad eh? Now what about New Zealand? Island Habitat Rehabilitation with snowboarding and skiing on the side.

I can't get this thought out of my mind! It feels so right for me to be doing something like this and the way I came about even thinking about it...is just insane.

Story time: I was walking to my astronomy class and I thought, "Hmm, wouldn't it be amazing to do a volunteer project in a different country? Like teaching little kids English?" I really liked this thought. Then I got to my astronomy class and guess what???? ISV is there talking about their volunteer organization to go to locations around the world to do just what I had been thinking about only two minutes before! Talk about destiny.

So here I am, blogging about how amazing it would be to get this opportunity. I can't wait for next week because then I will find out if my application gets accepted into their program! If so, I can start saving like crazy and look into being sponsored!

Do you think my student loan can go towards this? Because in all technicality, I heard about it AT a university AND it is a learning experience.

I hope hope HOPE I can do this! It would be...unbelievable.

A Diet Coke kind of day

Today is the kind of day where it seems like nothing works out for me. It's beyond frustrating. Today started innocent enough, except I woke up late and my throat hurt so badly I could hardly swallow any food. I left my home to get to school a little late but not late enough to make me late for my first class. My college is located about half an hour away from where I live. I get on the freeway, easily enough and I'm just singing along to a Taylor Swift song when...

Traffic Jam.

Yep. Brilliant. It is now 9:40am, my class starts at 10am and I am twenty minutes away from school. I'm starting to think there has to be some horrible, tragic accident somewhere in front of me. Nope. Just 6 or 7 cars being pulled over by three cop cars not even ON the freeway! But we had to all stop and watch anyway.

Finally, I get to class only 5 minutes late which is a miracle beyond all reason.

My next class comes around. Oh yeah, there is a test. Oh crap I forgot my lap top to take this test! Luckily, I will be able to take the test tomorrow at a testing center on campus. I soon left that class and headed to the library to find a computer. I needed to find a map of campus because I had no idea where the testing center is. Ten minutes before my next class starts, I leave the library and walk to my next class.

Here comes the next awesome part of my day. You ready for this? The classroom was completely empty and dark. What in the world is going on here? There was no class in the classroom on Monday either. I'm about to cry at this point because I felt like nothing was going my way and I began to worry I had missed an important class.

Basically, it was just a rotten, no good, very bad day. It was a Diet Coke day.

On the plus side:  I finally got a Diet Coke AND a large french fry with sweet and sour sauce from McDonald's. I was also able to find the testing center (which resulted in aching shoulders from my backpack and a whole lot of sweat from the sun) and now I know exactly where to go to take my next class. I also was able to finish my math homework at a math lab and take my math test. I feel like I didn't do too badly on it but I'm not going to say I did a fantastic job either. Only time will tell!

The gray areas

Has anyone ever wondered why things as so complicated? Things are never "black and white" or "right or wrong." There is always that gray (grey?) area that could or could not be right. Or else it's always changing.

Even in math. You may think it's all right or wrong. Decimals and rounding aren't exactly right or wrong. It's just an estimate, "it's really this but we'll call it this instead." You know what I mean?

And writing! There is never a right or wrong which can be very frustrating! It's all about ideas and perspective. How do you deal with that? How do you know what you write will be "right" for readers out in the world? It's just a mad stab in the dark.

And in real life, things are never drawn out clearly for us. There are always different choices and they can each take us to different locations. Maybe the end product will be "right or wrong." Maybe you try drugs. Well, maybe at the time it seemed like a good idea. But there was this shady gray spot between white and black that was just uncertain (I've never done drugs by the way). I suppose when you get to the consequences you can see the right and wrong like night and day. But then even sometimes people don't know. People sometimes think what's killing them isn't bad but good! So there again, there is no right or wrong.

Or maybe there is a right or wrong but it's all a matter of perspective. What's right for you might not be right for me and the other way around.

I feel like I'm babbling non stop.

I have this little thread of thought about right and wrong and it just doesn't seem to want to translate onto paper.

Maybe I should be a philosopher someday. That whole area of work seems only to deal with the shady gray stuff between white and black. So maybe that won't work for me because I want facts, or things that can be tested, and not things that can't ever be tested.

I feel like I've ranted enough for one evening, don't you?

Three Dimensional Infinity....

Today, while I was walking around campus, I found a statue and the plaque said, "The Symbol of Three Dimensional Infinity." I first thought, "Ehh? What does that even mean?" Then I got to thinking about Toy Story (the Disney movie and if you haven't seen it then this won't be as amusing to you) and then I started thinking about Buzz Lightyear. What if they put Buzz on top of that statue and had the plaque read, "To three dimensional infinity and beyond!"

But really, what is three dimensional infinity? Don't you think there is only one infinity? Or do you think it means one infinity but three ways to view it? What about dimensional? Do you think they are referring to three dimensions that go on for infinity and beyond? Or is this just one of those things that people like to think about but there is no way of proving it? Therefore, people just talk about it to look smart. But it has to be something that has been thought about or else it wouldn't be on a college campus.

Do you think there could be other "dimensions?" What would we mean by dimension though? Is it like another earth somewhere in outer space? Or maybe a time within our own time where people like us live? Or maybe it is simply a figment if our imagination. Who knows? I don't think there is a way to discover if "dimensions" are real or not. 

Brain Mush

Define:  Brain mush

After a long, hard working day, the brain seems to be unable to function normally, causing slowed and/or slurred speech and saying things that really don't make sense.

I have brain mush syndrome right now. It's been a long couple of days for me with a lot of working hours and a lot of college stuff piling up. 

Do you ever feel like there just isn't enough time in a day? I'm beginning to feel that way. There is a lot on my plate at the moment. So far, I'm juggling college classes, a job, and somehow I'm going to fit 20 hours of observation for a college class somewhere. At least I don't have to get 20 hours of observation in one week. I have until December. But still, trying to find where to fit two extra hours is becoming a little difficult. How am I supposed to do my school work on top of it all?

Oh yeah, get off Blogger and do your homework right now! 

But then, aren't we all a little dumb sometimes? We always have things piling up for us to do that are extremely important and yet we choose to sit on our favorite internet site, complaining about how much stuff we have to do and not enough time to do it. Or maybe that's just me. 

I'm a horrible procrastinator. I always say, "I'll get this done today!" Instead, I sit with my favorite book (right now I'm reading Harry Potter) and read all my free time away. Then I'll think, "Well, that's okay. I still have tomorrow." But I usually don't do it then either. I almost always save it for the last minute. Will I ever learn?

Hilarious things and other comedies...

I have a kitty. Her name is Fluffles. One night, Fluffles created a hole in a window screen and escaped in the middle of the night. While she was partying, some other kitties said, "Roll in this patch of grass! It scratches your back!" (Please note I really don't know if cats said anything or if in fact, there were other cats) Fluffles agreed and rolled and rolled and rolled around in this awesome "grass." In the wee hours of the morning (4am) she crawls home with sticker weeds all over her and long thick blades of "grass" sticking to these sticker weeds making her look like some alien life form. Poor Fluffles. I sat with her and thought about cutting out these weeds but alas, there were too many. She was taken to the vet to get a nice $100 dollar hair cut.

                                                                Before haircut:

After Haircut:

(Please notice kitty's paws. The cat version of "UGG boots!!!")

Now what is the moral of this story? Be stupid, Look stupid.

In other news...Youtube holds some of the greatest video clips known to mankind. Harry Potter puppet pals for instance. Now this one differs from the original HP puppet pals seeing how this one includes scenes from the actual movies! The second one has the best names ever created. I am also sure you will find names you will name your own children someday.

That is all for today's "Hilarious things and other comedies." Have a fantastic day! 

You know that feeling when...

 you are just tired of music with words? I don't know about you, but I feel like that quite often. Sometimes I just want to hear instruments and sometimes I'll even be the one to supply the music without words. I don't sing, but I can play piano.
  You know that feeling when you have a favorite music group/singer and then you hear them live and your opinion of them totally changes? I feel like that right now. Has anyone heard of Secrets by One Republic? Love the song! But then I heard the group sing it live. They were off key most of the way through and his voice cracked several times.
  You know that feeling when you just want to curl up in a fuzzy blanket, have a mug of hot chocolate and a good book to read? I feel like that right now, however, English 1010 and Math 990 homework is plaguing my mind right now.
  So many things are going through my mind right now I'm just not sure what I feel like sharing.
  Because I can't sort through all my thoughts, I'll question any passing reader that happens to stumble upon my blog.
  Are you a blog writer yourself or are you just a blog reader? Or are you both? I'm both, however, I lean more towards reading what other people have to say. I find it much more fascinating that what I have to say. Or maybe I have just as fascinating things to say but I just can't say it as well as others can.
  Where are you from? I'm from The United States of America. What are your cultural traditions?
  Do you have a family of your own or is your main family your parents/siblings/both?
  What kind of music do you listen to?
  Do you have a religion?

  Listening to what people have to say is so interesting to me. I really only know about my little life, my small world and the people I know in my small world. I love hearing about all the differences that are out there!

9/11

  Today is September 12, the day after 9-11. I haven't had time to get on here lately. But I just wanted to share a few thoughts about that day.

  I was only 8, almost 9, on September 11, 2001. I remember waking up late for school because my mom was transfixed and horrified by the images appearing on the television screen. I looked at the screen myself and saw a great, tall, burning building. I didn't understand what was going on. I didn't even know where these buildings were located at the time. 

  My mom turned to me and said, "A plane flew into this building this morning." And even at those words, I didn't understand what was going on. How could I? I was only eight years old. But then I went to school. Everyone seemed still. Then we had a moment of silence.

  I remember realizing for the first time what this meant. I realized many people had died in a blink of an eye. I remember feeling horrified. 

  Today, ten years after that horrible day, I feel like 9-11 was an extremely personal thing that happened even though it happened across the country. I never knew anyone in those buildings, the twin towers, the Pentagon,  I never knew anyone on those four planes. And yet my heart aches for those families who lost a loved one. Even thinking about it brings tears to my eyes and I still can't believe something like this would ever, ever happen. But it did.

  I am proud to be a citizen of the United States of America. I am so grateful for the men and women who risked and lost their lives to save others that day. What I hope we can all take from this horrible day in history is to remember those who lost their lives at the hand of someone else, remember those who lost their lives saving others, and remember those who survived. 

                  We are the United States of America.