Studying Abroad....Or Not
Holy shit, I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last entry. I guess it's time for an update!
I (finally!) got a Friday night off and went to First Friday with Craig and his friends. It was a great night and a fabulous weekend. I bought $150 worth of vinyl from Craig's friend Ryan and now I have the backbone to a fabulous collection. I'd be listening to them non-stop if it weren't for the fact that my stereo decided to die on me.
Wednesday the 6th was an awful day. I had been struggling with some issues (which are now resolved) with several people as well as myself, I got a parking ticket (I was more than 12 inches from the curb) and my stereo decided to die on me. Not a good day at all. :(
On Monday the 11th, I got a massage. It was well worth the $20.
Wednesday the 13th was one of the most productive days I've had in a while. I had my first exam of the semester as well.
Tonight is Kaitlyn's (sis) birthday dinner. I'm stoked for Jill's lasagne and hopefully there will be some home-made ice cream. Yummy!!! Tonight, I'm also letting the fam know of my decision to not Study Abroad.
So that's the big news. I'm 99% sure that I'm not going to Study Abroad next semester. There are two big reasons for not going.
1) Money. I went to the Study Abroad fair and picked up the sheet that had the expected cost as well as the dates for the semester. They are estimating a total of $16,805 for 3 months and 2 days. That's a lot of money for a little bit of time.
2) Personal. There are certain things that I really want out of the experience. Namely, immersing myself into the culture, learning the language and wanting the experience of LIVING abroad. I don't fell like taking KU classes taught by KU professors with other KU students is going to give me what I want. I know I won't feel satisfied with the experience. I want more than this program can offer me. I would much rather either live abroad for a period of time or travel on my own time with my own agenda (or lack there of) than feel like I had wasted $17,000.
So, those are the big reasons for not going. There are smaller reasons (which I see more as benefits for staying rather than reasons TO stay) too. I have a great apartment that I love, I can pretty much guarentee that the Blubaughs are going to be overjoyed that I've decided to stay--and I'll have the ability to earn some serious cash instead of spending it, I have a great group of friends and family and I'm happy with my relationships with them.
Of course, I'm sad about this decision. Just like I was sad to make the decision to not continue with Human Biology and eventually Med School. Both of those decisions were/are a result of looking at the reality of the situation and realizing what going through with the original plans would really mean. I was so caught up in the idea of studying abroad and the experience of travelling and such that I failed to realize (fortunately not too late) that I was heading in a direction that wasn't true to myself. Obviously, I still want to travel, I just don't think that the Western Civ and Humanities Study Abroad is the best way to get what I want...especially when it costs so much.
*sigh* So, there it is. Now, my plan is to take a semester off of school and work. I just hope that my insurance company allows me to take a semester off of school...cause I don't want to pay for health insurance!
I (finally!) got a Friday night off and went to First Friday with Craig and his friends. It was a great night and a fabulous weekend. I bought $150 worth of vinyl from Craig's friend Ryan and now I have the backbone to a fabulous collection. I'd be listening to them non-stop if it weren't for the fact that my stereo decided to die on me.
Wednesday the 6th was an awful day. I had been struggling with some issues (which are now resolved) with several people as well as myself, I got a parking ticket (I was more than 12 inches from the curb) and my stereo decided to die on me. Not a good day at all. :(
On Monday the 11th, I got a massage. It was well worth the $20.
Wednesday the 13th was one of the most productive days I've had in a while. I had my first exam of the semester as well.
Tonight is Kaitlyn's (sis) birthday dinner. I'm stoked for Jill's lasagne and hopefully there will be some home-made ice cream. Yummy!!! Tonight, I'm also letting the fam know of my decision to not Study Abroad.
So that's the big news. I'm 99% sure that I'm not going to Study Abroad next semester. There are two big reasons for not going.
1) Money. I went to the Study Abroad fair and picked up the sheet that had the expected cost as well as the dates for the semester. They are estimating a total of $16,805 for 3 months and 2 days. That's a lot of money for a little bit of time.
2) Personal. There are certain things that I really want out of the experience. Namely, immersing myself into the culture, learning the language and wanting the experience of LIVING abroad. I don't fell like taking KU classes taught by KU professors with other KU students is going to give me what I want. I know I won't feel satisfied with the experience. I want more than this program can offer me. I would much rather either live abroad for a period of time or travel on my own time with my own agenda (or lack there of) than feel like I had wasted $17,000.
So, those are the big reasons for not going. There are smaller reasons (which I see more as benefits for staying rather than reasons TO stay) too. I have a great apartment that I love, I can pretty much guarentee that the Blubaughs are going to be overjoyed that I've decided to stay--and I'll have the ability to earn some serious cash instead of spending it, I have a great group of friends and family and I'm happy with my relationships with them.
Of course, I'm sad about this decision. Just like I was sad to make the decision to not continue with Human Biology and eventually Med School. Both of those decisions were/are a result of looking at the reality of the situation and realizing what going through with the original plans would really mean. I was so caught up in the idea of studying abroad and the experience of travelling and such that I failed to realize (fortunately not too late) that I was heading in a direction that wasn't true to myself. Obviously, I still want to travel, I just don't think that the Western Civ and Humanities Study Abroad is the best way to get what I want...especially when it costs so much.
*sigh* So, there it is. Now, my plan is to take a semester off of school and work. I just hope that my insurance company allows me to take a semester off of school...cause I don't want to pay for health insurance!