New blog

Because I set up this blog with my Hope College email, I no longer have full access to it. I am going back to Australia and thought it a good idea to start blogging again, so I created a new one. It can be found at http://15458.blogspot.com/ Enjoy!

“Change not only was inevitable, but usually brought its own rewards.” ― Nicholas Sparks

I heard it said that other than the first four years of our lives, the largest changes occur during college. Looking back as I head toward graduation, I decided to reflect on things that I did in the last four years that I never thought would happen or I'd do. The list is quite extensive and I've decided to share it on here. (These are in no particular order and I'm sure that there's more, but here's what I have so far. Please feel free to leave a comment if you can think of something I may have missed.)

•  Start, or even join, a Quidditch club
• Play Quidditch intercollegiately
•   Have Quidditch become an official part of Family Weekend
•  Study abroad
•  Go to a club
•  Willingly dance (besides Dutch Dance)
•  Live in a co-ed dorm or flat
• Have a boyfriend
•  Plan on getting my MPH
• Planning on going back to Australia to get my MPH
• Tutor underprivileged high school students- and love it!
•  Change my plans of living in Holland, MI for the rest of my life (and buying my blue house back)
• Help with a political campaign by making campaign phone calls
•  Major in something other than Biology
• Fully embrace being a nerd
• Change a diaper
•  Actually care about social justice problems
•  Participate in Nykerk song
• Eat kangaroo, lamb, and buffalo
• Admit to being a Slytherin
• Question my beliefs as they relate to Catholicism/Protestantism
• Befriend someone with morals and values different from my own
• Not want to stay in Michigan
• Hating the snow/cold

It gets better!

So I realized about a month or two ago that this was still the blog that the CIEE website linked to and I should probably end on a happier note than my previous reverse culture shock post of a year ago. (Everyone besides those directed here by the CIEE website probably already know this stuff, so it's just for the benefit of potential study abroad students so they know it isn't all horrible upon returning from studying abroad.)

Things continued to suck as I shuffled through the rest of my spring semester last year. I was pretty much apathetic to everything around me and the highlight of my week was when I was able to talk to Rohan, who I had met on the bus trip to NTE. One thing led to another and we started dating in May (that's a whole other story, though). Summer came and I got a lot happier because of the weather, being away from the drama at school, and being in a new relationship, although the long distance really sucks.

Caitlin and I figured out living arrangements with some new friends for this year and it's definitely had it's ups and downs. Then Rohan came to visit over my Christmas break and stayed pretty much the whole time. (He left a couple days before I went back to Hope) It was awesome and confirmed that I want to get back to Australia ASAP after graduation, which is May 6th. (Did I mention that I'm REALLY glad that I went on bus trip?)

Anyway, I miss Australia and not just because of Rohan. (Although, admittedly, that's definitely the biggest reason) I'm ready to move on and just get out of this place. I've lived in Michigan my whole life and studying abroad has allowed me to see that I want to leave. I know that I'll be able to live somewhere else, even if it is hard to be away from home at times. I will be applying for postgrad in Australia to get my Master's of Public Health in the coming weeks with the hopes of being accepted and starting uni in semester 2 (this July). Hopefully it'll all work out, and I'll be sure to keep you posted.