The Perks of Being Across the English Channel

Dear Blog, As you know, I met this guy named Michael. Well we may like each other a little bit. A little bit sooo much that we decided to be boyfriend and girlfriend even though that meant being apart for basically an entire year. Not "apart" apart..I mean hell I saw him 3 weeks ago and will see him again in 4 days. What I'm trying to say is that I'm dating this really good looking man with awesome eyelashes and a huge fantastic smile who happens to live an inconvenient distance away from me. It's really easy to think of all the negatives and strains that come along with it...like waking up alone in your swiss twin bed to screaming children or not having someone to kill the plethora of spiders who reside in the same house..and obviously not having someone to ummmm have fun with? Anyways if you are thinking about embarking on such an endeavor just try to look on the bright side. Here is the list of all the good things about dating someone far away. 1. Not having to consistently shave my legs. Who am I trying to impress...really? 2. Having bad breath on dates is okay. People can't smell over skype. 3. Shamelessly snoring. Aka going to bed without the fear of being shaken every hour. 4. Facing Fears. Spiders aren't going to kill themselves, have you ever heard of a suicidal spider? Radioactive..yes. Suicidal..I don't think so. 5. Maintaining a degree of independence. It can be nice to still have your own individual identity sometime. 6. Not sharing. Sometimes I just want to eat the ENTIRE pizza...okay? 7. Granny Panties Daily. Comfort over sexiness. Yesssssss. 8. Selfish movie selections. I can guilt-free watch my emotional movies and eat my ben and jerry's too! 9. Not having to meet my family. For obvious reasons. 10. Every moment together is special. Boredom doesn't exist. Love, Sarah

300 words. Personal Statement.

Question: why go to edinburgh, why choose me, whats my funding that i already have please rip me apart this could be up to 13,000 GBPs in scholarship money Earning a scholarship means to me that a person shows great potential in his/her field along with a strong determination to not only maximize their time learning at the university but bringing their knowledge to the greater world. I came from a family with parents who did not complete high school or took part in any of my schooling endeavors. From the start, there seemed to be this intrinsic motivation inside of me that could never be tamed. I had a hunger to learn and to keep learning, as well as, do something extraordinary in my life. I still possess this fire to learn and now as an adult I wish to spread the power of learning. This is one of the reasons why I am suitable for a scholarship; I am not just looking for the end result of receiving the degree but I am passionate about the time in between. I am certain that this will result in a highly thoughtful student and a well-rounded educator with in-depth knowledge. I believe that education is the foundation of the growing world. It is the core to not only the decisions that people make daily but to the decisions that impact generations. It shapes how people view world. It can spark meaning and wonderment into anybodies lives; which can lead to future inventors, authors, researchers, and explorers. Therefore, I believe investing in a student who pursues education is potentially investing in a plethora of people’s lives. Choosing to study education at this university is also very purposeful; University of Edinburgh is a highly regarded university that will challenge me and give me a diverse setting to grow and learn new ideas. As for other bodies of funding, I am eligible to receive $20,500 in loans from the Department of Education (U.S.A).

Dear Mr.Wormwood.

Dear Mr.Wormwood, I waited for you. When I was young, I waited every Friday night. Staring frantically through my bedroom window in hopes to see that messy maroon car pull up to the side of our suburban road. Realising that with every minute that passed, things were just going to get worse. Autumn turned to Winter and Winter turned to Spring and I was still looking through that window when the suns scorching rays were in full appearance. I always wondered if you knew how it made me feel,and if you would have just came home. I grew up without you. As I kept growing up in this house; I saw you everyday. You sat there in old jaded gray sweat pants on the weekends watching the tellie, drinking one coors after another, and occasionally moving your location to the garage to smoke a cigarrete. I got to know the Redsox really well because that was the only way you would be even slightly animated to talk to me. Going to College When I switched schools from University of Oregon to Oregon State University, I told you and mum with great excitement. I thought this was the first bold move that I have ever taken. I thought you would be proud of me. However, I will never forget what you said "Why would you want to go to that Shit-Hole School?". You only based that off a football team and I knew this. Oddly enough, it still made me deeply upset at the time. How could you critisize any school that I choose when you never helped me along the way? The pure fact that I just succeeded my first year of college and was planning to keep attending wasn't enough to make you happy. Graduation Seven months ago, I graduated from university with two degrees, magna cum laude, and a year ahead of schedule. That weekend all of your family came and mum's family came too. The house was packed. It was the day before my big day. The day I have been waiting for my for my entire life. I told you that I didn't want any alcohol there. I know my family, I know that it makes everything a mess. But you didn't listen and there was alcohol galoure! I tried to let that not get to me. As the day became night, I was feeling exhausted...I had to wake up dreadfully early to go through my graduation Michelle Obama Security the next day. Most of the guest had left except for two of my uncles. You three stayed up all night until 3 or 4 in the morning, getting wasted, being loud, and listening to music. I coudln't sleep a wink in this small house where even the slightest turn of a door knob is heard from any angle. I asked you to keep it down but you told me that you never get to spend time with them and that I should lighten up. The next day, I gave mum my appreciation sash....and you wondered why it wasn't for you. Current day I got into two Master's programs at University of Edinburgh and Newcastle University. and All you could say is "I'm not paying for it". I've come to the conclusion that even if you did knew how I felt...you still wouldn't have came home

Helplessness Blues

What happens when you want to run away from the place you ran to? 4 months, 15 days. I've been in Switzerland. I have about 7 more months ahead of me... I feel like I wake up just to close the curtains. I want to be adventurous. Spontaneous. Carefree Sarah. But I don't feel like I'm living. Not at all. It's like I'm falling in a bottomless pit and with each day, I feel a foot deeper...making it harder to get out of the pit. I feel so helpless. I don't want to be here but I don't want to be "home"...that would be even worse. And let's say I even did want to go "home"...there's not even a place for me to go to. I love Europe. I love Munster, I love Vicenza, and the UK. But Switzerland...I have never felt a connection with. I feel like there's no where to go. Which is the hardest thought to grasp.

I am just a poor girl.

Lastnight I chatted with my dad. We talked about the upcoming year and where it may lead me next. Unfortunately and foreseeably, he wasn't too happy about what he was hearing. Even after being here for 6 months, i don't want to come home. Even if that's what he's been wishing. I'm still me. I'm still trying to make it to the UK. My sister told me, they never took me seriously. I was hurt and confused by that. How could you not to take me seriously? I never was one to flake out or be a sedentary dreamer. My dad told me my ideas were flakey. Even if I did get into school to get my masters in the UK next year, how would I ever afford it? I stayed up lastnight I felt so much anxiety from what he was saying. I feel like the world is going against me. I can't be a teacher there. Or have any job with my qualifications. I need to get my masters there. It's the only way. I always wanted to live in the UK. Before I even met you. But now the stakes are so much higher. and means more to me now than it ever did. I'm so terrified of failing.

Home is wherever I'm with you.

Dear Blog, Time goes by too fast with Michael. I swear, I just saw him standing outside of the SBB looking around for me. But I saw him first, and I ran. I ran and put my fingers over his eyes. Once, he turned around. Nothing else existed. And today, just three days later, I saw him again at the SBB. But this time, he was leaving. I always think that the leaving thing will get easier over time. We'll get used to it. It's normal. I can't really speak for Michael but even if I will see him in less than two weeks, watching him walk onto that bus without me and then me having to turn around to the trainstation to take a train without him, is a miserable feeling. It just felt so right having someone sit next to you and holding your hand. Now, I was alone again. If you can't imagine this feeling at all...picture yourself saying bye to someone you really really care about at the airport. and Imagine having to do that constantly. On Friday He texted me at the airport in the afternoon. He forgot his bank card! wheww..way better than a passport and I really didn't mind. I like taking care of him. From that moment until 2:45pm,when i left the house, I swear time couldn't go any slower. tick tock tick tock, the clocks were mocking me the whole day. But alas it was time! As soon as Rachel got home, I bolted out of the door. The sun was shining and I was running down the hill(or mountain as me and my michael refer to it)while listening to feel good music. I could feel it. I was so close to him. I was on the train when he called and that's when I knew it was real, he made it here! When we were finally reunited in front of the trainstation and he hugged me and lifted me up. I swear, I've never felt so happy. We ended up sitting on a bench by the park I always go through to snack on some strawberry yogurt filled chocolates and a cheap croissant. It was so nice to share it with someone, not just someone, but Michael. We walked around town a bit, just chatting and holding hands. I showed him the starbucks I frequently visit, the school I go to, and just some of the basel streets. I've been doing this on my own since I got here. I haven't been able to share it with friends or family and during that moment, that's when I knew, I never would. It made me kind of sad but at the same time I felt very lucky that I had him to share it with. After this little outing in the town, we decided it was time to go to my village to meet the family, relax, and go out for some dinner. We laughed about how I always exaggerate things and that the "mountain" probably wasn't much of anything at all. This time, however, he ranked it a 4 on the "Sarah over-exaggerating scale". It made me feel better, that the hill really can be a beast, and it's just not me being out of shape. Once, we arrived, we played foosball with the kids. They loved it! and him! and he won both times...i'm better at air-hockey, I swear. After that, it was time to relax in my room for a bit. Once again, another moment where life just felt right, and I didn't feel so alone. We have this habit though, of getting too comfortable/relaxed/completely content if we spend too much time laying around...and it can interfere with real plans, however, we both know that, so we got up in perfect time to walk down the mountain for some pizza. As we were walking, we thought we were lost for sure...mostly michael, he doesn't trust my keen womanly sense of directions. But I got us there and all was well. The pizzeria was cute and petite. The prices were actually reasonable for swiss standards too (always a treasured aspect). He held my hand across the table. Can't life always be like this? When we got home, we watched Office Space (American humour that Michael seemed to appreciate...whew) and it wasn't even emotional. A very rare but good find for me. Saturday

Dear Andy

Dear Andy, I'm sorry I didn't say hi or run up and give you a hug. I really wanted to. I did. I swear. Last May, I was with my fifth graders showing them a tour of Madison. And I kept my eye out and I even saw you. You were in the computer lab with your class. I was hoping you would see me too. But you didn't. Then I contemplated running up and saying hi. I resisted...I didn't want to cause a disruption and worse of all; what if you didn't remember me? Now, I realise that's nonsense! Of course, you would have remembered me! I was in your homeroom class for three solid years. But now it's too late. I wish you could have seen me. Saw that you impacted a person's life and that I'm doing well. I even got out of my nirvana teen angst phase. I turned into a teacher, just like you. And I know that you knew that you impacted many lives but seeing it and hearing a proper thank you, surely would have made you smile. I remember leaving 8th grade and giving you a present. You gave me a huge andy-like hug and I started to cry. You told me that it would be okay, that I would do well and you had faith in me. You also said that your amazing wonderful son Pao was my age, and that you'd always be around to support our class. Andy, if I got to see you one more time. I would tell you that you were an amazing inspiration fun-loving teacher. A teacher that I'm not sure I could live up to even if I taught for 100 years. You gave so much to our community. I truly believe that you saved lives. I just hope you realised that.