Saturday, December 31, 2016

2016: The Year of Perspective Change and Growth

2016 started with a bang. I was a recent college graduate, who had her most serious relationship fall apart. The loneliness was awful. Losing a best friend and confidant is not something I would wish on anyone. Luckily though, I had work prearranged, which meant I was working and keeping busy. My job at the hospital has always been great. It has its ups and downs of all jobs and generally I enjoyed it. I worked on a few projects over my time there and they were usually time consuming and brain numbing, but they helped me save for grad school and gave me experience.

In March, I went to China to visit my Aunt with my mother. it was a crazy experience to go there. Culturally it is nothing like anything I have ever experienced before. And it opened my eyes,once again, to how people can live differently and do things I don't understand, but still be happy. Split pants on babies are still odd to me, google it. It is so funny! I loved seeing the panda bears and this was the year they came of the endangered list. The amount of pollution and the level of need I saw in a few places really broke my heart. I think China has the potential to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, if the pollution was under control. I developed temporary asthma. And I coughed so hard I was ill almost every day. Living a life time with that is something I don't think I will ever comprehend. I can say I do miss people telling me how pretty I am and taking my picture. At the time it was kind of annoying, but it was definitely good for the confidence.

 Shortly after returning home, I started being a nanny. It was gratifying to help two little boys learn and grow over the course of a few months. They made a ton of progress and have the potential to be great people. I spent more time with them than their parents did which allowed me to see the affect it has on kids. All kids want is to be loved and spend time with their parent(s). They don't care about fancy new things. That is an adult construct. They want and need your time and attention as a parent. About half way through the summer I got really annoyed with my health. I was always tired, keeping up with the boys was difficult and I didn't feel good about me. Turns out over the course of a year I gained like 30 lbs due to a medication I was on. Side effects are real people! So I made a massive change. I started a doctor monitored weigh loss program through a local hospital. It was an interesting and awkward experience because it was focused at the severely obese. At my heaviest I was obese. I never thought I would get to that point. It happened so slowly I didn't even notice the weight gain. So this became the challenge. I have lost all the weight and am back to just below where I started. I have maintained this weight loss even with my big move to Wales, which in itself is a miracle. I had a lot of motivation to change. I had a goal to get healthy this year and I am in a much better place now. Next year I want to continue this, maintaining weight loss is really difficult. If I can maintain for 6 months, then my body will kind of reset, and this will become my new normal weight. I have 2 months to go. And I am determined. Once my weight "resets" I will be able to lose more weight, if I so choose to do so. I will because weight creep is an issue and I don't want to have to start over. Moving to Wales was really grateful this. The British palate is different than mine. Most fast food and junk foods don't really taste good to me; chocolate being the exception. and have mercy their chocolate is good! It helped a lot because, I couldn't stress eat anymore.

I was in Wales for a grand total of 91 days. The first 42 I count as my adjusting period. The beginning was really difficult. The accent was initially difficult to understand (especially on the elderly) the customs are different, and I had no idea what I was doing. This time consisted of learning mostly about where I am going, the difference in tipping, and how there are some words that are okay in one country, but not in the other.(side note: I have only made the word mistake a handful of times, and no one hates me, to my knowledge, so that is good).I honestly think I had to have been a miserable person to be around, since I was on the verge of a mental break down the whole time. Ironically, this is the time when I have been introduced to my friends in Wales. And they are fab for putting up with me ha ha.

Since coming to Wales I have moved twice, once into my first flat and then into my current house. My flat was sweet and my flat mates are amazing people, but it was such a small space I was feeling majorly claustrophobic and it was super far away from everything. I am currently living in a house, where my housemates are also amazing, but it is a much more centralized location and I have more than double the amount of space in my room. Moving into this house was the first time I encountered true issues for being an international student.Moving into my new house I had to pay double the deposit because I didn't have a parent/ guardian or relative to co-sign. I have never encountered this before, during my undergraduate degree, I didn't need a co-signer. It forced to rearrange my finances a little bit.

The next issue I encountered was finding work, which I have yet to do. I have applied for countless job, I have lost track. The number of rejection letter, or radio silence are equal to the number of applications I have submitted. A few people have mentioned that they don't hire anyone who can't work at least 30 hours a week. As an international student 20 is the maximum number of hours I can work. There is not a type of work I haven't applied for at this point, I have extended how far I am willing to travel and nothing. Talking to lots of my international student course mates, this is a common issue. No wonder people who study are drowning in debt if it is impossible. It is a system that punishes the people who have had to work twice as hard to get where they are going. Moving internationally is not cheap (I mean still cheaper than grad school in the States but still). I now understand the life of an immigrant much more. I feel deeply compassionate towards those who pick up their lives and move to a new place. They need a support system just like the rest of us and it is hard to find. I was really lucky, because of my being an active member of a church I immediately was able to find support. If I hadn't had them or their level of kindness, this would have been a very different experience. If there was a way to properly thank everyone I would, but I don't have the words or the means to do so. So love to everyone!!!!

Being home for Christmas has been lush. This is the first time in a few years when we all have been home. I am grateful for all the memories we have made and the things we have done. Even though we don't always get along I am glad I have them in my life( usually... just kidding). It is really hard to be thousands of miles from home. 2017 will be a year of hard work and travel. I have some big goals I want to accomplish, hopefully they will happen. Just remember, there is no such thing as being lost; only adventure.

Tuesday, September 20, 2016

Croeso i Abertawe| Welcome to Swansea

I made it! After months of prepping and a few mental break downs I am finally here. Wales is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. It is so green. I am from Ohio, which is a green place, but Swansea just has this energy that I love. The under current motivates me to walk miles every day. 

I have learned a lot in my few days here. For example there is no such thing as Jaywalking.
Image result for gif happy dance

Rexburg, where I did my undergraduate degree, fines you like $80 if they catch you jaywalking. This has been music to my ears. 

Also, because they drive on the left side of the road, I am learning to look left then right before crossing the street. I probably look crazy with how many times I check the road before I cross but I haven't had incidences with cars so:

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Walking is my main mode of transport and it is so nice outside, even with the misty rain, that I don't even care. I have stepped in my fair share of puddles already. I definitely need to invest in better shoes. Flats are not really enough here. Also, I really want to find a bike. It will be faster than walking. And cabs are darn expensive.

Also in traveling, don't use street addresses. The most efficient way to find a place is the post code. Much like the zipcode in the US, but more accurate. Its almost block specific, kind of like a grid system, but British. And is pretty accurate. I have had no problems using postcodes.

Phones are interesting too. All mobiles are 07 numbers. All landlines are either 01 or 02. 03 and 08 are for call centers and marketing things;which makes it really easy to know if its a sales call. Ignore the 03 and 08 calls.

People use the nick name variety of Love, Lovey, my love etc. And honestly, it makes me so happy. If people called me lovey for the rest of my life I would be okay. It is also odd, I think American culture makes us hesitant to use the word love, in any context. It holds significant meaning to us culturally and thus we don't use it that often. So I feel bonded to strangers because they call me love. I know to them it means something different, but it is refreshing.

Something else I have learned is that Welsh people are unbelievably kind. I have had complete strangers help me with my luggage, offer me advice about buses to take and plethora of other things. I hope this continues. They have made quite the impression and it has been a positive one.

I am getting pretty settled in. I already have adjusted to the new time zone. I move into my flat on Friday. I can't wait for this adventure to really start!

Thursday, September 1, 2016

LET THE COUNT DOWN BEGIN!

My life is so important that obviously I need to write about it and share it to my friends, family and acquaintances. Over the past few months a lot has happened. The Olympics where Michael Phelps did his things, my family and I had adventures, and I started preparing for my impending travels for grad school. 
Image result for travel gif

There is an entire section of the internet and book stores dedicated to travel and how to prepare for it. The stress has probably given me my first gray hair. I haven't looked, to be honest, I don't really care. Gray can be really dignified and is really trendy right so I would "in".
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The visa has been my biggest issue. I had to wait for my CAS.  
C -Confirmation
of
A- Acceptance
for
S-Studies
Basically it is the institution saying"Yes, we are having Sara come study. No, she isn't pretending."

In order to receive a CAS, one must have an unconditional offer from the institution they are planning on attending. My unconditional offer required an FBI background check. It takes forever. Image result for red tape gif
(If you need one by a certain date make sure you submit your paperwork at least 5 months in advance. It takes 11 weeks before you can even check if they received your application.) After my university processes the background check, the rest of the planning was fairly uneventful... until I had to apply for my visa. 

My school didn't email me telling me the required documents for my visa until two weeks ago. That in and of itself made me anxious. Most visas take a while to process. I complied the documents and went to the post office and mailed them. Upon returning home I found I forgot three pages of documents. The next day I overnight-ed them. Two days after that I had an email that told me I had the wrong type of return label and that I needed to pay for the online PDF return label. I wanted to rip my hair out. 
Image result for frustration gif
Today was a glorious day. I have heard back, my visa has been granted. My passport will be returned early next week. My airplane tickets are purchased. Hotel is taken care of for when I arrive.
Image result for celebration gif 

I will be leaving the U.S. for the United Kingdom, where I will be living, in Wales, for the next year. I am so excited for this next adventure.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Cue the Happy Dance: Winning at this Adult-ing thing

It has been a few weeks since I have posted an update for my schooling adventure!


After a months long battle with the FBI, which I won, I was able to move forward with all of the documentation and other hoops to get read for school. Honestly, this is like a mental tough mudder.

For future reference this is how applying for an FBI back ground check goes.

A 12-step program:
1. Spend 20 minutes filling out the form and pay online.
2. Wait in line for two hours to get finger printed like a common criminal
(that ink stains be careful, they give you nifty wipes and it goes away)
3. Mail the envelope to the FBI
4. Wait a grand total of 11 weeks before they can tell you if
you received the documents you mail because its a "security risk"
5. Panic at weeks 3,5,6,7,8, and 10.

6. You call on week 11; they did receive the document.
7. They process the document, by now its about week 13.
8. You call again and they say in the states it takes about 10 days to get to you.
Internationally it can take up to 3 months. (I.E. after your term starts)
9. Major panic

10. Pray for it to get there in a reasonable time.
All the while trying to convince yourself panicking is just aging you.
11. The oh so glorious day where the school emails, you saying your document
was received and to await further instruction!
12. Celebrate

My university has been really amazing about communicating with me. The time change and only being able to communicate through email has made it a semi slow process, but they have been punctual. *point to Swansea*


In order to study in the UK, a student needs a CAS or Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies. One cannot apply for a visa, as a student, without this document. That was emailed to me today! I have now completed my paperwork for my visa. It took about 45 minutes. I went to pay and it got complicated. My payment got denied because it was an international transaction.

I appreciate that banks attempt to protect my money. I really do. Bank and computer hackers are among the worst kinds of people. But not being able to do the things I need to, because they are international transactions is driving me nuts!
In other news, I have an apartment for school. Which I paid for with no problem yesterday. So I was a little confused when my transaction was denied today. If the banking system cooperates, I will have my health insurance (full coverage insurance is only $301 (yes, I do mean dollars not pounds) for the whole year) and visa finished today as well.
My dream is becoming a reality!

The last things on my list are relatively simple. Pack up my life, fly to a new country and set up my life there. Where once again, my list of to-dos will explode.

Cheers!



Wednesday, July 27, 2016

My mentor and friend Stephen Stokes

I was going through old pictures on my computer and I found this. The man in the picture with me is Stephen Stokes. Stephen died on 1 July 2016. At the age of 67 many feel he left this life much too early. I have been heartbroken since finding out. He taught at my university for decades. He had influence on everyone with whom he interacted. I took every one of his classes. There is not one person who didn't love this man. His classes were usually on what he called "the dirty underbelly of society", he taught social problems (which includes prison, drug abuse, poverty, pornography, rape and so on), drugs and society, race and ethnic relations, and a few others. I learned as much in class as out of class.  He was a teacher and a friend. He was so compassionate. He taught me the importance of kindness.

I was really sick my first time taking one of his classes, I ended up missing close to a third of the classes. I made sure to communicate the situation to him. Participation was a very important part of his classes, though it didn't effect your grade. He gave four tests and a paper, in every class, every semester. At the end of the semester, I was worried I was going to ruin my GPA. In order to maintain my GPA I needed to get an 80% on the last test. After expressing my concerns, the final test grade was released; though I was convinced I had failed the test, I managed to pull an 80.1% . Knowing this was completely impossible, I stayed after class for answer review. There were questions marked correct that were wrong. We met in his office after class was over and I asked him why he did it.
 Stephen Stokes said," You have enough to worry about with your health, you don't need something else to worry about. I know you know the material. Just focus on getting well." That kind of mercy is not common in an academic world.

After that semester I would meet with him frequently to discuss my future plans with my education, social problems, and all kinds of sociological. Those lunch meetings were one of my favorite memories of college. Being able to learn from him was easy, his quiet and easy going manner encouraged even the most stubborn student to have a desire to learn.

I know his family misses him. And I feel bad for all the students who won't have the opportunity to learn from an amazing man.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

99 problems and a stitch is... all of them

When I was a little girl my mom would make me Easter dresses and every Halloween costume I can remember. That is one of my favourite memories. We still have a few of those dresses. I decided for this year, I needed to learn a new skill or better a skill I already had. So I decided to work on my sewing skills. I want to be able to make things for my future kids, my nieces and nephews, and my friend's kids. I decided to make matching dresses for me and my cousin Sophie; we share the same birthday. I chose Violet Field Thread Patterns because I thought they were so stinkin' cute! I chose the Chloe for my little cousin and the Harlow for myself!

How cute are these:
Chloe:

Harlow:
(these pictures are the ones that come with the pattern, and are probably copywritten)
I took a sewing class in college. It was two years ago. I started with the basics and lets say I am rusty. I had to ask for a lot of help on my first project. I made a dress. Its super cute. I won't post pictures of it. This one will be much better.

One day wondering through Joann's I found the perfect dream fabric. It took weeks for it to wait to be on sale. 

I picked fabric from Joann's. Its apparel fabric. How cute is the circle lace?


Printable patterns are my new favourite thing! You can reprint them as many times as you want. I love that because now I can make these dresses for as many girls as I want. 
First I pinned and cut the lining, Lining, when cutting, always feels crunchy to me. Pinning is honestly the hardest part. Make sure the fabric is smooth and on the grain.





Then I pinned the pattern pieces to the lace and cut those.

I was really glad. The sewing really took no time at all. I was really pleased with the result.

Today I finished my second cousin's dress! Its so cute!

I didn't really take pictures in between. I will be completely honest, I get manic once the needles are involved, but here is the finished product.

My gorgeous mother is presenting:


and here is a close up:
 

The skirt is fully lined as is the bodice. I am really am proud of it.

I can't wait to see it on her!

Thursday, June 9, 2016

Mid Year Goal Review

It being half way through the year it is the ideal time to reevaluate this years goals and reflect.  I have made a few of my goals already and I am very proud of me. 

I wanted to get a scholarship to help me pay tuition. And I did it. It took a lot of prayer and faith. I am very grateful for this scholarship. It will take a significant portion of my tuition payment away. 

A few months ago I went to the doctor. I found out that a medication I was on made me gain a lot of weight. When your trousers no longer fit, you know this, but I didn't understand why. It was the medication. At the beginning of the year I decided to become more healthy and work out more regularly. It didn't really make a difference and now that I am  not longer on that medication I have seen results. Yay! 

There are a few other goals I can't do until I head to grad school. I am so excited to leave. I am just waiting on my visa. It seems like I should be used to this after Saudi Arabia; being me it is just as frustrating as in 2014. 

In the past six months, I have learned a few things. I miss college. The life style was fun. I enjoyed living with friends or peers who were also at the relative phase in life. Living in that kind of support system is something I took for granted. I miss being able to flop on my roommate's bed and talk about my feelings. Or have the opportunity to stay up late laughing and dancing until sunrise. I miss classes. I miss homework. I miss learning. I want to be a life long learner. There have been measures taken in my life to do this. Yes I am that nerd. Its a good thing I am going to grad school. I miss it. 

Now I never ever thought that I would miss it. My last semester was rough. As my mother how many times I called home and said I was quitting. It was an almost weekly or biweekly occurrence. It usually involved some hysterics and dramatic throwing of myself on the floor. I can't wait to have it happen again, in an odd way. 

The next six months will be great!

Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Feel the Void and Other life Changing Typos

I openly discuss the fact that I have anxiety. It causes me to do a lot of things that I internally smack myself around for at least a week, sometimes longer(depending heavily on what I did). When anxious I frequently talk too much, over state things, or take things too far. 

And that is my reality. It sucks sometimes. It is not fun questioning and reliving every moment of your life, analyzing it for hours. It is something that I look forward working through some day. And some days are better than others. For example, I am much better than I was 10 years ago, or even six months ago. I have tools I use them. Having support is really important. It is difficult to understand something that you haven't experienced before. I will never understand what it is like to be Black, Asian, Hispanic, male, tall or any number of things. And I accept that. I try to understand how someone is feeling though. An emotional connect can overcome most levels of misunderstanding. 

About 24 hours ago, I all of the sudden was in this mood. I felt empty. That feeling of something missing, like when you wear a piece of jewlery (a watch or a ring) and you take it off and feeling like something important is missing. I didn't understand what was going on. I was having a great day. I went shopping with my mom, I got to talk with a few old friends, I even ate my favorite foods. Yet I felt empty. I pegged it as a flare up of depression, which usually goes hand  in hand with anxiety. It was a nagging feeling, I couldn't figure out why I felt wrong. I felt off balance. And then it hit me. I wasn't depressed. Sure I had all of the symptoms, I was tired, kind of empty inside. It didn't matter though. 

I realized I wasn't feeling anxious. For the first time in months. This past year had a lot of stressful experiences for me: college, graduation, general adulting, failed relationships, my sister coming home from her mission, and many others. All of those are good reasons for being anxious, general life anxieties, on top of my normal elevated anxiety. It became a lot to handle. The first time of not being anxious made me tired. Anxiety is exhausting and it is my norm. 

I told my daddy how I was feeling and he said I should "...start something positive to feel the void. Then you can enjoy less anxiety and have something important to focus on. Remember you deserve good."

Many people go to my daddy for advice, with good reason. This is just gold. Learning to enjoy what you have is a life long endeavor. Some people learn contentment at a young age, and some people never learn.  Exploring the emptiness I was feeling was odd. Its like walking through a friends house in the dark. I was bumbling around, unfamiliar with my surroundings. Learning to be emotionally liberated is odd and uncomfortable. Accepting all of your feelings for what they are is scary. It is one of the things that make us human though. And feeling them, with all their potential, is a lot to feel. Learning to enjoy less anxiety was easy. After getting over the initial shock I just jumped into things. It was nice not to have too many second thoughts. 

I am slowly learning to be a better person, just like everyone else around me. 

Learn to feel your voids and life is a lot happier.



Sunday, May 15, 2016

Facebook Rants and Other things I have Avoided

Over the past few weeks there have been major changes in my life. I started a second job; I quit that job. I quit my job at the hospital. And I have been trying not to panic. 


I thought I could handle two jobs, let me tell you. I cannot. I am just not made to do it. My anxiety level went to an unmanageable level. I had to quit. They were really understanding about it. It was kinda surprising honestly, but I am grateful. I would totally love to work there in the future. It was great the few days I did work there. 

The hospital job, has been some place I worked for the summer for the past six years. It provided most of my income to support myself and some school expenses. I started when I was barely 18. I worked my hardest every year.  It has been consistent and many of my coworkers were great. A few people could not let me grow up, they felt I needed their specific supervision. I am an adult, I am independent and I was very good at meeting deadlines and my job in general. 

I realized it was time to move on. And if I am being my candid self, a few coworkers kept reporting me as not doing my work. I wish people could stay in their own lanes and focus on their work. It got so bad that I didn't enjoy it anymore and I knew I had to leave. Work place bullying is a problem. If you are reading this, please judge people on their work and their ability not their age. Age is not always a reflection of experience. 

I will miss my friends at work. They are great people. I miss it, but it was a safe place. There was a lot of learning on my part. It has helped me become the person I need to me. At this point in life, growth and personal development are vital. Every choice I make matters. I need to stretch myself as much as I can. 

Another reason I left is because my University said I need 400 hours working with children, before I start my program.
 This solidified that I needed to leave. Up until this point, I was unaware of this requirement. Upon this discovery, the search began. After a pretty intense freak out of  
I made a profile for a nanny website. I had many job offers. It took some research and a few interviews.

 I found a job to be a nanny! 

I didn't mention all of this to anyone because I was experiencing like 5 emotions at once. 


I felt like my brain couldn't take all of this.

And this would have been my reality:



And there would be a lot of this:


People do not need facebook rants. I don't need to dump on other people. I wanted to tell everyone. I just couldn't do that to other people. So I bottled it up until there was some stability again. Keeping my mouth shut was a really good choice. It would have been a crazy roller coaster that no one else needed to go on. Most would think I was a train wreck. 

My ducks are in a row( for the time being). I am a happy camper.