A week in...

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It has been about a week since I have arrived in Brussels, Belgium.
What an experience!  How big the world seems when you travel somewhere different.
I have always been mainly intrigued with Asian relations.  Typical for me, perhaps, but so very interesting.
However, how can one truly learn the world if they don't go to regions they never thought they would?
Europe has never been in my area of focus, so of course, I had to go and see what the hype was all about.
Very glad I did so.  What an interesting environment.
I have never felt such an intense difference, where I cannot relate to any of my surroundings.
But there is no better way to learn about people and yourself.  That's where growth truly begins.

Though it has only been a week, the scent and comfort of home is never far.  I find myself always wanting to talk to the boyfriend or a friend just to be reminded of the simplicities of comfort...

How interesting European politics are!  Such diversity and commitment to beliefs.  Working with the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats has been quite the experience.  Yet, I would still never trade it for anything else.  Despite the hours of copyright research, I can't deny that I love it.

More to come, but for now, I will leave it at that.

Remodel

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Last week I had my finals.  This week, I am a free woman that is no longer a junior, but a senior.

What's in store for me now?


This summer I am off to Brussels, Belgium to be an intern for Luigi Berlinguer in the European Parliament.  When I come back from that, I will be hitting the books hard for the upcoming LSATs.
And then finally, I will begin my senior and final year of my undergraduate career.
However, this final year will be the most hectic year out of any of the other years.
Should be interesting... or too stressful.

Anyways, in lieu of all the changes coming up, I will be doing a remodeling of my blog.
New design layout, new posts, new me!

In other news, Osama bin Laden is dead and they have thrown his body in the sea!
According to Obama, they have known of his whereabouts for some time.  However, on Sunday, Obama had more confidence in his whereabouts and cornered Osama in Pakistan.  They caught him, he resisted, and then was shot in the head.

Obama's speech? Eh, it was a little soft and lacked a more moving quality.

Citizens of the United States are cheering and chanting the National Anthem in an uproar.
No doubt, a proud moment for Americans.  We are one step closer to having terrorism become a smaller issue.  But I must admit, it feels odd.  I understand, completely, that he has killed many in the name of extremism.  By killing him, we kill the core of the extremist movement.

But all of the cheering for someone's death just irks me on the inside...

Procrastination

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Maybe I should study for my midterm that will comprise 20% of my grade.
Or, maybe I should work on my application that I need to send in tomorrow.

Pft, naaa. It's only 1 A.M. No big deal!

This application will be for going abroad to Brussels and getting some good experience with the European Parliament.
It sounds really awesome and I can't wait! Hopefully I'll be accepted.

Writing the application for this makes me think more about the field I want to go into and why I want to do it.

After doing a couple of years of broadcast journalism intensely, I've realized that it's not really the field for me.  Not that there is anything wrong with it.  I give high regard to journalists that take their careers seriously and report for the benefit of the people that they call their audience.  They are the gatekeepers of information, making it one of the most important jobs out of any occupation in the world.

However, I'm more drawn to the legal changes that can be made.  The resolutions, the policies, the declarations, all of that jazz.  It's right up my alley, it's everything I want.  I want to write, implement, revise, lobby, and create the change that I really want to see happen in this world.

I know this sounds like a typical rant by a college student.  The type that's all empty talk with no real idea of what they're talking about.  I know I have much to learn, but I know how far I have come and appreciate every bit of knowledge about multiple issues I have learned over the years.

It's the need to do something bigger and more for the people that I coexist with in this world.  It's not enough to talk about it.  I want to do it.  I don't want to just sit pretty on the television screen and let everyone understand what's going on.  I want it to not have to be a reality to them because we're working on policies to make it better.  I want to give back to the world and the people in it because they have given so much to me.

Burning

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It is only the third day of classes and I can already feel the heat from being burnt out from school.
Don't get me wrong, I won't drop out of school to pursue some fantasy future that involves running away and opening up a bakery in Sweden with the love of my life.
However, it's hard to deny the stress that comes with furthering my education.


I'm motivated, ready to take what is mine, and won't take no for an answer.
I've got big goals and high hopes for my future.
I will persevere until I get to the top.


Is it worth it?


Despite this go-getter attitude, I have still managed to battle the question of whether or not I can handle any more schooling or stress.

My point?

There is no need to feel like a failure just because you're questioning things in life.
Everyone questions their decisions, what they believe in, and if they're headed in the right direction.

Christians always say that to truly understand your faith, you have to question it.
Teachers and professors always claim that the only way to truly learn is to ask questions during class.

It's never bad to question if you should continue doing what you're doing because it'll be clearer why you should.
There was a reason you entered college and wanted to pursue a higher education.
When you started out, you had goals and dreams and the vigor to pursue it.
Nothing has changed.  All that vitality and passion is still within your heart.
The only problem is that the stressors of life, whatever they may be, has tarnished it.

Go the website of a corporation you want to work for or read the work of your favorite writer.
Bring out the cleaning cloth and fall back in love with your future.
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I feel like an important question to ask oneself is what is truly upsetting.

Is it the fact that you can't find your favorite socks or figure out an ensemble for tomorrow?
Or is the fact that entire nations are fighting over control so they kill women and children? Could it be the people that don't even have the opportunity to read blogs? Is it possible that it lies within the ever warming atmosphere and its ability to obliterate this entire world?

Every day people get upset about something. Whether it's big or small, it effects you and you react to it. We all do it.
Yet, how can we gage what is worth a huge emotional reaction? Can we compare our problems to those huge problems out there and actually make ourselves feels justified for being so upset?

I've been battling with that question for a while. Can I really be so upset by my problems when they seem so miniscule to the overall world's problems?

I finally feel that I can say that a person cannot possibly put their problems on scale with those of the world's.

How a person reacts to something that is personal is completely up to them. A person should not have to feel like they need to justify their emotions. Something happened, big or small, and it effected you. That's all anyone ever needs to know.

The world's problems are not your personal dilemmas. You aren't in charge of them and you can't feel like you can put those huge problems in scope with yours. Personal problems are unique to you and hit you in a place that world problems can't even dive into. It's a place that hurts more and takes more to get to.

Give yourself the opportunity to have a good cry, regardless of whether or not you think you think it's acceptable.

Do what's right for you, what makes you feel better. Our lives are only as good as we can make them and emotions aid in helping us feel like life is real. Do what you need to do to make life colorful in emotion and blissful in mind.

A Week of Chocolate

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Midterms.  That word, in itself, is enough to explain all the emotions and reactions involved with that word use in context.  I suppose it doesn't help that students with deep procrastination issues are cramming on a Sunday night, hoping that it will do them some good.
In other news, it's good to see that nothing stopped the Iraqis from voting yesterday.  Despite all of the attacks and bombings (30 mortars, apparently) that went on throughout the day, the Iraqis pushed through and voted for, what they hope, is a change in their corrupt system of government. It's good to see that people are still standing strong for some type of political change, despite how the political change erupted and how they managed to get into the ideals that they have today.
Well, through all of this, chocolate seems to be the perfect medicine for the Midterm/International conflict blues.  Hopefully they'll get me through this week of testing!
Until further notice...

Nobel Prizes

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Though this is probably not new news to many of you, President Obama just received the Nobel Peace Prize.  It was given to him due to "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples." (nobelprize.org).
They put significance on his vision, especially his efforts in the disarmament of nuclear weapons.
Also, he was commended for his ability to bring hope to such a vast amount of people.
Congrats, Obama.  Though you haven't particularly done anything yet, I know with time your ideas will be come to be.  Hopefully it will all be worth that Nobel Peace Prize.
Another winner was an IU professor for the Nobel Prize in Economics, Elinor Ostrom.
Through her original ideas of economic governance that challenged traditional thought, Ostrom shares it with Professor Oliver Williamson of UC Berkeley.

It's surprising to see people I'm really familiar with receiving these prizes.  Not that I haven't been before, but now they are so close to home.
It makes a person believe that one day, with enough work and determination, they could receive a prize of their own.

Until next time...

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