Happy? You should be

So about now would be the time I would be applying for Grad schools if I were continuing my education right after graduating in May (btw, I graduate on May 30th, save the date!). I've decided I'm going to take some time off before I continue and get my graduate degree.

I'm reading this book called "Generation Me" by Jean Twenge. It's an assigned book for my Social Psyc class, but it's actually something I would read on my own time because it's really interesting. It basically explains how the generation born from 1980-2000s (who Twenge calls Generation Me) is such a vast contrast to the previous "Boomer" generation. Her writing is very cynical about my generation, but it's also very true. Most of the things I am surrounded by (TV, computers, cell phones, you-name-it) I don't think twice about, but it really is a testament to my generation because things were not as they are now even just 20 years ago. She also focuses on how even though youth today have so much more now(considering "more" as material things, better health care, longer life expectancy and a greater percentage of those attending higher education) than previous generations, we are also the most unhappy. Huh? Well, it's sad, but true. More teenagers and young adults are on some sort of anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication than ever before. Study after study has shown that people with tons of money are just as happy (and sometimes even less so) than those in the middle-class. Also, those with close personal relationships and mental happiness are loads happier than their counterparts who are rolling in the dough yet have no one to share it with. As I was reading this section of the book, it really struck me. Why do people live their entire lives searching for happiness yet they are never satisfied with what they have?

This is really important to me, especially at such an "open" time in my life. As those in my generation would say: the world is my oyster. This is why I really want to take some time off and think about my life before I go jumping into graduate school. For some of my classmates who are also Seniors, their responses to my question about what they want to study in Grad school is most likely: "I'm not sure yet but I know I want to make a lot of money. I know it'll suck going to grad school for 4-5 years, paying off the loans afterward and probably end up hating my job, but hey, I guess that's life." Ok, so I may have exaggerated a little, but you get the point. I do not want to be a 30 year-old on anti-depressants because my job is oh-so-stressful and I'd like to strangle my boss. No thanks. Life is TOO short for that. I'm not saying I need my absolute dream job making over $100,000/year, (because 1. that will never happen with a Psyc degree and 2. Money doesn't equal happiness ;) but I would like to gain some sort of joy out of what I am doing.

Thus, I plan on taking about a year off to process everything I've learned as an undergrad (which is quite a lot, and an experience I wouldn't change for the world), spend some time thinking about what career choice would be best, and, as a GenMe-er (Twenge would cringe if she read this) spend some time getting to know myself.

Here are a few ideas I have come up with that I am currently looking into for the next few years (disclaimer: subject to change at any point in time)

- Teach for America Corps. Someone came in to my class last week to speak about this and it seems like a great opportunity. It's a two year, including a summer session of training, that provides full salary (around 45k/year...not bad for a Psyc major), benefits, and helps pay for Grad school while you're at it!!

- Interning at a school with a potential to shadow a School Psychologist (my first choice career at this point in time)

- Look into grad schools..my as-of-now potentials are: Temple, UPenn, Penn U, Eastern & U of D (although their latest stunt puts them at the bottom of the list...and probably off)

I still have to finish the Fall semester and start Spring so I don't want to rush myself info graduating, but I have to say, I am excited to start a new stepping stone in my life. Undergrad has been AWESOME. I truly hope that I can find happiness that I am satisfied with, and don't become a statistic in one of those horrible Psyc studies!

Pretty GREAT news!

"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships and sealing-wax,
Of cabbages and kings.
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."


Harriet the Spy was on TV the other day (I LOVED that movie as a kid) and this quote was in it. The very first part "'The time has come'" also fits perfectly for the news I am about to tell you. Phil is IN the building ladies and gentlemen! Well, maybe not the building, but he is now officially in the US of A! Him and his parents left early this morning and he has successfully crossed the border!! They are set to arrive in his new apartment around 5-6pm tonight. I cannot even try to express to you all just how happy I actually feel right now. I'm not even sure it's actually hit me! I mean, we've been in a long distance relationship since 2001...that's 7 years! That is a long time to have to say goodbye to someone you love. Even though he isn't exactly moving next door (the job he found is still 1 hr 15 mins away from me..), at least now we don't have to buy a plane ticket to see each other :)

Yes, life is pretty grand right now. It feels really good to not be waiting for all this visa crap anymore. Honestly, I think Phil & I have done enough waiting in our lives...we deserve a damn break!

Classes are also going just fine, they don't have me pulling out my hair yet, which is always a good thing. I've started work again at the call center calling Alum for funds. Although it's not my dream job, it's really not bad. Already I've gotten to talk to a few interesting people about their time at UD (it's crazy to hear how different this school was 50 or 60 years ago!).

I hope to see you all soon. Perhaps the family will be getting together for Thanksgiving? You will all have to see Phil's new apartment sometime too!

on your way

Once again, things have changed. I am now back in the Delaware dorms! My dad helped me move-in last Thursday and, nicely put, it was very hectic!! Thursday was considered early move-in to try and "beat the rush"...well I guess a lot of other people had the same idea! It was really nice to have my dad's help though (couldn't have lifted all of those heavy boxes without ya pops!) and a nice ending to a great summer :)

I must say...I am quite sad that summer is coming to an end, but I am pretty excited to enter my Senior year as an undergraduate. Ever since my tuition changed for this year, my future plans have also had some adjustments, so I'm not quite sure what I plan on doing after I graduate in May. I guess that's just part of life, it changes.

As for classes, they start tomorrow. As of now, I'm taking a Psyc seminar class - The Social Self, an undergraduate research class, Juvenile Delinquency, English Short Story & Intro to Black American Studies. I think it will be a great semester :)

In other news, Phil just mailed out his entire application for SWAP today to try for his J1 visa. It has been quite the waiting game to receive all the needed paperwork and wait for everyone to complete their sides of things, but it is finally underway and now we just wait...for an answer! I think Jesus has really been testing my patience with this whole process because if you know me then you know I'm not exactly the most patient person in the world. Well nothing can force a person to be more patient than waiting almost a year for the love of their life to finally move closer than 800 miles away. Trust me, you all will know when (and if...should I even SAY if?) Phil is approved for the visa; I will be shouting it from the rooftops!! I know that he and I are very very ready for this whole process to just be over with and for him to be settled in his new apartment.

A special thanks to my dad and Gail for a great summer! And thanks to all my family and friends who have helped me in reaching my last year of University....here goes nothing!

The Waiting Game

Well, I can't say I didn't warn you. I don't write on these blogs too often, but I suppose that's mostly because I haven't had much of a change to write about, until recently.

Right now I am waiting on a few things: Phil & I are still waiting on this J1 visa (more elaboration in my previous post). As of right now, it is looking pretty hopeful, but nothing is a sure thing until he is actually here.

Since we are sick and tired of waiting, we have taken matters into our own hands - screw the government - and I am going to visit him in 9 days!! Considering the fact that I haven't seen him since the end of May, this is quite exciting for both of us :) Once I return home from the visit, I will be bidding farewill to this little town that has welcomed me for the summer & the warm home my dad and stepmom have provided to me, to venture back home and finish up my Bachelor's degree. It has been a great summer.

Speaking of my undergraduate degree, my school has not been so welcoming this summer. I was quite surprised to receive a letter in the mail recently, stating that I will be charged out-of-state tuition for my last year. Seeing as I have lived in the same state since I was 7 years old (the same one in which the University is) I was quite puzzled. Turns out that since neither of my parents live in the same state as me I no longer qualify for in-state tuition. The fact that I am paying my way through college on my own and haven't lived with either parent for years (save for this summer visiting my dad) does not seem to matter at all. Who knew a multi-billion dollar company could be so greedy? I guess desperate times call for desperate measures.

So now that I can tack on another 30k to my future debt, I guess you could say life has brought many changes this summer:
*Phil has found a job in the US (he just needs to find a visa)
*My University doesn't want my support as an Alumni (ya know, since they'll be getting it in one chunk of 30,ooo dollars)
*My dad & I have cut many pieces of cloth to patch up old wounds
*I survived a job in a small town (and it wasn't that bad!)

Suffice to say, this is one more summer that I have enjoyed and savored. The taste is sweet.

A little update, well, ok, a BIG & long update!

This is new for both of us, so bear with me. Not that writing in general is new to, oh no, I've been a diary/journal writer since I was about 7. However, I'm not one to normally publish my personal thoughts on the net.

Well, I've decided to give it a try. Besides, what else is there to do? I've checked all my every-day sites and I've even checked the new games at addictinggames.com (I know, I'm pretty bored, eh?). Both of my sisters & dad have some sort of blog/website and it seems to be a nice way to keep in touch with all of those people that you-just-keep-meaning-to-call-to-tell-the-latest-news-to-but-now-it's-too-late-so-I'll-call-tomorrow. Yeah you know we're all guilty of it. But that's the nice thing about the 21st century, no more guilt needed! Now if you're faced with the "um, why didn't you tell me?" question, you can retort with "Yeah, that's been posted on my blog for weeks now...why didn't you read it? o.o" Nice, right? Maybe not, but I suppose it will have to do since I'm bored at this moment and wanted to start a blog.

Soo...for a general update in my life: I'm on summer break from college, woohoo! I'm staying with my dad and stepmom in Pennsylvania for the summer in this teeny-tiny town where everybody knows everybody. Yes there's a local diner, theatre that plays 1 movie, and restaurant that everyone in town knows about. Where does that leave me? At the local ice cream shop of course! Actually, it's a pretty sweet job (I couldn't resist). We serve food & ice cream, which means I can pack it in every time I work, nice!

When the summer is over I'll be entering my Senior year in University. Let me take a second to tell you how weird that feels. I keep thinking...is this really my last year in college? Well, yes Rebecca it is. Yeah, I know, but it just went by so fast! You'd think that I would be ecstatic about finishing school, never having to study again, starting in the "real world" (what the heck IS the real world anyway? Am I living in a "fake world" until I get a full-time job?) but that is not the case with me! I am an oddball who absolutely loves being in school. Yep, I'm the one who gets excited about buying new books, the first day of class, memorizing my schedule that I made myself the previous semester. However, although my undergrad degree is nearing its end (I DO still have a year left though), I am quite excited about the next step, which will be graduate school! I plan on focusing my studies on School Psychology so I am probably looking at another 2-3 years after I graduate with my Bachelor's (yahoo!). Although I know it will be different, I hope that I love it just as much as I have my undergrad, if not more!

In other news, my boyfriend Phil has been trying to move to the US for about over a year now. (Little background info, in case you didn't know: I'm dating a Canadian, we've known each other 7 years now, he's graduated college and is trying to find a job in the States) Well, on July 1st Phil got a job offer in Horsham, PA! As excited as we were (and still are), we had NO idea just how much work this moving process would entail. Well, apparently, a whole heck of a lot! First there's the job offer, then there's figuring out which visa (out of like a million) you apply for, then there's getting approved...the list goes on. In order to save you about 3 pages of reading and me 3 pages of typing, I will put the latest news in a nutshell if it will fit. Phil & his parents went to go get the first visa (a TN visa, specified for Canadians) but Phil was rejected on the grounds that he doesn't have a Bachelor's degree, he has a 3-year degree. Apparently, that's not comparable. The next step was to apply for an H1B visa (much different than a TN), but again...things didn't work out. There's a limit to how many H1B visas are given out per year and the quota has been reached already this year (the fiscal year restarted even just in April). So now we are holding on for dear life with our last resort, the SWAP program that issues J-1 visas. The J-1 visa is basically a "foreign exchange" program for recent graduates to gain experience in other countries at specified jobs. As of now, Phil's future boss (hopefully, if all goes well) Chris is looking into it and is willing to try it out. It seems as if he's still really interested in bringing Phil here, which is a good thing. I won't have any news on this visa for a few weeks at the least though, since there's processing time for everything.

I guess that wasn't a nutshell, but I know I've told a lot of my friends and family about Phil's job and it's hard to keep track of who I have and haven't updated!

All that to say that life is going pretty well right now, I am just praying & hoping that this last visa works out! Also, if you haven't found that special someone yet...my advice is to try and limit your search to the same state that you are in ;)