So it's been about 10 months since I last posted something on my blog. So I guess I'm overdue for an update.
The past couple weeks have been pretty tough. Being back at school made me think about my future and all the things I need to do. I still need to get an internship with a veterinarian to get my 3,000 hours of experience to have a chance at being accepted into vet school. I submitted a resume and a cover letter 3 weeks ago and the person said they would get back to me with an interview date but no luck so far. On top of that, I have to maintain a pretty high GPA and get good scores on my GRE's. It's like high school and SATs (ugh) all over again. And since De Anza's class scheduling sucks, I'm behind in taking my lower division science classes. I wasn't able to fit Ochem into my schedule so I have to take that when I transfer to Davis next fall. With Ochem being a prerequisite for a lot of classes, I'm kinda worried I'll have to take an extra year or cram everything into one year. Neither choices appeal to me very much.
Then there's the problem with money. So basically, we're broke. I've been paying for my own books, food, gas, clothes, etc for the past year. Not being able to get a REAL job, it's hard to get a steady income to pay for everything. I'm still teaching tennis but the money I get from that is barely enough for everything. I guess I've been thinking about this problem a lot lately because I'll be turning 21 when I'm at Davis. Because I don't have the magical nine digit number called Social Security, I'll have to become an international student when I'm 21. The cost to go to Davis is like $10,000 a year if you're a California resident. For others, it's like $30,000. Because I can't apply for FAFSA, I have to pay the full $30,000 by myself. And when (and if) I get into vet school, it'll be $40,000 a year just for tuition. If I take out a student loan, I'll be in debt about $200,000 before I can even get a job.
So I sat down with my mom to see how we can deal with this issue.
Option 1: Get married to a citizen. A friend of mine actually did this. He came from Morocco and paid a random girl to marry him so he can get a green card. My mom's co-worker from the Philippines did this too. But I don't want to marry someone for this kind of reason. So it's not an option for me at this point.
Option 2: Join the army. If I enlist in the army and serve for 5 years, I'll be able to become a citizen. Do I want to serve this shitty country for 5 years? Not really
Option 3: Go back to Korea. If I go back to Korea, I'll be drafted into the army to serve for 2 - 3 years. No thanks.
Thinking about this problem left me pretty hopeless about everything. This problem is so huge that it's made everything else feel so insignificant. Maybe this is why I haven't been able to connect with old friends the past year or so. All the memories from high school and summer just don't seem important anymore and I don't appreciate the things I use to. I'm no longer motivated in schoolwork or in tennis. It's strange how one problem can cause everything to fall apart.
Sometimes I wonder why I'm the one going through all this. It was a tough decision turning down going to UCSD to go to De Anza in order to save money. I felt like I wasted 4 years of my life in high school trying to get into a good college. And seeing everyone enjoying college life living in dorms and away from home just made me realize what I'm missing. Is opportunity dependent on how much money you have? It seems unfair, doesnt it?
I don't know why I decided to post this. I don't want sympathy or pity. I guess I just needed someone to understand.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
We made fresh! Who care? WE DO!
"We made fresh! Who care? We do!"
I seriously burst out laughing when I read that. I love azn people. Haha. Anyways, I saw that sign on the wall at Quickly today and it brought back all the good memories of summer. Plus the fact that I finished all my finals today, that put me in a pretty good mood. I have exactly 24 days of break starting tomorrow! I can't wait to see everyone again.
It feels good to walk again. Being on crutches for even a few days was the worst experience ever. Then after that, limping around with a brace was no fun either. But apparently, I strained my MCL and ACL along with the ligament tear in my ankle. That kind of hurts but it'll heal in a couple weeks.
I seriously burst out laughing when I read that. I love azn people. Haha. Anyways, I saw that sign on the wall at Quickly today and it brought back all the good memories of summer. Plus the fact that I finished all my finals today, that put me in a pretty good mood. I have exactly 24 days of break starting tomorrow! I can't wait to see everyone again.
It feels good to walk again. Being on crutches for even a few days was the worst experience ever. Then after that, limping around with a brace was no fun either. But apparently, I strained my MCL and ACL along with the ligament tear in my ankle. That kind of hurts but it'll heal in a couple weeks.
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Friends, Football, and the Emergency Room
I am so happy for Thanksgiving break. It couldn't have come at a better time. I was exhausted from tennis practices and I really needed a break. It was good to get away from all that and see my old friends again.
Tuesday
I visited Leadership with good ol' Niyanth. We climbed up that awful staircase I've always hated on the way to Leadership only to find out that the class was in the student center for Connections. And Ms. Moore kicked us out because she said that we were distracting everybody. So we walked around the campus for awhile and talked about college and reminisced about high school. Man, I missed that fool. Girl watchers FO LIFE. Haha. After Connections, we hung out with the Leadership kids. It was so weird being in that room without the people from last year's Leadership. Everything felt so unfamiliar and out of place. I guess it's time to move on.
Wednesday
I went to lunch at Popeyes with Matt Wilson. It was great seeing him again. We ate some greasy chicken and he updated me on what he's been up to. He told me some disturbing stories about his roommate. Haha. And we joked about our trips to Tuxedo Wearhouse and getting hit on by old ladies.
Then I went to the movies with some friends. We were supposed to watch Madagascar 2 but there weren't any more seats open so we decided to watch Zack and Miri Make a Porno. But at just before the movie started, everybody changed their minds and we went to watch Bolt instead. We were the only ones in the theater that weren't either kids or parents of the kids. But I enjoyed it nevertheless.
After dinner with family, I went to In N Out to meet up with some other people. There were so many people there, meeting up with their old high school friends. It was like a big reunion party. Fun stuff. I mostly hung out with Niyanth, Matt, Vivek, and Whitey. It felt so good to talk about sports with people who knew what they were talking about.
Thursday
Happy Thanksgiving!! In the morning, I went to IHop with friends to have breakfast. It was interesting talking to them again.
For dinner, we went to a family friend's house. I met up with a church friend that goes to Lynbrook who now goes to Davis. We played cards like we used to every year when we hung out. And we watched Eulogy.
Friday
At 9:30, I woke up to go play football with Jason and his church friends. It started pretty slow because we were playing flag football and there were girls playing with us. After, we started playing tackle and not as many girls played. On a sweep play, I was running with the ball but I got tackled and I either rolled my ankle or somebody fell on it. I thought I just tweaked it so I kept on playing for a little while then went to Monta Vista to play football with another group of guys. It was a very exhausting morning to say the least.
After football, Marc and I went to Chipotle for lunch, and talked for awhile. I really missed talking to him about my problems so it felt good to get that out. Later, we met up with Jason and hung out at Marc's house. Jason told us some stories about his roommate.
When I got home, my ankle started to swell up a lot and I couldn't even put any weight on it. So I used my physiology skills and used R.I.C.E! Thanks Mrs. McElwee!
Saturday
When I woke up, my ankle felt worse than it did the day before. So I went to the Emergency Room and found out that I tore my deltoid ligament in my right ankle. They wrapped up my ankle and told me that I have to be on crutches for about two weeks. Then I can start walking and three weeks later, I can start jogging but no intense physical exercise for a month. This injury could not have come at a worse time. My tennis season is starting in two months and if I don't practice, I might lose my spot on the ladder. I'm scared to tell my coach on Monday because I know she'll get mad at me for being stupid and getting injured playing football. Oh well, I'll deal with it. I'm hoping to do some extra rehabilitation and be ready to play in three weeks at the latest. Wish me luck!
Sunday
This morning I went to Quickly for a little bit to say goodbye to the people going back to college. I don't even know how I feel about that anymore..
Tuesday
I visited Leadership with good ol' Niyanth. We climbed up that awful staircase I've always hated on the way to Leadership only to find out that the class was in the student center for Connections. And Ms. Moore kicked us out because she said that we were distracting everybody. So we walked around the campus for awhile and talked about college and reminisced about high school. Man, I missed that fool. Girl watchers FO LIFE. Haha. After Connections, we hung out with the Leadership kids. It was so weird being in that room without the people from last year's Leadership. Everything felt so unfamiliar and out of place. I guess it's time to move on.
Wednesday
I went to lunch at Popeyes with Matt Wilson. It was great seeing him again. We ate some greasy chicken and he updated me on what he's been up to. He told me some disturbing stories about his roommate. Haha. And we joked about our trips to Tuxedo Wearhouse and getting hit on by old ladies.
Then I went to the movies with some friends. We were supposed to watch Madagascar 2 but there weren't any more seats open so we decided to watch Zack and Miri Make a Porno. But at just before the movie started, everybody changed their minds and we went to watch Bolt instead. We were the only ones in the theater that weren't either kids or parents of the kids. But I enjoyed it nevertheless.
After dinner with family, I went to In N Out to meet up with some other people. There were so many people there, meeting up with their old high school friends. It was like a big reunion party. Fun stuff. I mostly hung out with Niyanth, Matt, Vivek, and Whitey. It felt so good to talk about sports with people who knew what they were talking about.
Thursday
Happy Thanksgiving!! In the morning, I went to IHop with friends to have breakfast. It was interesting talking to them again.
For dinner, we went to a family friend's house. I met up with a church friend that goes to Lynbrook who now goes to Davis. We played cards like we used to every year when we hung out. And we watched Eulogy.
Friday
At 9:30, I woke up to go play football with Jason and his church friends. It started pretty slow because we were playing flag football and there were girls playing with us. After, we started playing tackle and not as many girls played. On a sweep play, I was running with the ball but I got tackled and I either rolled my ankle or somebody fell on it. I thought I just tweaked it so I kept on playing for a little while then went to Monta Vista to play football with another group of guys. It was a very exhausting morning to say the least.
After football, Marc and I went to Chipotle for lunch, and talked for awhile. I really missed talking to him about my problems so it felt good to get that out. Later, we met up with Jason and hung out at Marc's house. Jason told us some stories about his roommate.
When I got home, my ankle started to swell up a lot and I couldn't even put any weight on it. So I used my physiology skills and used R.I.C.E! Thanks Mrs. McElwee!
Saturday
When I woke up, my ankle felt worse than it did the day before. So I went to the Emergency Room and found out that I tore my deltoid ligament in my right ankle. They wrapped up my ankle and told me that I have to be on crutches for about two weeks. Then I can start walking and three weeks later, I can start jogging but no intense physical exercise for a month. This injury could not have come at a worse time. My tennis season is starting in two months and if I don't practice, I might lose my spot on the ladder. I'm scared to tell my coach on Monday because I know she'll get mad at me for being stupid and getting injured playing football. Oh well, I'll deal with it. I'm hoping to do some extra rehabilitation and be ready to play in three weeks at the latest. Wish me luck!
Sunday
This morning I went to Quickly for a little bit to say goodbye to the people going back to college. I don't even know how I feel about that anymore..
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Weekend Update
Friday, November 21st
- I went to Joe's house to get ready for the Davis tournament. We were supposed to leave at like 7 but we ended up leaving at like 8:30... Indian timezone?
- We arrived at the hotel at 10-ish. I really hate driving to Davis, especially at night. Exhausting.
- If you though Davis smelled bad, Dixon smells 10 times worse.
- I was going to check into the hotel and drop off the guys and drive to Davis to hang out with Sam and Yuki but I was too tired. ><
- We could not sleep at all Friday night. I was sharing a room with 3 other guys and this one guy played Counter-Strike (who even plays that anymore?!) all night, one guy left the TV on the whole night because apparently he can't sleep without it on, and one guy kept getting out of the bed to check his laptop every 5 minutes. The best part: the stupid fire alarm kept going off at random intervals. Never staying there again.
- We had to wake up at 6:30 to get ready, eat breakfast, and drive over to Davis for the tournament. It took so long for everyone to get up because we all got like 30 minutes of sleep the night before.
- At like 7:30, we went down to get breakfast and load the cars. When we stepped out of the hotel, we literally could not see 15 feet in front of us. It was so damn foggy. I was driving like 40mph on the highway and trying not to run over anything. And it took 30 minutes for us to find the tennis courts because we couldn't see it even though it was right next to the road.
- We finally got to the courts but (surprise..) it was too foggy to warm up because you can't even see the ball. After waiting for an hour, the fog finally cleared up and the tournament finally started.
- I won my first round of singles pretty easily but lost the first round of doubles. Then I lost in the second round of singles but won the consolation round for doubles. Not too terrible.
- After the tournament ended for the day, we went to eat some all-you-can-eat-sushi!! It was pretty much the best thing ever. Then my friend tried to hit on this group of Korean girls sitting next to us and he kept asking me to teach him some Korean so he could talk to them. Haha what a fool.
- After dinner, we went to Quickly! We can never escape that place. Except it was kind of gross because there were flies everywhere. Typical Davis.
- We went back to the hotel and we all watched 28 Days Later on TV. My favorite part was when a guy was flying the helicopter and the blades cut up a mob of zombies.
- This time, everyone fell asleep pretty quickly because everyone was so tired. Unfortunately, I could not sleep very well because the guy that I was sharing the bed with rolled over and basically slept on my shoulder the entire time. Not the most comfortable thing in the world.
- Oh yeah!! Cal won!! Thanks Natalie for the excellent commentary! :D
- Woke up, packed, checked out.
- This time, no fog!
- The tournament ended really well for me. I won all 4 of my matches on Sunday. It was in the consolation round but whatever. A win is a win.
- One of my teammate won the entire tournament and he and his doubles partner lost in the finals of the doubles tournament. They lost to the Berkeley Club team. Hopefully we'll get better because we're playing the Berkeley Club team in January.
- After the tournament, we all went to In N Out and pigged out. At around 5, we loaded up the cars and drove home.
- We're watching Memento in my Philosophy class. I know people watched that last summer. What a weird movie..
- I hung out with Niyanth yesterday! He came home from Illinois and we visited Leadership together. Good times.
- I'm excited for break. Hopefully I'll get to hang out with people but I have a lot of work to do. Philosophy essay, Calc Exam, Stats Exam, Stats lab....ACK.
- Football on Friday!!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
I need to think of better titles..
I will work on thinking up clever titles for my next post.
This is what I've been up to the past couple of days:
Saturday, November 15th
CAL VS. OREGON ST.So Natalie and I promptly started texting each other when the game started. I love this tradition that we started. haha.
I think I speak for every Cal fan: This man is a beast.
Unfortunately, they lost...
Anyways, then Jason came down from Davis to visit and we hung out at It's a Grind for awhile. And this creepy old guy sat next to us on the couch and started to repeat every thing we said to each other. Quite an interesting character.
Sunday, November 16th
I love Sundays. I watch football all day. That's basically it.
Monday, November 17th
Ok, in Calculus, we have a group presentation coming up and we formed groups last week. This was not a smart move by the professor because last Friday was the last day to drop with a "w". Since almost everybody is failing that class, about 60% of the class dropped that Friday. Come Monday, and everybody in my group dropped. Great.
I spent an hour figuring out what classes to take next quarter and work my schedule around my tennis matches and practices. I'm really not excited...
Monday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Chem 1A - 11:30 - 12:20, Tennis - 12:30 - 2:30, Chem 1A - 2:30 - 3:20, Chem Lab - 3:20 - 5:00, Phys 2A - 5:30 - 7:10, Phys Lab - 7:20 - 10:00
Tuesday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Tennis match - 2:00 - 6:00
Wednesday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Chem 1A - 11:30 - 12:20, Tennis - 12:30 - 2:30, Chem 1A - 2:30 - 3:20, Chem Lab - 3:20 - 5:00, Phys 2A - 5:30 - 7:10
Thursday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Tennis - 12:30 - 2:30
Friday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Chem 1A - 11:30 - 12:20, Tennis match - 2:00 - 6:00
Somebody shoot me.
Oh yeah! Me and a couple guys on the tennis team are going up to Davis this Friday for a tennis tournament at UC Davis! We're staying at a hotel for two nights and playing a couple matches on Saturday and Sunday.
This is what I've been up to the past couple of days:
Saturday, November 15th
CAL VS. OREGON ST.So Natalie and I promptly started texting each other when the game started. I love this tradition that we started. haha.
I think I speak for every Cal fan: This man is a beast.Unfortunately, they lost...
Anyways, then Jason came down from Davis to visit and we hung out at It's a Grind for awhile. And this creepy old guy sat next to us on the couch and started to repeat every thing we said to each other. Quite an interesting character.
Sunday, November 16th
I love Sundays. I watch football all day. That's basically it.
Monday, November 17th
Ok, in Calculus, we have a group presentation coming up and we formed groups last week. This was not a smart move by the professor because last Friday was the last day to drop with a "w". Since almost everybody is failing that class, about 60% of the class dropped that Friday. Come Monday, and everybody in my group dropped. Great.
I spent an hour figuring out what classes to take next quarter and work my schedule around my tennis matches and practices. I'm really not excited...
Monday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Chem 1A - 11:30 - 12:20, Tennis - 12:30 - 2:30, Chem 1A - 2:30 - 3:20, Chem Lab - 3:20 - 5:00, Phys 2A - 5:30 - 7:10, Phys Lab - 7:20 - 10:00
Tuesday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Tennis match - 2:00 - 6:00
Wednesday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Chem 1A - 11:30 - 12:20, Tennis - 12:30 - 2:30, Chem 1A - 2:30 - 3:20, Chem Lab - 3:20 - 5:00, Phys 2A - 5:30 - 7:10
Thursday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Tennis - 12:30 - 2:30
Friday: Calc 1C - 9:30 - 10:20, Chem 1A - 11:30 - 12:20, Tennis match - 2:00 - 6:00
Somebody shoot me.
Oh yeah! Me and a couple guys on the tennis team are going up to Davis this Friday for a tennis tournament at UC Davis! We're staying at a hotel for two nights and playing a couple matches on Saturday and Sunday.
Friday, November 14, 2008
hello there.
I finally decided get a blog. This takes me back to the good old middle school days where "Xanga" was the greatest thing in the world. Anyways, I guess I'll try to update as much as possible and not be TOO boring. I think this will be good practice for English/Writing class I have to take next quarter...
With tennis practice basically taking over my life right now, I haven't had many opportunities to socialize except with the guys from the team. They're really cool and everything but I miss my high school buddies. (Yes Dami! You're a terrific photographer!)
With tennis practice basically taking over my life right now, I haven't had many opportunities to socialize except with the guys from the team. They're really cool and everything but I miss my high school buddies. (Yes Dami! You're a terrific photographer!)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)