A College Student’s Letter to the Younger Generation

So here is my disclaimer: This is my opinion. These are the thoughts that have been going through my head. I am sorry if anyone gets offended. If you don’t read anything from this entire rant, at least skip down to my Stop/ Learn. That’s the message I really want to send.

Dear Current Middle School and High School Students,
Hey! College life is great. It is a lot of work, and definitely a struggle, but it is so worth it. But I didn’t write this to talk about me. I wrote it to talk to some of you.

Maybe this isn’t my place to judge. Maybe it’s not my place to talk. But I am tired of seeing it on Facebook. Kids are getting suspended. Kids are into drugs. And having babies.

I read my news feed on Facebook and I see people complaining about school and promoting the legalization of weed all over the place. What happened to playing with dolls or video games?

Saving Money while you are Abroad!

So, you raised all the money you needed for the trip. You are walking off the plane into a whole new country. Congratulations! But now you have to figure out how to not burn through your entire bank account while you are in the country. I can help! While I was in South Africa, I spent a little more than I had expected to, but I also had the trip of a lifetime. These are the 5 tips that I figured out while I was there!

What Strengths Training Did For Me

I want to apologize to anyone who talks to me on a daily basis for anytime in the future. I have just completed the strengths training through the TeamMates and Gallup partnership! So bare with me if you have no idea what I am talking about or if you think I am a little crazy.

My first reaction to my strengths when I took the strength finder was “My mom has these on her top 5 and I am just like my mom, so why don’t I have them on my top 5.” I didn’t know why I wasn’t a Maximizer and I thought for sure that I would be a Woo. I think that I was almost disappointed with my top 5 because they weren’t what I was expecting, but after reading through the definitions of each of my top 5, I understood immediately what those strengths looked like within me.

10 Things I Wish I Had Known Before Starting College

As college gets closer and closer, I keep thinking about all the things that I have learned and worked on since I started college last year. There are a lot of things that I truly wished that I would have known before started college that I didn’t think I would need to know. Some of these things are from other people. There are a lot more things, and every person you ask will be slightly different in the things that they tell you, but it is still good to have some idea before walking into class.

5 Ways to Raise Money to Go Abroad!

This summer has been absolutely crazy. After getting back from South Africa I have been trying to focus on getting moved into our new apartment and making it a home. Then I had 2 weeks of military training out in Fort Carson. (Great Time) But I feel like yet another summer has slipped away from me.
I am just getting Thank You’s done from my South African Donors, 2 months after getting home.. Even though they have been on my list of things to do… since I got home. Slowly but surly this summer is coming to an end.
All of that being said, I am finally starting to get some of my study abroad posts up onto my blog! Woo!

Studying abroad is well worth the money. I don’t regret a single penny that I spent on the trip, but I do wish I would have watched my finances a little more closely. Here are 5 Tips for raising money for your trip, because it is no secret that it costs an arm and a leg sometimes. It is hard to pay for an entire trip straight out of pocket so follow these:

Why a Liberal Arts Degree is for Me!

Lately, I have heard a lot of people talking about Universities and how Technical programs are becoming way more efficient. “Liberal Arts is a thing of the past” Lots of people have said that they don’t see why people would spend so much money on a degree that doesn’t really teach you how to “do” anything.

I know the economy hasn’t been great and people don’t always find jobs with liberal arts degree, but people don’t always find a great job with any degree and you are more likely to find a job that pays more than minimum wage with either a degree, or experience.

I am going to University of Nebraska for a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree. My major is Psychology and I have a quadruple minor. My minors are Child, Youth, and Family Studies, Women and Gender Studies, English, and LGBTQ Studies (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transexual and Queer/Questioning). I have a VERY liberal arts degree.

All About Me

Hey everyone! I know most of you are regular readers, and most of you are probably family and friends, but for those of you who happened to stumble upon my blog, I thought I would give you a nice, warm welcoming!

African Safari: Day One

   Today, we packed up our bags and headed out for our first overnight trip.We were headed to the Safari. It seemed like a super long drive on the way there, but it was really only an hour or two. As we drove, I couldn’t help but be surprised at how absolutely beautiful the world is.
Ever since the Slave Lodge we have been making fun of Kelsie because the birds and squirrels really love her. In the Company Gardens, the animals came right up to her and were super friendly, which freaked her out. It wasn’t pretty. She also seems to attract the dog at the Hostel very well. Well, the Safari just made her a target for some jokes because we kept saying how we would get to see all of the animals because Kelsie would attract them towards our vehicle.

I can show this one better with pictures than words. Only pictures can explain how truly beautiful Africa is:

Archives and Holocaust Museum

     This morning in South Africa we had a good class about the beginning history of South Africa. We talked about the Dutch coming to form a settlement here, the slave trade and the types of slaves, and the different types of segregation laws that took place.
It was really interesting because Dr. Curry started the lecture by saying that the 1940’s Alexandria, South Africa bus boycotts were happening at the same time as the boycotts in Montgomery, Alabama. She explained how this was the thing that got her interested in South Africa, primarily because when her professor first told her this, he continued with the statement, “Someone in this classroom will want to know if the two boycotts had any influence on each other. He was right. She wanted to know, but he didn’t have an answer for her. So she set out to find it on her own.

10 Things To Do AFTER Moving to a New City

This is a blog in progress, but I am quickly working on a checklist of things to do after you have moved to a new city.

I am moving from Lincoln to Beatrice to Omaha all in a 2 month time span. I finished my college semester and I am planning on moving to Omaha shortly after returning to South Africa. Beginning of June, I will be packing up my belongings and moving to an apartment. I have been working on downsizing and packing my things, but there is a lot more to moving than your moving your stuff.

You are moving your life as well.

I am slowly creating a to-do list of things that need to be done after your move.