Mommy and Money

Let me take a moment to say this:

I love my Mommy!!!!

I don't know where I'd be without her. Stuck in college in Chicago, experiencing daily panic attacks, and not aware of half the awesome bands I currently love, probably. Even though I complain fairly frequently about food and parental frustrations and her occationally unreasonable requests (/orders), I am very thankful not only that she gave birth to me but that she has been my friend and council throughout my life thus far. She brings me out of stressful situations by telling me she'll handle things, and reminding me that things aren't so bad.

For instance, on Tuesday I had a meeting with my financial aid councilor here to figure out which financial aid could be applied to my studying abroad. Upon inquiring about this, I was given the news that we did not qualify for the Pell Grant or the Founder's Free Tuition program this year because our financial situation is a couple thousand dollars different. This means that instead of having one more year of tuition and bills paid for me by the government, I now need to secure student loans that will put me in debt for the forseeable future. Good job, Uncle Sam.

Understandably, I really just wanted to get out of the terrible councilor's terrible cubicle and go cry my eyes out somewhere, but instead had to listen to him go on for another twenty minutes about all the things I already knew I had to do. By the time I got out of the office I was feeling a bit panicky, and all my hopes and dreams of going abroad had been squashed under the heel of the Establishment.

I got out my cell phone and called Mom. I told her what had happened, and about how discouraged I was. We talked for a while, and finally I blurted out my worries about going abroad when we had so little money, to which she replied that if I was going to have to take money out to finish college, I might as well be paying for what I want. This immediately cheered me up, and made the sky seem a tad less grey (but not much, since it'd been pouring for hours).

I got on the bus back to St. Paul feeling a bit happier, and trying to figure out the logistics of money and currency and exchange rates. God willing, I'm going to be staying at the St. Paul campus and going to Scotland. My family is great, I'm currently happy, I get a nice loft bed in good accommodations with food (sometimes good, sometimes not). I have nice clothes, I have the love of my friends, and I have fictional characters and an imagination, and my music. Everything is going to be fine.