Month: January 2020

For as long as I can remember, one of my greatest passions has been traveling around the world. Some of my earliest memories have been places other than home, places filled with joyous memories of adventure, learning, culture, and experience. Traveling is something that I have always known is a part of my family and a part of my identity. 

I’m not entirely sure where this blog will go or how much a kindness aspect I tie into it. However, I believe each week I will pick one of my favorite places I have been and what this place means to me along some of my favorite things aspects of the trip. To start it off, I want to take you to Austria.  

Austria may be my favorite country that I have ever visited. Landlocked by other beautiful European countries, Austria (in my eyes) is a crown jewel. Austria is the home of Mozart and other famous musicians, Sigmund Freud, the world’s second International Sex School, chocolate, roaring hills and mountains, Red Bull, Fortress Hohensalzburg, and so much more. This country is not only filled with beautiful sights, but also with kindly beautiful people.  

While in Austria, I traveled from Vienna, the capital, to Salzburg, and ended in Hallstatt. Along the way, we stopped in many dainty villages, each filled with their own character. 

Vienna is a bit of a blur. We landed in Vienna, flying from the United States, and I was incredibly jet-lagged and exhausted from the lack of sleep and excessive movie watching. Despite falling asleep in what must have been an outstanding opera in the Vienna State Opera, I do recall possibly one of the most beautiful cathedrals in the world; St. Stephen’s Cathedral. Towering into the sky, decorated with the most magnificent stain glass windows, St. Stephen’s Cathedral took my breath away. Vienna was great, but let’s talk about Salzburg. 

On the top of my “Place’s I’d Love to Live” list is Salzburg itself. Now I may be slightly biased for my favorite movie of all time was filmed there, that is The Sound of Music. Might I say the hills are truly alive with the sound of music there. Luckily for me, on the local television, a channel plays the movie 24/7 for tourists. But that’s not all. Salzburg is hugged by Salzach river is overlooked by the handsome Hogensalzbugh Fortress. Rich in history from Motzart’s birthplace to Saint Peter’s Abbey and the oldest known restaurant in Europe, Stiftskeller St. Peter, Salzburg is the place to go. One of the most vivid memories was having dinner Austria’s largest beer garden, Augustiner Brau – Kolster Mulln. Tucked away under the shade of chestnut trees, everyone there made you feel like family. Not only was the battered food and live entertainment amazing, but the atmosphere there, the atmosphere that captures Austria as a whole, was kind and warm. 

Someday soon I hope to return to experience even more of what this historical and charming country has to over. 

Let me tell you a story. Let me tell you a story. Now, if you were to ask my brother, I’m a terrible storyteller, and maybe that is the case, but I promise this story is short and sweet, straight to the point. When we are young, we have many fears. When I was young, I feared many things including the dark, the monster under my bed, going downstairs into the basement… but my biggest fear when I was really little…was of going to the bathroom on the toilet. For I wholeheartedly believed that I would fall into the white vitreous china toilet, it would flush itself, and take me far away to place where I’d never see my family again. 

This fear of mine turned into one of the first struggles in my life that I can remember. Now, I know this seems rather silly, but in the end, with much time and support from my loving grandmother as she held my hand as I went number 2, I overcame this struggle and life went on. Although, what I didn’t know then was that I would face many struggles in my life, some big some small, some that affected me for a day, and others months or years. 

But let be completely frank: 

I hate the struggle. I’ve always had a strong disliking for it. For most of my life, I’ve viewed my struggles as enemies, high-stakes tests, or sources of overwhelming fear. But over the past few years, I’ve come to realize that struggle provides insight, struggle provides perspective, and struggles provide a connection to other human beings. 

Throughout high school and now college, I often struggle against insecurities in class. When I didn’t understand or grasp material the first time around, I would tend to see my “struggle” as a bad thing, something that is even painful, because I viewed myself as a failure. But repeatedly when I looked to my teachers and professors, they never saw the struggle in a negative light like I did. In fact, they seemed to accept my frustration as just another part of the learning process. And through my teacher’s kind words and confidence in me, I found a new perspective: meaningful learning comes from a good struggle. And when I think about it some more this same lesson has been taught to me over the years. It just took me a little extra time, a little extra struggling to see it.

Now, you may be thinking that I’m ridiculous, speaking to you about struggles when we attend one of the top universities in the world with unlimited opportunities, compared to others in the United States and around the world. And I completely agree that some struggles can seem minuscule to the problems of the world. But, no two struggles are exactly the same, for one does not need to suffer more than another in order to experience a valid struggle. (POSSIBLY DELETING THIS PARAGRAPH) 

Many of us face internal struggles; not being good enough, fear of not being smart enough, grief, (mental health), body image and even not be accepted for who we are. Many of us will face unforeseen struggles, and whatever they are, you are not alone. 

It’s not easy, and if the struggle ever seems like too much, I have to remind myself there is always help, someone to help, and somewhere to get help. As I sought my grandmother’s help and support to go to the bathroom, I was able to overcome my fear and struggle. `

Right now at this very moment, I am facing one of the greatest changes and perhaps struggles in my life. (ADD MORE OF A STORY HERE) 

Even if you feel like you might be sucked down the toilet, embrace the struggle. I believe in embracing the struggle. Because without it we wouldn’t be who we are today.

For my passion blog, I have decided to take up a passion of mine that I hadn’t previously mentioned, traveling the world with kindness.

For my civic issue blog, I’m interested in investigating education.

Ideas for my “This I Believe” podcast: 

1. Grandparents and the love for the Elderly 
   1. So far, in my life, my grandparents have significantly impacted my view of the elderly. A look that has been shaped into a love. From this love, we need to love the elderly. So many societies around the world put much energy and care into taking care of the elderly. However, I feel this is not as prevalent in the United States. We don’t even necessarily need to love the elderly, but we need to respect them. We can learn so much from their achievements and failures. 
2. Outlook on College Life – Penn State 
   1. Over the break, I was asked what I thought of Penn State, and I answered, “I like it.” This response completely shook who I was speaking too, and their immediate reaction was, “You’re the first person who has ever told me that. Everyone I know LOVES Penn State.” I believe there is more to college than the walls in which we are confined. The most important, college is an investment for our future. 

Laundry List of other ideas: 

1. Forgiveness and Being the Bigger Person 
2. We are all here to help each other.
3. There is always something Good in the Bad. 
4. We shouldn’t be afraid to die. 
5. Hard work. Period.
6. Everyone deserves to be loved.

 

Ideas for my new Passion Blog: 

1. Finding Happiness 
   1. Something that kept crossing my mind over break is finding happiness in college. I want to explore where I find my joy and what I can do for others that make me happy. Happiness isn’t our phones and social media, but happiness is in helping others, is in nature, is in good food. 
2. Mission Work 
   1. One of my greatest passions and something I hope to continue throughout the entirety of my life is to serve others. More specifically, through medical mission trips. I want to explore this passion through this blog on the places I want to go to and the places I’ve been to. 
3. Being something for someone 
   1. Something I have always enjoyed and sometimes work to do is genuinely being something for someone. This ranges from trying to be the best daughter I can be to my parents or being a supportive, real someone to a friend. I think it would be interesting to look more into how to be better for others. And also possibly reflect on what I have seen before in my life and aspire to be. 

 

Ideas for my Civic Issue Blog: 

1. Education: College Admissions 
   1. Getting rid of ACT/SAT for admission requirements 
   2. Family income → student loans 
   3. Nepotism 
2. Health Care 
   1. People cannot afford their medication → , especially the elderly, who ultimately stop taking their medications and thus lead to more significant health problems that are significantly more expensive. 
   2. People cannot afford their healthcare deductibles → lower, and middle-class citizens struggle to pay their health care deductibles. Thus resulting in getting rid of health care insurance or going to a lower provider where science shows, especially in the lower class, people need health care the most.  
3. Education: Cost of Education – Is it work the cost? 

• For all three of these, I would focus on the cost of education today. Another outlook I am interested in looking into is the length of education, especially graduate school, and, more specifically, medical school. Today, many are reasoning that four years of strict school before residency may not be necessary for all specialties. As for private schools, I’d investigate the cost and how even just the name of a private school impacts acceptance rates into some of the top universities and colleges also when some public schools provide a better education. 

1. 1. Private Schools 
   2. Undergraduate 
   3. Graduate