Money and wake-up calls

Not going to lie...today's been a pretty rough day.  Not just on the abroad front but on a personal front as well. 

Yesterday I mentioned that I was going to talk about my $400 payment that's due on Friday.  Well, today I went in to the international center and shared my current predicament.  I'll be going back in on Wednesday because the abroad adviser was out of the office, but I emailed him and let him know what was going on.  I also emailed Katiana (my abroad coordinator based in Colorado) and also shared my predicament; that, basically, I'm poor and I just don't have $400 laying around and that I also feel that one week in between getting accepted and then needing to make a payment just isn't enough time to get a sum of money that high together.  She agreed; she also mentioned that there isn't really a "deadline" but that the longer I delay my payment the longer it will take for my application to get processed.  Basically, the rest of my application won't be reviewed until that payment is made.  She also mentioned that the reason EuroLearn makes the student applicant responsible for the payment is to confirm their commitment to the program (which I agree with). 

Having said this, I will be making my first (and definitely not last!) trip to Financial Aid on Wednesday (I'm book 9-5 on Tuesdays, unfortunately) to discuss taking out some sort of loan.  I just pray that the funds will get there on the designated time.  See, that's the thing about this whole trip.  Now that the official adrenaline overjoyed high has worn off, it just sort of hit me that I actually have to pay for this thing.  But I just have to keep thinking that the money is not important; I can't put a price on this amazing opportunity that God has given me.  An opportunity that I will probably never get again.   I can't be bogged down about the money because there's going to be so many opportunities and experiences for me once I get over there.

On somewhat of a personal front, I am so incredibly grateful for my friend Brandi.  I swear I would be going insane if she wasn't with me today.  Today I saw my midterm grades, and to be frank, they're the worst round of grades that I've received since I've been at Berea.  If you really want to know them you can just ask me, but I won't bore anybody with the details.  But all the stress of bad grades and money that I don't have just cumulated this afternoon, and I had a mini meltdown, so to speak.  But Brandi just stayed with me and my foolishness and told me not to worry.  I don't even think I know the extent to which words just impact people.  After my meltdown I realized something huge for me:  Up until now, at midterms, I've done ok.  But this semester I've slacked a little.  To be honest, these grades are a wake-up call for me.  Normally I've just shrugged them off.  But not this time.  Next May I'm GRADUATING.  That's it.  No more second chances. 

Also, I found the UK grading scale for all college classes.  An 80 or above is an A.  An A+, to be exact.  I was excited about this at first.  I relayed this information to several friends, but someone told me, "You know, Holly, you're going to have to work twice as hard to get that."  I was like...crap.  You're right.  Part 2 of the wake-up call. 

I know that the above blurb has nothing to do with my trip.  I just felt like sharing that with everyone.  Be grateful for the people in your life. 

I can definitely feel God testing me and my faith through this.  He's done more incredible things in people's lives and I know that this is just a temporary trial that is preparing me for something so wonderful!  :)

Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and monetary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.  -2 Corinthians 4:16-18