THANKFUL!

So... last night some really sweet friends spent the night and we decided to go for a walk. (The picture is of me and my friends on campus) Neither of the girls had ever been to Bogazici before so we walked through campus. Bogazici is the University I was able to go to last spring and in Turkey it is kind of considered the 'Harvard of Turkey.' Whenever people found out I went to Bogazici they would all kind of ohhh and ahhhh. The way they do the testing system here to get into the Universities is totally different than the states and I hate it. I think it stinks -- I want to kick the stupid OSS in the face, if it had one that is. Basically whatever score you get on the test determines what University you can go to and what profession you can pursue. So kids that dream their whole lives of being doctors can be bad test takers and never get to be a doctor or go to the University they have always wanted to. I've had several friends get their hopes crushed and either have to wait a year to take the test or just settle for something else. I've been here the past 3 years when these test scores come back and inevitably every time there is a friend who gets a 'bad score'.... ughhhh!!! I shake my fist at you OSS every year and you still come back!!!
So, last night as we were walking through the campus with these girls who were like .... we could never dream of going here and were just thrilled to have stepped onto the campus -- I was really humbled. I complain about school a lot, I don't work as hard as I could frequently, and I can always find something to complain about whether Bogazici or Baylor.
I was really convicted. And I am really thankful for the opportunities I have had to go to school and pursue my dreams both here and in America. Thanks Mom and Dad for helping me go to school and for expecting me to graduate and always do well in school. I know that it's not the end and it has really never been that important to me.... but it matters in a different way now. I have attended two amazing Universities that have had huge influences on who I am today.... I hear that only 1% of the world's youth gets to go to a University. So, I only have 1 year left and I want to finish well, not complain so much, not skip class as much, and really appreciate the opportunity I have been given. That's all.