Not Quite 28 Things I've Learned in 28 Years

This is a little late, but I was too busy being a lazy bum last week to post anything.  It was my birthday last week and I’ve not reached the ripe age of 28.  So far, it feels pretty good.  This year should prove to be an exciting one.  I’ll be moving back to Canada in July, going to my older brother’s wedding on August 1, and settling down into Canadian life once more.  Oh, and that includes the dreadful job hunting.

I wanted to take this time to copy +Brent Jones on Google+.  Brent recently turned 30, which is a huge milestone because the number contains a “0” on the end of it.  To commemorate that wonderful age containing a dreaded three, he came up with a list of 30 things he’s learned over the years.

I figured 28 rounds up to 30 less ambiguously than 27, so I want to do the same. 

A Letter to My Younger Self

Dear nineteen-year-old Kellie,

I know you’ve been going through a lot lately.  You’ve failed all your classes at university, quit your soldiers training in the Reserve Forces, and now you’re hiding away in the basement of your host family’s house in France crying your heart out.  I know it hurts to fail.  I know you want to give up and go home, but even home doesn’t understand you, nor have they a place for you.

I see and feel your pain.  You have responsibility for someone else’s kids and you’re trying to make it in a culture you don’t understand.  You cringe when your host mother reprimands you countless times a day for the smallest mistakes you make.  You can never predict when she’s not going to like something you’re doing.  She’s your best friend one moment and your enemy the next.  Your only escape is either the basement in the laundry room, home to cement walls to bruise your knuckles on, or the bedroom where you lock yourself in to drench your pillow in tears.