Emo

So ever since the gruesome murders that took place a block or so off of campus, I've been thinking a lot about death and murder. I'm generally not an emo person, and I generally have happy thoughts. There's just something about what happened that has me a little down.

Maybe it was the fact that two of the victims were younger than me. When I really sit down and think about this, it just absolutely blows my mind that someone my age could die, let alone younger than me. It really puts things into perspective. No one is invincible, and sometimes things like this remind us of that.

Maybe it was the way they were killed. It's always absolutely horrible when you hear about a family including teenagers being killed in a car accident or cancer or some other freak accident or illness, but murder? No one ever deserves to be stabbed and bludgeoned to death. Since all of the victims were killed at different times, that means that at least 3 of them knew that they were next. They probably saw another dead body or so around of people who they loved. From what I hear, there was blood and human parts all over the walls. Can you imagine if that's the last thing you see?

Maybe it's because I was probably giggling with my roommates or working on homework or playing FarmVille on facebook while brutal homicides were going on less than a mile from where I was sitting. How easily we go through life just making the motions.

I have so many questions that I want answered, and I never even knew the victims. I wish I knew what was going through this murderous monster's head before slaughtering an entire family one by one. I wish I knew what his girlfriend may have done or said to get him into a murderous rage. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe he had planned this all alone. Or maybe he acted on impulse. Some of these questions may never be answered. Maybe that's for the best. Either way, I just hope the victims are able to rest in peace now that this psychopath is behind bars.


OK I'm done being emo. I think I'm going to write my next blog post on puppies.

Half a world away

I miss all of these Frenchies so much.

Hurdle

I can't seem to jump the hurdle of writing this blog post, because I feel like it must be on France since I haven't posted since before I left. It's hard for me to put into words how lifechanging the experience was, which intimidates me and forces me to just give up on posting. So here's about my 10th attempt.

I'm going to be very broad and use cliche words, because I don't really know how else to describe my experience. I met people from literally all over the globe including lifelong friendships as well as people from Longwood who I hope to stay close with. I now feel more comfortable going far away from home. I feel as if I can make any place home since it took me a full 12 hours before I felt at home in a different country with a different culture of people who speak a different language and 4000 miles away from everyone I've ever known. I had some crazy experiences, and sometimes I even look back on France and think it might have just been some wonderful dream. It sure seems like a blur. The 4 weeks I spent in La Rochelle were some of the most meaningful of my life, and the final week of traveling with John was also enlightening and exciting. I guess my story is best told while looking through my 505 pictures (almost all on Facebook). But even that is not doing my experience justice.

So I'll quit while I'm ahead and close by encouraging anyone who is even a little bit interested in studying abroad to just take a big leap of faith and go for it. As far as I know, everyone from Longwood had a good time. There was not one second that I really wished I was back home. I already felt at home. The experience is what you make of it, and I think I seized every opportunity presented to me. I only hope I can feel like that again in my life.