So I've been in Kirksville a lot of the summer. I'm taking my JINS class (Roads to Dictatorship: From Charlemagne to Hitler) here and watching it rain like everyday. Yeah, so towns around us are flooding. I'm also trying to learn French this summer so I don't fail in the fall. I'm skipping up to intermediate French so that I'll get to a higher level before I graduate. Adam was amazing and taught me French this past semester, but I must say, my vocabulary is lacking a lot. I need to learn 10 chapters worth this summer and I'm currently on chapter 2.

I watched this movie called "Blood Diamond" last week and it really made me think about how lucky I am to be able to live in this country. It was about the conflict diamonds in Sierra Leone. In the 90's the government was basically overthrown by rebels and they would invade villages and kill a lot of people or cut off their hands and make the children into soldiers. They took over the diamond mining there and it was very corrupt. This is why I never really want to own a diamond. I've heard about this story before, but I didn't know the whole thing until last week. There are companies that buy these diamonds and also diamonds from safe places and they are mixed together so you don't know. 

This movie also made my think about how so many people live extremely impoverished and I'm here all safe in my apartment. So many college students complain about how poor they are, but at least they have a roof over their head, food everyday, and don't have to worry about their safety. And there are also the people who have money and just use it for themselves and their family. So yeah..when I actually get out on my own, I'm planning to give my money to people who really need it and then live in a place that is cheaper/smaller even though I'll be able to afford to live somewhere else. There are so many people in this country who could do this but won't because they would have to give up their more comfortable living style. It really isn't that hard. There are somethings people can live without.

So I've been back in Kirksville for almost a week...I haven't gotten a good nights sleep in a couple of days. That would be because I haven't been sleeping at the house I'm renting a room in. Well, I found out on Tuesday that I would be the only person living there because the other girl moved out. So I live in the Campus Christian Fellowship house and they leave the door unlocked to it 24/7 for people can come in and out and I live in a room in the basement. So on Tuesday evening this guy showed up, whom I've never met before and called something down the basement stairs and I went to see who it was. He was definitely like 40 years old or something and most like somewhat mentally disabled. He asked me if I wanted to go the the movies with him and I declined and gave me his phone number and invited me over to his house. He really creeped me out. So I'm afraid that he's going to come back again and stuff so I've at the house as little as possible. In fact, I spent a whole 30 minutes there yesterday. I'm trying to figure out what I should do because I can't lock the doors (well, I can lock the basement and the back door, but only when I'm there because I don't have any keys).  My friends and I decided to go to JavaCo. on Wednesday and we ordered and sat down...guess who walks in..yeah, the guy who showed up at my house the night before. I didn't want him to recognize me so I ran to the back room and we sat there instead. And he started talking to some random girls in the front and creeped them out, too. So I've been sleeping at Anh and Anna's apartment for the past 2 days.
But other than that, things are going well. I like the class I'm taking (it's my Jins class. Mine is called Roads to Dictatorship: From Charlemagne to Hitler). Right now I'm reading the Heliand, which is the Saxon gospel for that class. It's basically the Bible but written to convert the Saxons. So all Jesus' followers are called warriors so the way it's written is kind of interesting.

So I've pretty much have just been working at the boring Washington University job..which I'm at right now by the way. When I'm not here, I'm either reading or playing piano. But Jeff is coming tomorrow (yay!) and we're going to go to the botanical gardens and do some other stuff, I guess. But then he's leaving me on Friday to go to Russia, so I'm probably going to cry because that's just what I do sometimes.

I somehow got all A's this semester!! I definitely thought it was impossible for me to get an A in Ag Science but the professor gave me one. So my future career....farmer?

I sang in a choir concert on Sunday at Powell Symphony Hall in St. Louis..It was the St. Louis Children's Choirs 30th Anniversary Gala Concert and I sang in the choirs for 6 years from 5th to 10th grade (and then I went to Germany in 11th and didn't reaudition when I came back). And for this concert they invited alumni back to sing so we had a 3 hour rehearsal on Saturday and the concert on Sunday. It was a lot of fun and I really miss it..when the younger kids were singing I got tears in my eyes because they were so cute and it brought back a lot of memories. This also inspired me to register for University Chorus in the fall. I took a semester off last semester from it but I really need to be singing again. It definitely won't be the same as SLCC , definitely not as good quality but at least I can still keep singing.

I went over to see my grandparents last weekend and was talking to my grandma and she that it would be good if I got a PhD and then I could teach at a university. So I said that it would be a good idea but not saying, "yeah, that's what I want to do." She also thought that I should just keep going and get all my education at once and not stop and then go back to school. Her next comment was the following: "Well, I'm glad you're going to get your PhD." What?! I never even said that was what I was going to do...I don't even know what I want to do with my life. Maybe she just wants at least one of the grandchildren to be successful and be educated. I only know of 2 of the grandchildren who have a bachelor's degree and they stopped there. So will I never be done with school until I'm 30?