The Trials and Tribulations of Falling in Love (with a foreign exchange student). Love is already a very complex and mysterious emotion from the very beginning. There are so many different variables and constants that you could almost look at love as a very complex mathematical equation. These equations take in to account your aspirations and qualities of yourself as a human being. The equation then would use all of this human data and plug it in and then BANG, you have so many different matches and choices. If you ever watch TV you probably have seen the eHarmony add while surfing the channels.
This commercial states that one of every five relationships start out online now. I only touch on the predictability of love to then shatter this with the complete and utter uncertainty that had befallen me in my trials and tribulations of falling in love (with a foreign exchange student). It was the first day of my junior year of high school when I met my sweetheart. You know how on the first day of school nothing gets done. Teachers can’t teach because there are no books and kids wont listen even if the teacher tried to teach something (the first week of school is usually like this).
And this was exactly the case for me and the first class I had with her. At school when you’re a new person your like a new toy for everyone to play with and the kids that wanted to play with her were a bunch of dudes. But since word had gotten out about the hot new foreign exchange student everyone was trying to get a piece of her. Every guy imaginable would try and get anywhere near her because she was new and still didn’t know much about anybody so they could have a fresh start with someone. What I described here was not the case for me.
We both had one of the same classes and coincidentally were paired to be in a group of our own for one of the first days we were in it. So I got to have some one on one face time with her without having to compete with anyone else for attention. Apparently during that short class period I created a bond so strong that It has lasted two years and fifteen days. But by telling you our first meeting it just shows the unpredictability of love. You could use all the equations and math in the world and you probably would never have come to the conclusion of me dating her.
The craziness that I could have fallen in love with someone who lived on the other side of the planet really brought home the reality of the situation. Our cultures and lifestyles differed greatly but by having that we were the best pair of people. So we didn’t just up and start dating right then and there. Of course we went through the stage of talking, then on to meeting the host parents, then on and on. But on September 26 2009 we finally had made it official. I was dating a Swedish foreign exchange student. Although we were dating we didn’t worry about when she was going to leave.
When she was briefed on coming over here she was warned that if you fall in love or date anyone while you are on your trip the end of it would be unpleasant. But not worrying about the consequences we take our relationship through the next nine months and we then both know that we would never be able to let each other go ever again. School had come and gone and it was now summer time. I haven’t really enjoyed my summers for the past two years because they are usually filled with moments of this caliber. I had to watch her walk through the gate toward her flight.
I cant explain to you how much that hurt. But she and I had made a promise to each other that during this summer that I would be visiting her to see how she lived in her homeland Sweden. The day she left is the day that I went to work. We had previously looked and found out the cost of the plane ticket that I would need to buy. It cost a cool 1200 dollars. Now that summer I worked for my father at his Law firm being the receptionist. I know it isn’t the most manly of jobs but it paid the bills and of course got me to her so you can mess with me all you want.
But I cannot stress to you enough how I despised that job. I would literally sit at a desk all day long and do all of the grunt work anyone else in the office didn’t want to mess with. I was pretty much the office slave working for minimum wage. The only thing that really got me through the day would be talking to my girlfriend via messages on Facebook. It kept me sane enough to keep on going and not to quit on us. However through the two months of working from eight to five for five days a week paid off big time. I saved around 2600 dollars total to take on the trip.
So after I had bought my ticket I had around 1400 dollars with which I could go crazy with and believe me we went crazy. For three weeks I set Sweden a blaze. We did everything that she could possibly think to do from high-speed go carts to fine dining and shopping. We literally did everything in our power that we could do because we weren’t going to waste the time that we had worked so hard for. I truly love her with everything in my being. But fittingly to the circumstances I couldn’t stay forever and I had to head back to the states.
I really think walking away from someone that you love and knowing that you aren’t going to be able to see that person for almost an entire year is the worst feeling in the world. Having to watch her cry her eyes out as I made my way through the security and on to the terminal. So for the next few months I went to school. I was talking to her every day and night either through video calls on skype to the messages on facebook. Any kind of contact made my day. I missed her so much that anything from the day to day was making it better than before.
But then things got great. I had a date that I needed to remember. A very important one in which I would be going to pick her up from the Memphis International airport. On one day in December she arrived at the airport for Christmas. She couldn’t have been a better present for me. Being able to see, feel, kiss, and hug her instead of video chat and messaging made so much difference. It sparked an even deeper flame of love for her and this raging hot fire was forging our relationship. My Christmas with her was easily one of my most memorable Christmases of my short life.
She then got to meet all of my family and everyone easily fell in love with her just as much as I was. But everything must come to an end and Christmas came and went and with it did my love. We wouldn’t see each other for another few months until the summer but the months would fly by. So now finally my senior year of high school went without a hitch and now its summertime and I’m working again. I’m more motivated than I have ever been in my relationship with her to get there because our relationship had become strained over the months of being apart.
But through all this pain and sorrow we found strength that has made our relationship what it is today. Even though we can’t be there all the time we know that we are going to be there for each other forever. So yet again then I made enough money once again and now I’m having the second best time of my life only second to the first trip there. Although this trip wasn’t as new or cool as the first one It was and always will be one of the most memorable. Because of the fact that I knew a lot about the place already I understood more about everything that was going on even more.
It made me appreciate it even more than I already did. As you know I couldn’t stay there forever like I wish I could so I had to come home. I then headed of to college and we have been apart for almost 4 months. But I am getting very ,very excited because she will be here in less than 12 days. I can’t believe that. It seemed so far away only months ago and now it is less than two weeks. So even though our relationship had been strained from many outside forces our thoughts and feelings about each other never changed.
I truly never stopped loving her. Being with her is one of the hardest and most stressful things I have done in my short life but it is still a shock to me that she is even mine. Of all the people in the world I had to fall in love with a foreign exchange student. I wouldn’t trade it for anything in this world though. Our relationship goes to show you that even with all the websites and phone lines the best way to go by finding the person you love is sitting back and waiting for them to fall in your lap or at least that’s the way I did it.
Management Question
CAREFULLY
• The Assignment must be submitted on Blackboard (WORD format only) via allocated folder.
• Assignments submitted through email will not be accepted.
• Students are advised to make their work clear and well presented, marks may be reduced for poor presentation. This includes filling your information on the cover page.
• Students must mention question number clearly in their answer.
• Late submission will NOT be accepted.
• Avoid plagiarism, the work should be in your own words, copying from students or other resources without proper referencing will result in ZERO marks. No exceptions.
• All answered must be typed using Times New Roman (size 12, double-spaced) font. No pictures containing text will be accepted and will be considered plagiarism).
• Submissions without this cover page will NOT be accepted.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Describe the simple and complex issues pertaining to public management.
Assignment Question(s):
Instructions – PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY
Assignment 1
Submission Date by students: Before the end of Week7
Place of Submission: Students Grade Centre via blackboard.
Weight: 10 Marks
We expect you to answer each question as per instructions in the assignment. You will find it useful to keep the following points in mind. The assignment with be evaluated in terms of your planning, organization and the way you present your assignment. All the three section will carry equal weightage
Kindly read the instruction carefully and prepare your assignment accordingly.
1) Planning: Read the assignments carefully, go through the Units on which they are based. Make some points regarding each question and then rearrange them in a logical order. (3 Marks)
2) Organisation: Be a little selective and analytical before drawing up a rough outline of your answer. Give adequate attention to question’s introduction and conclusion. (3 Marks)
Make sure that:
a) The answer is logical and coherent
b) It has clear connections between sentences and paragraphs
c) The presentation is correct in your own expression and style.
3) Presentation: Once you are satisfied with your answer, you can write down the final version for submission. If you so desire, you may underline the points you wish to emphasize. Make sure that the answer is within the stipulated word limit. (4 Marks)
Write an essay on the following topic in about 1000-1200 words.
“Globalization has changed the functioning of local governments”.
In the light of this statement, discuss the challenges faced by local governments in the age of globalization. With the help of examples, explain how local governmentscan raise their funds, meet future challenges and be able to convert their challenges into opportunities.
(You are required to include at least three scholarly references in your answer).