this is compulsory : February 2015

20 February 2015

#1: I am an INFP

"Understanding themselves and their place in the world is important to INFPs,” I live better when I know what I mean to people, where I stand in importance to them. Whether it is from a teacher to me as a student, a team leader to me as a colleague, or a friend to me as a friend. When I'm not sure what I mean to someone, I tend to stop interacting with them and just watch from the sidelines. I don’t do this on purpose. There's just something that subconsciously pushes me away from that person. I like constant reassurance, but I won't ask for it, and that really makes it hard for said person to figure out what going on, why I'm acting so different, and sometimes I wont even notice its happening.

I had a best friend in the 7th grade; we were as close as could be. We basically lived in each other’s pockets, and it was great because we knew that we were each other’s number 1's. 8th grade was the same way, but then high school started. We started to stop inviting each other places and we didn't text each other as much. We stopped sleeping over each other’s house so much, and it was really hard for me. I didn't say anything about it though, because she was always reassuring me that I was still number 1 to her. Sophomore year came and first semester was just fine, but then I transferred to her school second semester and that’s when everything came crumbling down. I tried to hang out with her and her crowd, but I just didn't fit in and she never made any effort to meet me halfway. The hanging out outside of school totally stopped, and the texting only happened when we needed something from each other. Now there was no reassurance, and I had no idea what I meant to her anymore. So I drifted away and in this case, she didn't stop me. I haven't talked to her in 8 months, and its really crap.

"INFPs will focus their attention on just a few people, a single worthy cause - spread too thinly they'll run out of energy, and even become dejected and overwhelmed by all the bad in the world that they can't fix.” Aside from not agreeing that” I only focus my attention on a few people, a single worthy cause”, the rest of it is true. I bite off more than I can chew sometimes. I commit myself to things and people, rarely ever saying no, without considering me. How am I going to feel? How am I going to react? I like to think myself a very empathetic person, and sometimes, at the end of the day, it can absolutely 100% drain me. I cry when people cry, and I laugh when people laugh, and it can take a lot out of me. Like I said, I don't agree that I focus my attention on a select few and with that comes feeling a lot of different things all the time. There are so many people that are so important to me, and obviously they're never all feeling the same way and I like to be there for as many of them as I can. When I can't help someone, when I can't find a solution to something, when I feel that I didn't make a situation better but maybe even worse it make me feel sad, and isolated and, well, dejected.

One time, I went Christmas shopping and I gave away about $35 to homeless people. Of course at the moment it made me smile to see them smile, and I felt good about myself. But at the end of the day, when I just sat and thought about it, I felt 100 times worse. It made me realize that there are thousands of people cold and hungry and alone, and I sat there and cried, because at some point I actually thought I had made a difference. I was wrong, and realizing how wrong I was just made me feel horrible.

"If they are not careful, INFPs can lose themselves in their quest for good and neglect the day-to-day upkeep that life demands.” “Left unchecked, INFPs may start to lose touch, withdrawing into 'hermit mode’,” That’s all pretty self explanatory, and its all pretty much me down to a T.

Now the test results list quite a few strengths, e.g.: idealistic, seek and value harmony, open-minded and flexible, very creative, passionate and energetic, and dedicated and hardworking. It also lists some weaknesses, e.g.: too idealistic, too altruistic, impractical, dislike dealing with data, take things personally, and difficulty to get to know. Now I, without a doubt, agree with the weakness but I don't know if I would say that I’m creative, energetic, or hard working. There’s always a place and time for everything I suppose.

I honestly have no idea how "knowing myself" more now will help or hinder me answering the E.Q. because its not like I discovered all these new things about myself. All this stuff I relatively already knew, and even having these things reiterated to me doesn’t make me feel like I know myself any better. I’m always going to be a little different; I’m always going to be changing. So it’s really hard for me to say what’s going to come in handy and what’s going to hold me back. I just really have no clue.

11 February 2015

#2: My life path options

1. Take a gap year :

Definition: A Gap Year is a structured period of time when students take a break from formal education to increase self-awareness, challenge comfort zones, and experiment with possible careers . Typically these are achieved by a combination of traveling, volunteering, interning, or working. A Gap Year experience can last from two months up to two years and is taken between high school graduation and the junior year of their higher degree.

2. Mount Sac Community college for 2 years for my GE then transfer to university :

3. Travel and not go to college , but just see what comes at me:

02 February 2015

#3: My research

What type of institution is it (private, public, out-of-state, four-year, etc.)?
public 2 year community college
What is the enrollment (gender, ethnicity, religion, age, etc.)?

gender:

- female : 52.2%

- male: 45.1%

- unstated: 2.7%

ethnicity:

- hispanic/latino: 52.7%

- asian: 17.2%
- caucasian/non-hispanic: 11.9%
- decline to state: 8.3%
- african american: 4.2%
- filipino: 3.2%
- multi-ethnic: 1.9%
- pacific islander: 0.3%
- american indian/native alaskan: 0.2%

age:
- 19 or less: 36.2%
- 20-24: 29.8%
- 25-29: 11.1%
- 30-34: 4.9%
- 45-49: 3.2%
- 40-49: 4.7%
- 50+: 10%
- unknown: 0.1%
Where is the institution located?
1100 North Grand Ave. Walnut, CA. 91789

How far from home?
22 min - 9.5 miles
Is it urban/suburban/rural?
suburban

What are the admission requirements?
no requirements

What tests do you need to take and pass to get into this institution?
no requirements
What is the average GPA requirement?
no requirements
What forms, letters, applications are necessary for this institution?
- high school transcript
- TB skin test
- english proficiency requirement

How much will it cost to attend this institution?
$1,104.00

What other projected costs will attending this institution incur?
- transportation to and from
- books and other supplies like pencils, notebooks, ect.
How do you plan to cover them?
- part time job
- help from grandparents or mother

What are the living arrangements necessary for you to attend this institution?
I need to live at home, exactly where i'm living now.
What does it mean to declare a major?
To declare a major is to focus or specialize in, its where your strongest focus of studies is.
What type of major might you pursue at this institution?
I dont want to pursue a major at this institution, I only want to do my GEs here.

What is a description of this major?
There is no description because there is no major.
What does this institution rank in relation to your chosen major?
I can't rank this school out of something specific, but they have a 31% graduate rate.

Why would you transfer out after two years?
I would transfer out because I would like to attend college out of the country.
What college would you like to attend outside of the country?
The University of Edinburgh
What would you like to major in at the University of Edinburgh?
Veterinarian Science
Why do you want to go out of the country for college?
I would like to go out of the country because i'm tired of living here and I want to travel. It's two birds with one stone if I travel and go to college at the same time.
Can you graduate in four years in your intended major? Is it common? If it’s not, is a five-year+ plan okay with you and/or your family?
I need 4 years at an undergraduate school and then 4 more years and a veterinary school, so a total of 8 years of schooling. 8 years of schooling is okay to me, I don't really consider my families feeling when it comes to my own future and if its something I really want to do.
In college, at Mt.Sac, you have a lot of free time. What clubs or groups are you interested in joining (research campus life) At Mt.Sac, some clubs or groups I would be interested in joining are :
-American Sign Language Club
-Performing Arts Club
-Mental Health Awareness Club
What career might one go into with this major? If I get a degree from the University of Edinburgh then I can become a veterinarian.
What other majors relate to this major? Other majors that relate to this major are :-Animal Science
-Microbiology
-Organic and inorganic chemistry
What questions would you ask a college admissions counselor? -Would you suggest becoming a Vet Technician over an Animal Technician? -Whats the success rates of your Veterinary Science majors?
Why do you want to be a Veterinarian?I want to be a vet because I think animals are better than people and they deserve a lot more care and respect than we give them. Animals can't speak for themselves, they can't tell us when theyre hurting and they can't tell us specifically whats wrong. I would like to be one of the connecting pieces of the human world to the animal world.

A gap year:

1. Are there pre-departure orientation materials and what do they include?
There are no pre-departure orientation materials

2. How do I get there?
I need to get to Denver Colorado my own way, for orientation.

3. Can I speak to previous participants ?
Yes, I can speak to previous participants.

4. how does the organization evaluate perspective participants ?
I need to graduate high school with a 2.5 gpa and i need to have already applied to a college so that I have a goal to work towards. 5. What is included in the price of the organization ?
The organization covers board, airfare, room, and international travel.

6. Will my insurance needs be covered by my program fees?
It does not tell me.

7. Do you have any financial aid or scholarships available?
No, but i get a 3% discount if I pay in full, up front.
8. What are the organizations policies regarding student conduct?
It does not tell me.

(While I'm there)

9. What happens during an average day?

It depends on what I am volunteering to do. I can volunteer at places that work with battered and abused women, misplaced refugees, etc.

10. Will there be an on-site orientation as well?
Yes.

11. What is the local transportation network like?
Depending on if i'm in the states or if i'm in another country , but I will be traveling by bus, plain, and car most of the time.

12. What will my living situation be like?
It is not stated.

13. I have ______ dietary needs/restrictions - can they be accommodated ?
I dont have any dietary needs.

14. I am on prescription medications, what is the best way to handle that while traveling ?
Depending on what medicine I'm taking at the time, its best to speak to my psychiatrist and my doctor.

15. What happens in the event of a medical emergency ?
There will be access to a medical team at all time, no matter where we are. 16. How do I communicate back home?
In the sates, I can call , txt, or email. Over seas its best to email or to send letters.

17. What is the level of local involvement in developing service-learning or volunteering projects?
Everyday of this 8 month trip,, I will be doing volunteering or interning at a local organization.

18. How much freedom will I have to determine how my time is spent and will I have the opportunity to travel independently?
It is not stated, but I am assuming that i will have at the very least , one day a week to myself .

Traveling:

1. Where do you want to travel?
-Puerto Rico
-Australia
-England

2. Why do you want to travel to these places?
I am part Puerto Rican , so i would like to explore that part of myself. The other two places are because I think that the local people have really cool accents and I've always been fascinated by their culture.

3. How long do you want to stay in those places?
2-3 months in each place.

4. How much do tickets cost from one place to the next?
Tckets to Puerto Rico start as low as $198 and just continue to get more expensive. I'll worry about tickets to other countries when I'm there.

5. Where will the funds for the trip come from ?
My grandma is willing to pay for my expenses of my first trip, than i will get a job and pay for my other ones.

6. Where will you stay while in those places?
Hotels.

7. Do you know anyone that lives in those places?
I dont know anyone, my dads side are the Puerto Ricans and i't not currently speaking to my dads side .

8. What do you plan on doing in those places?
I would like to explore myself more, and expand my knowledge of other places,

9. How are you going to make money while staying at those places?
My grandma will still help me out, but I will need to get a job

10. Are you traveling alone?
Yes, because I dont think I would experience the places the same with someone else.

11.How much luggage are you taking?
I would like to take enough stuff to fit in one big luggage,a nd anything els ei would need I would purchase at my destinations.

12. What sort of transportation are you using to go from one place to the other while at these destinations?
In Puerto Rico is normal to walk everywhere or to invest in a bike. In Australia the bike thing is true as well but they also use the train a lot. In England, they're big on walking everywhere , taking the train, or even taxis.

13. How safe are these countries ?
There has never been crime specifically targeted at tourist , in Puerto Rico. England is ranked number 221 on the safety and security sub-index. Australia is ranked one of the safest places to visit.

14. What are some landmarks/tourist attractions that you would like to visit in these places?

I would like to visit Big Ben in England and the Sydney Opera House in Australia.

15. How will you communicate with people back home?
I can use my phone or email in all of these places.

16. What are some local delicacies you want to try?
I would like to try frog in the hole, in England. In every country i would like to try their candy. All of it, regardless of wether I like the American version or not.

17. What are you going to do when you come back from traveling?
When I get home form traveling i'm probably going to want to travel again, and just get ready to leave for another place.

18. When you come back, do you plan on leaving again?
I answered this in number 17 , but yeah, I'm hoping that I will be so in love with traveling that i couldn't wait to leave again.

#4: I believe ...

I Believe Audio

My uncle Manuel died around the time I was starting my seventh grade year.

My dad came home one morning while I was watching t.v with my mom in the living room. His footsteps sounded normal, and his jingling keys sounded normal too, but when I turned to him to say “Hi” , he didn't look normal. His eyes were bloodshot red and his breathing was a lot more labored and my heart instantly dropped to my stomach. I had no idea what was wrong but I knew it had to be bad if my dad was crying. He never cried. He came over to the couch I was laying on and sat down right in front of me and I immediately sat up, just waiting to hear what he had to say.

“Your uncle Manuel, he uh, he didn't quite make it through the night.”

And I just sat there, staring at him, waiting for a, ”Just kidding” or, “But now he’s at the hospital and they’ve got him stable.” , or anything else really. That never came, obviously , but what he did say hit me like a freight train.

“We’re going to be okay though, experiences like this are part of the grand scheme of things. Things always happen for a reason.”

Right there, that's what I believe in. Not that things always happen for a reason and that everything is part of some bigger picture but, something derivative of that.

I believe that people only ever say, “Things happen for a reason, it’s all part of something bigger.”, when something bad happens.

You never hear it when someone wins an award, you hear, “Congratulations! I knew you could do it!”.

You don’t hear it when someone has a baby, you hear, “ Wow, im so happy for you. They’re beautiful.”

You don’t hear it when someone gets married, you hear,” I wish you a long and happy marriage. I hope you have the time of your lives together.”

You don’t hear it when someone gets into college or uni. , you hear, “ Thats such a big step! Its such a good school, you're going to do amazing things!”

You do hear it, though , when you don’t win the award.

You hear it when you lose the baby.

You hear it after the divorce.

You hear it when you don’t get into college.

What makes me so mad about it is, it's such horrible justification. It's a sorry excuse for comfort, it's a default reaction. As expected as the sun coming up in the morning, or your hair drying after you get out of the shower. You know its coming before it even leaves the other person’s lips, and you're already bobbing your head up and down by the time they start to say it.

I'm not asking for people to come up with a new default reaction, I’m not asking for people to scream and cry when something bad happens to me. I'm just saying, I know things happen for a reason, I know it's part of some big picture, and I know it's all part of life.

I know. I know. I know, and that's fine.

#5: My personal descriptors

I asked around , and these were three of the most repeated answers I got. I, in no way , enjoy tooting my own horn so I asked my friends to toot is for me. I'm very uncomfortable while writing this. Just putting this out there. Okay.

1. Supportive: "She makes an effort to check up on you and will always be there for you if you have anything going on. You can always depend on Sarah to have your back and support you through whatever situation you may be going through." , from someone who wishes to remain anonymous. Then another friend said," You'll always be there for people and you give good advice. Like that one time you picked me up at 10 at night because I told you I didn't want to be home.", and this friend also wishes to remain anonymous. I don't like to know that people that I care about are hurting so I try to keep tabs on them as much as I can. I'll also try to support them in anything they do. But I'm not one of those of people that will support you when i think what you're doing is wrong. If its really super wrong and you shouldn't be doing i t, i'll tell you that and i think that could also count as being supportive in a way. I don't like telling people that I don't think they're capable of accomplishing something that they're aiming for. I'll be you're own personal cheerleader.

*Disclaimer: All of these people wish to remain anonymous because they don't want you to know that they have actual feeling and that they think i'm great.

2. Convivial:"Sarah has always been friendly to everyone, even strangers! She always asks me how my day is going and how I am doing. She has amazing stories to tell and is truly a great person. She will do whatever it takes to make you laugh when you are feeling down. You can always have a good time when you are around Sarah because she is so happy all of the time, and that is a wonderful trait to have. Like, she's been giving away a cr*p load of lollipops for the last couple weeks, for no reason at all aside from her having too much.", anonymous friend said. Other anonymous friend said, "You know how to have a good time, there's never a boring moment with you. You get along with everyone and it isn't hard for you to socialize.". I don't like having problems with people, and I don't like when people are uncomfortable. I try to talk to as many people as I can and i'm always trying to include people in things. Its horrible being sad and feeling lonely and like you want to cry, so since I know exactly how that feels I try to make it so other people don't feel that way.

3. Blunt:"Sarah has always been a straightforward person. She tells you how it is and is not afraid to do it. You can always rely on Sarah to give you her true opinion on something. ", again, anonymous friend said. Finally, not anonymous Alexis said," You know how to say things how they are while still being polite. You're a very honest person.". Beating around the bush is not my forte. If I want you to know something than I'm going to make sure that you know, one way or another. I'll try not to be mean about it though, and I try not to mistake being rude with being blunt. If you don't ask me for my opinion or input I'm not going to give it to you, and i'm not going to tell you something sh*tty then say that I'm being 'honest' and that you need to deal with it. I'm not mean about it though, at least, I hope i'm not mean about it. I just think its better to be honest and truthful and straight up because you're less likely to get yourself into a mess.I don't see the point in making a situation longer than it has to be when you can cut the process in half and end up getting the same outcome.

#6: My letter of recommendation

I can say that, Jennifer Mora is one of my best friends and is one of the people I trust most in the world. She works for my grandma at 'My World Speech Therapy' and I met her about two years ago.

Sarah and Jen

#7: My budget

I'm doing my budget on traveling for 24 weeks , or 6 months.
I will be taking my own clothes and other personal items so they are not specifically included in the amount but I will be including 'extra spending money' which could be applied to the "other personal items". I will be spending 8 weeks, alone, in each of the three destinations below, so the cost that you see are the cost of singular living over those 8 weeks.

San Juan, Puerto Rico:

Flight from L.A to Puerto Rico - $383.30
Baggage Fee - $60.00
Hotel Stay - $13,776.00
Transportation (walking + metro) - $120.00
Food Cost - $1,960.00
Extra Spending Money - $500.00

Canberra, Australia:

Flight from Puerto Rico to Australia - $1,374.90
Baggage Fee - Varies
Hotel Stay - $8,524.00
Transportation (walking + bus) - $415.00
Food Cost - $2,856.00
Extra Spending Money - $500.00

London, England:

Flight from Australia to England - $860.80
Baggage Fee - Free b/c weight limit
Hotel Stay - $9,344.00
Transportation (walking + bus + tram) - $245.95
Food Cost - $2,520.00
Extra spending money - $500.00

Back to L.A:

Flight form England back to L.A - $1,053.50
Baggage - $50.00

Total Cost - $45,043.45

My grandma and other family members will be providing a portion of the funds and I will also be working as a receptionist/secretary at my grandma's business because its the easiest way to find a job that works with and around my schedule .