Good day lovelies, I hope all is well.
This series has taken some time to jot down. There have been times when I meant to write, but the events were coming too fast for me to process.
As noted before, these are my personal experiences and things will vary depending on where you are; where you’d like to go in terms of school, state, and/or country; and the resources you have.
My status as an international student did not affect me much until my later years in nursing school. This is not to say that I did not have issues, it is just that these issues were usually resolved within a few emails and/or calls.
My Story
There was a time when I was asked to sign a document, but a slight re-wording caught my eye. I decided to question it. I emailed, made phone calls, and tried to visit, but it took months to get a reply.
When I finally did get a reply, well, let us just say that my faith would be tested for a season.
My main concern for this scenario was misinformation.
This issue led to various paperwork, extra time and money being spent, and a lot of worry.
While sorting this out, I was also preparing for my nursing licensure examination and another major exam. The combination of events would cause increased stress.
In the end, lesson learnt. I now try to get the answer from multiple sources, even if I did not ask a question in the first place.
I also aim to have documentation of everything including emails, phone calls, and in-person meetings.
The thing is that was not a one-time occurrence. It was just that this situation caused the most damage and took the most time to sort out.
Many times, I was given wrong information by the person who was supposed to handle my case and be a beacon of knowledge.
"Even the Darkest Night Will End and the Sun Will Rise."
In the end this process caused a multitude of worry and pain for those mainly involved.
Documents were filed wrong, information went missing, and pertinent people became hard to reach.
Being an international student has taught me that people do not always care. They may say they do, offer apologies, and play nice, but in the end, the job is just a job.
To them, you are just paperwork, a means to an end.
They will make mistakes and offer apologies, but it is you who will have to pay by providing money, time, and placing yourself in uncomfortable positions.
This has taught me that I have look out for myself and aim to not only learn my role as a student, but also learn the role of the person who handles my documents.
No longer am I just paperwork, but I am there through office visits, phone calls, and emails making sure that all “T’s are crossed, and all I’s are dotted.”
This situation is teaching me to be my own advocate.
However, for those who care about what is going, they are like a breath of fresh air. If you are one such person reading this:
Thank you for your words of encouragement, resources, prayers, and for just listening.
If you are a person taking care of any paperwork (not only those that belong to an international student), please take the time to do it right in the first time. If you do not know, say so and do not give false information.
With the stress of nursing school, this situation has been enough to tip me over on multiple occasions.
"Relying on God has to begin all over again every day as if nothing had yet been done"
-C.S Lewis
My faith in God was tried again and again.
I have never been continuously angry at a situation until this, but I tried to keep my trust in God and keep my mouth shut.
I simply prayed and aimed to look at the bright side.
In the end, God came through. I was bruised, sad, angry, stressed, and more, but God has kept me, and I am forever grateful.
Facts:
1. Trust no one. Do not take anything at face value. Call, email, and research.
2. Document. Files will get lost and others may try to play the blame game. You have to stay professional. I implore you to keep quiet ( and by keeping quiet, I mean being nice, patient, and calculated) and when the time is right, provide the necessary information.
3. Have legal counsel whenever possible and know your rights.
4. Pray, trust, pray some more, and smile.
That’s it for now. Until next time, Peace be.
~Simply Anna Reece
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