hello easter.

so i've been a horrible blogger lately, yes i know.

lot's of stuff has happened.

ill blog about it later.

yada yada yada.

happy easter.

hope you all find this as funny as i did.

L

hello testing center.

as i'm sitting here in the library, trying to study for my final exams, i cannot stop thinking about how much i am dreading going to the testing center tonight...

here at byuh we have a testing center. teachers submit their tests to this place and then the students can go into the center anytime during the day and take it. sometimes teachers give you a span of three days, so you just have to go sometime before it closes. well, outside of the testing center there is a computer screen that displays your scantron grade immediately after you take your test. it shows all the students' ID numbers, then their grade, and then... if you are ever so lucky and you score an A... it will say on the side something along the lines of:

great job!

fantastic!

awesome!

now when you're standing outside looking at this tiny screen with strangers passing by you, and you see that glorified statement that you did fantastic on your test, that's just gotta make you feel like a million bucks that even the computer congratulated you! 

now, unfortunately i have never received an A on any of the tests i've taken in the testing center... sad day. 

and so badly do i want to walk outside and have that feeling of accomplishment that i did a great job. but tonight is my last shot. my other finals aren't being held in the testing center so this is the last chance i have before next year to gain that feeling of accomplishment. really though, why can't i get a "good effort!" if i get a B? or a "better luck next time!" when it's a C? i'd even settle for an "at least you tried your best!" for the commonly received D's and F's i got in my stats class last semester. but nope. you either get an A and are fan-flippin-tastic, or you don't get an A and you're nothing...

yes. i know where my priorities are. i care more about the computers sense of approval than mine own. 

it's cool. 

wish me luck friends. 

hello TOMs.

april 5th, 2011 

one day without shoes.

personally, i love TOMs and the company they've created. i heard about TOMs back when i was in middle school and i really loved what they were trying to do.

short and simple, for every pair of shoes you buy, TOMs will donate a pair to a child in need. 

and once a year they host one day without shoes to spread awareness to others. so today i joined in TOMs movement and hit it up barefoot. i was pleased to see other people around campus walking around barefoot as well. 

*my TOMs were designed and painted by the lovely brittany jana prince

short and simple i love companies that find something they're passionate about and make it into something others can be passionate about as well. i'm really tempted to apply to be an intern for TOMs but i need to look more into it first. 

for me, i'm really passionate about the american cancer society and relay for life. i remember how awesome i felt after putting on miss panache last year and raising so much money purely off of peoples donations. i was able to share a glimpse of my passion to others and the fact that it was able to spark the passion of someone else is the most gratifying thing ever. 

find something you're passionate about and pursue it. 

L

hello lessons learned.

with my first year of college coming to an end, it makes me reflect and think about just how much has changed during this year. 

some were changes for the worse, while others were changes for the best. either way, along the way of this crazy year i've learned a few valuable lesson's that i figured i would share with you all.

one. 

i think it's funny how i felt like every day in high school i was given a lesson by some teacher or administrator about how they were preparing us for college and life, and how if we couldn't handle whatever concept they were trying to explain to us then, then there was no way we would handle college. 

well for all those still in high school, let me tell ya something...

high school didn't prepare me for college ONE bit. 

i'm not saying it's necessarily a bad thing. 

high school is high school. 

college is college. 

so i'm sorry ms. tonkin that i couldn't analyze gilgamesh in the way you wanted during senior year. but let's be real teach, i'm not failing at college or life because of it...

two. 

i knew that college would test friendships. it would bring new ones and would destroy old ones. growing up in the south i never realized the term 'southern hospitality' until i left. people are definitely nicer in the south. i had to face the harsh lesson that people aren't always going to treat you with the same kindness and respect that you give them. and that's just how it is. looking back, i'm glad i learned that lesson though. 

people are different. people are raised different. people act different. 

so when you find those kind-hearted friends, hold onto them. everyone else is just another stress.

when you go to college you will learn really fast who your true friends are. you will realize who cares the most about you. i live 5000 miles across the world. there's a 6 hour time difference. and i've been away in total for 6 months. yet, i still feel as close to the majority of my friends as i did the day i left. true friends don't let go. 

three. 

finally, i've learned about discovering new things. discovering what makes me the happiest. discovering what i truly love. discovering more about myself. but most importantly, discovering that there's no need to define who i am. 

i'm happy being lauren bergaust. i'm happiest when i'm with my family and friends. i smile the biggest when i see someone i love or when a dog is nearby. if i care about you, i'll do anything for you. sometimes i like to dress like a preppy east cobb girl. other times i like to dress like a hawaiian surfer girl. i like the music i like. i like taking pictures. i like spending time alone. i like spending time with others. i like nice people. i like being nice to others. i like being passionate about the things that are passionate to me. i like life. 

i'll leave this post in the words of asher roth, 

i love college. 

L