I love Harry Potter. There is doubt. I have read the books and watched the movies many many times. I love that it is honest, shows peoples flaws - the characters and the authors. It puts the greatest emphasis on friendship, love and believing in yourself.
But lately I have noticed that I have more in common with Harry, who is far from my favorite character. Even though I feel misunderstood and singled out, there is something even more fascinating: Harry living in two worlds which are so distinctly separate. I too live in two worlds and no matter how much I try to bridge them it is not going to happen.
In my American world, I worked my ass off to be where I am now. I have sacrificed a lot, sometimes even my mental health to get here. When I got into an Ivy league undergrad I was ecstatic, because it took a lot. People were so happy for me.
But in my European world, no one ever heard of this school, nor they knew what ivy league meant. Because it was not Harvard, it was just a school. And the same thing seems to happen now.
I got into an ivy league vet school. Big deal.
Actually it is a big deal. It took thousands of hours slaving away at jobs which didn't pay much, volunteering, spending breaks on projects. It took extreme stress to get my grades decent at one of the hardest schools in US. It took talking to many people, taking advice, holding back. But I did it. I am in. I am the envy of the hundreds and hundreds of people who did not get in. The other 97% which I surpassed.
But as ecstatic as I am, I don't meet the same enthusiasm in my European world. Yes, I get a pat on the back and good job..but do these people even know this was (until last year) the best veterinary school in the world? The credentials I would get if I graduated? I don't think so. They don't seem to appreciate how difficult it was.
And we are back to the awful Harry Potter in the fifth book, which was so pissed of and depressed by how others were treating him, he was complaining all the time. My two worlds are very separate, no matter what I do in US will ever translate in my home country. And that is just sad.
But lately I have noticed that I have more in common with Harry, who is far from my favorite character. Even though I feel misunderstood and singled out, there is something even more fascinating: Harry living in two worlds which are so distinctly separate. I too live in two worlds and no matter how much I try to bridge them it is not going to happen.
In my American world, I worked my ass off to be where I am now. I have sacrificed a lot, sometimes even my mental health to get here. When I got into an Ivy league undergrad I was ecstatic, because it took a lot. People were so happy for me.
But in my European world, no one ever heard of this school, nor they knew what ivy league meant. Because it was not Harvard, it was just a school. And the same thing seems to happen now.
I got into an ivy league vet school. Big deal.
Actually it is a big deal. It took thousands of hours slaving away at jobs which didn't pay much, volunteering, spending breaks on projects. It took extreme stress to get my grades decent at one of the hardest schools in US. It took talking to many people, taking advice, holding back. But I did it. I am in. I am the envy of the hundreds and hundreds of people who did not get in. The other 97% which I surpassed.
But as ecstatic as I am, I don't meet the same enthusiasm in my European world. Yes, I get a pat on the back and good job..but do these people even know this was (until last year) the best veterinary school in the world? The credentials I would get if I graduated? I don't think so. They don't seem to appreciate how difficult it was.
And we are back to the awful Harry Potter in the fifth book, which was so pissed of and depressed by how others were treating him, he was complaining all the time. My two worlds are very separate, no matter what I do in US will ever translate in my home country. And that is just sad.
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