Ciao, Roma

. . . it looks like I won't be seeing you after all.

Well, at least not as soon or for as long as I'd hoped.

"Why?" you might ask. "What happened?"

Well, friends, despite being accepted into the program even with my late application, money still proved to be a problem.

Memphis offered to cover my tuition and program fees to go to Rome ($8,695).

But they wouldn't cover . . . *

Airfare ($1300)

Books ($360)

Room ($5,580 - $6,780)

Meals ($1700)

Course-related Fees ($75)

Optional Field Trips ($50-$900)

Personal Costs ($1700)

And, well, I just don't have $13,000 of my own money floating around. Besides, even if I did, I wouldn't waste it away on 3 months of my life.

Not even for you, Rome.

"We can't give you any more money," the woman at the Financial Aid Office said, "but you could take out a loan."

Ha.

Like I want to be paying that off until I die.

I came to this school because they went on and on about how affordable they would make study abroad.

Ha.

Thanks, U of M. I appreciate all you've done.

From your "advisors**" who failed to tell me the correct application date to your plentiful financial aid that has failed to materialize, it has been a pleasure working with you. Really, a ball.

And so . . .

I, Brian Alan King, hereby resolve that I will become as rich, famous, and influential as humanly possible and then devote my life to bringing about your ruin.

No sir, do not expect me to join your alumni association. I will not!

Donations? Bah!

And if someday you use my face in your little slideshow of famous Memphis graduates, I'll sue you silly.

We'll see who gets the last laugh!

I will be avenged!

MWAHAHAHAHA!!!

(Okay, no . . . I was pretty upset initially, even angry, but I've calmed down. If it didn't work out, I wasn't meant to go. Of course, I really would have appreciated a little more help along the way--and would love my $350 application fee back--but . . . you win some, you lose some. And I've learned a lesson. I guess. That's what mom said, anyway. ;) )

C'est la vie.

. . . or Ch'e la vita?

*Shrug*

I guess I'll never know . . .



*Prices taken from program website.

**Every time I write "advisor" in here it tries to correct it to "adviser." Am I wrong? Am I spelling it the British way? Because I could have sworn that's how I was taught to spell it.