Dear Ana,
How do I cope with losing so many friends that I’ve made here studying abroad? I feel like crying thinking about all these wonderful people I may never see again. The same problem exists for some SRU peeps as well.
International Woes
Dear Woes,
The same way you had to learn to cope with being away from your friends back home. You’ll find new ways to communicate with them long-distance – Facebook and Skype are always helpful.
Just keep in touch and maybe you’ll be able to make plans to go abroad and visit them again sometime! And with friends there, you’ll always have a place to stay.
Meanwhile, just enjoy the time you have left with them as best you can, and make memories you’ll cherish for a long time to make up for the distance.
Dear Ana,
How do I stop the burning urge of love and desire?
You Should Tell Your Girlfriend to Get Tested
Dear Tested,
You can stop the burning with many available over-the-counter creams, as well as with doctor-prescribed topical medication.
Dear Ana,
We’ve all had classes that add next to nothing to our educational experience. My one class has turned out to be one of those classes.
Is there any course of action that I (and my fellow disgruntled classmates) can take to either: 1) receive some sort of refund, 2) overhaul the course to make it meaningful and applicable, 3) remove the class from the required curriculum, or 4) set up a test-out option similar to the mandated computer literacy test?
My Time is Being Wasted
Dear Time Wasted,
It is that time of the semester again where the departments have the students fill out evaluation forms for their classes. These are meant to measure the effectiveness of the professor, although I would suggest also using them as a way to express your frustrations with the course overall.
One of the last questions is if there are any suggestions you as the student have for improving the course. If you get enough of your classmates to do the same, then this should put across a strong message to the department that something is wrong.
You could also go as a group to the head of the department and complain, which could be a good option because you will receive an immediate response (of some sort, at least) with face-to-face communication.
Dear Ana,
My favorite columnist has just announced her last column. I’ve enjoyed reading her material in the short time she’s been writing.
How do I cope with losing you, er . . . I mean, my anonymous favorite columnist?
THIS ISN’T MY MOM, I SWEAR
Dear Not my Mom,
I’m going to tell you right now that there is no appropriate way for you to cope with losing me. I know I bring sunshine and unicorns and occasionally inexplicable feelings of rage in the hearts of oh-so-many readers. Just bear through the several steps of the mourning process, and by sometime in early-to-mid summer you’ll forget that this column existed, or that this newspaper exists, or that you even attend this university.
By August, you will just be a mindless zombie, partially because several months without school fries your brain, and partially because several months without me will cause you to lose your humanity.
I appreciate and love all of the readers who have sent me questions and enjoyed my column over the past school year. The reaction I’ve received has been a mixture of wonderful and awful, and I love it.
I want to thank everyone for a good year. It was a pleasure to write this column!
