I found out today that a guy I knew from college ended his life about a week ago. Although we weren’t that close, I can still see the seemingly happy photos and messages on his Facebook profile. I think his family deactivated his wall for the sake of privacy.

This is the third person I’ve heard of this year who has taken their own life, two of which I knew personally. Now the world is short of three amazing and intelligent people.

When I was little, I remember my dad telling me that committing suicide is an utterly selfish act; you leave behind the ones who loved and cared for you. But these people who were driven to commit this act must have really felt that they were alone and that there really was no one there for them.

I wish I could have helped, but I am at a loss as to how I could have.

lovehatehumans:

The thing is, I don’t know if sending the petition to tumblr would even do anything? Is it even allowed? Would anyone even sign it… I know TONS of users hate this inability, but I don’t really have any followers 

I’m sure someone’s thought of doing this before, but has it actually been done, and can we get it a lot of notes and signatures so that we can send it in? This issue has seriously pissed a LOT of us off, myself included

What do you guys think? suggestions? ideas? opinions?

I agree! I at first opened my primary blog (commi3), but then I moved to Kazakhstan and began a secondary blog (realworldcultureshock), not realizing the problems that would cause. It’s annoying that when I follow people back who follow my secondary blog, they don’t realize it’s me. It gets confusing when we message because it looks like two different people. #tumblrproblems

Spread the word, let’s grow this thread!!

Really random, but two different taxi drivers of mine yesterday happened to both be studying English, and we ended up striking up conversations. The first guy was a little shakier in his English, but I could tell that he had really worked hard to get to where he was, and would really continue to improve in the future. He gave us his business card and told us to call him any time we needed a ride. The second taxi driver was pretty much fluent in English, and told us about how he was a pilot, but was ready to move on with his career. He was thinking about business school at KIMEP, but was still hesitant about it. I hope we convinced him to do it.

diaryofnnt asked: Hello! I am going to be in Almaty in the fall studying at KIMEP! I really like your blog. I also like feminism, how do you find being a feminist in a former soviet country?

Hey diaryofnnt,

That’s awesome! Will you be coming from another city in Kazakhstan? A lot of my friends study at KIMEP (boyfriend included, he’s getting his Masters in International Relations), and they really like it! What do you think you’ll be studying?

It’s funny you ask that question about feminism, because for me it was also just interesting transitioning from a small, liberal women’s college (feminismfeminism) to the “real world” (since college can also be like a bubble sometimes). There were certain things here that I was pretty shocked by at first, like how men wouldn’t shake my hand or let me carry heavy objects, or how concerned if not somehow obsessed the girls here are with their appearance. I realized after a while that it’s culture, and it’s not my place to try to change it; likewise, I myself don’t have to change and become less feminist, I’ve just learned to adapt more. 

I’m glad you like my blog, look forward to seeing your posts, too!