Petition Letter
Appeal to waive the 21-day appeal deadline
My first year has been disastrous in terms of my physical and mental state. Even though I'm Canadian my family moved back to China years ago so I went back to visit my family during summer completely disconnected and I just got back a few days ago. I had a horrible whole-body rash/allergy for a few days during the first few weeks of school probably because I wasn't acclimated to the environment and my whole body would itch and burn especially at night so I could barely sleep. Growing up, I've transferred from different schools in different countries/cities 9 times due to my parents work. I got sent back to China to learn Chinese during 4th grade and I haven't moved back to Canada since. Maybe it's because of this constant change in environment that made me feel like I never belonged anywhere but my parents (or at least my mom) was always by my side going through the transitions with me. I never knew I was so emotionally dependent on my family until I came back to Canada alone. I felt distant from everything and everyone living in Angus house and I would always smell people smoking weed and the banging of people smashing ceilings outside my room after they get drunk. I barely ever wanted to go back to my room/floor because I felt very miserable and depressed whenever I went back and I barely see any floormates or get to talk to them because there's so few of them. In the winter months however, it was extremely hard to stay away from my residence since it was so cold and I couldn't wander around and stay on main campus for such long hours anymore.
I first found out that my parents were receiving life threats because someone wanted to blackmail them for money and they couldn't even go back to our own house. They wouldn't tell me what exactly they were going through,but they were just glad that I wasn't in China so at least I'm safe. I found out that whoever was behind this also found my mom and brother's cellphone number and was sending threatening messages to them. For months, my parents couldn't go back to our own house because they found our address and even threatened my dad's employee's family. I was horrified by the news but I felt so guilty and helpless because I couldn't do anything about it and make sure nothing would happen to them while I'm the only one who's safe in the situation. At the same time, all this led to an emotional meltdown. I loathed myself for not being able to concentrate on my studies and I constantly locked myself in my own room and was scared of facing the problems. Throughout the year, I have developed really bad habits like binge eating; I put on a lot of weight; I couldn't sleep at night so I would end up being awake until early mornings and end up feeling incredibly drained and have no motivation to face my problems. Some time in Febuary, I was followed at 2 am when I was walking back to West and my computer hard drive broke down when I had three essays due within a week. I didn't know why I was doing what I was doing. I don't know what has come to me but looking back at it, I feel like I've lost self awareness or consciousness of the hard-working person I used to be. I felt like I was in a vicious emotional cycle and I kept on struggling with my ongoing problems and I didn't know how to end it.
By that time, I was sick and tired of myself. I felt devastated and all I wanted to do was to get away from this life I was living. I couldn't wait to be back in China during the summer since it was a completely different world and I could finally be where I felt normal and the most comfortable.
The very next day after I landed in China, my mom and I got into an intense car accident while she was driving because the steering wheel lost control all of a sudden and we dashed from one lane through the metal fences across three lanes from the opposite direction and crashed into a concrete wall. The car was ruined but we were incredibly lucky to be left with only minor injuries like a sprained wrist, a few scratches and bruises. I'm so thankful that both me and my mom got through this accident, but we both had to rest up afterwards because I couldn't put force onto my wrist that had Chinese medicine patched on while my mom couldn't walk properly with a sprained/bruised foot. For the next two months, I could feel my heart rate speeding up whenever I got into a car. In the mean time, I did try to log on to my Queen's email but I couldn't probably being that China blocks almost every foreign communication website. I also foolishly assumed that there wouldn't be any important information directed towards me during the summer and a side of me was trying to avoid everything that had to do with the things that happened during my first year at Queen's since I thought that this would ease my ongoing health problems. Surprisingly, the car accident was like a well-timed and very much needed blow to the head for me that got me back to reality. I came to realize that I can't be so caught up in my problems anymore. I was scared, yes, but what I wanted the most was to grasp onto every opportunity that I had - there's so much more that I want to do, that I want to learn, that I want to experience.
I tried to keep myself as busy as possible so I spent my summer interning at a fashion company because that's one of the things that I love. I attended their Fall/Winter Collection fashion show and got to meet their filming crew who puts together the recap and marketing videos of the show. I also taught TOEFL English speaking to local Chinese students preparing to apply to college for 1 month and a half. I got the opportunity to be in a magazine photo shoot and also got sent to a music festival in Japan by a music app in China similar to Spotify. I did plan on going into film and media last year but after this summer, I am so much more reassured about my passion for filming and if I'm allowed to continue my studies this year, I'm more than ready to come back to Queen's and learn about what I'm truly passionate for. I feel like I'm finally back on track and recollected the Vivian that I used to be.
I've moved in to my new house with my housemate, I'm eating healthy, I'm seeking for counselling service from Dr. Khanne so that I make sure I'm reaching out for guidance instead of just keeping everything to myself. I'm so glad to have talked to my academic counsellor Katie Phillips because it was so burdening not having anyone to talk about my situation with. I feel relieved that I have finally found out how to utilize all these resources around me that have always been here waiting to help me out as long as I take the first step of seeking help. If I'm allowed to continue my studies, which I certainly beg for, I plan on repeating the film course that I took last year so that I can work towards my goal of being in Film and Media. I'll take a manageable course load and make sure that I constantly reach out to all the resources from Queen's to keep myself on track. I know there's a better life ahead of me, and I can't wait to see what I'm capable of achieving. Thank you so much in advance and I sincerely hope for your reconsideration.
My first year has been disastrous in terms of my physical and mental state. Even though I'm Canadian my family moved back to China years ago so I went back to visit my family during summer completely disconnected and I just got back a few days ago. I had a horrible whole-body rash/allergy for a few days during the first few weeks of school probably because I wasn't acclimated to the environment and my whole body would itch and burn especially at night so I could barely sleep. Growing up, I've transferred from different schools in different countries/cities 9 times due to my parents work. I got sent back to China to learn Chinese during 4th grade and I haven't moved back to Canada since. Maybe it's because of this constant change in environment that made me feel like I never belonged anywhere but my parents (or at least my mom) was always by my side going through the transitions with me. I never knew I was so emotionally dependent on my family until I came back to Canada alone. I felt distant from everything and everyone living in Angus house and I would always smell people smoking weed and the banging of people smashing ceilings outside my room after they get drunk. I barely ever wanted to go back to my room/floor because I felt very miserable and depressed whenever I went back and I barely see any floormates or get to talk to them because there's so few of them. In the winter months however, it was extremely hard to stay away from my residence since it was so cold and I couldn't wander around and stay on main campus for such long hours anymore.
I first found out that my parents were receiving life threats because someone wanted to blackmail them for money and they couldn't even go back to our own house. They wouldn't tell me what exactly they were going through,but they were just glad that I wasn't in China so at least I'm safe. I found out that whoever was behind this also found my mom and brother's cellphone number and was sending threatening messages to them. For months, my parents couldn't go back to our own house because they found our address and even threatened my dad's employee's family. I was horrified by the news but I felt so guilty and helpless because I couldn't do anything about it and make sure nothing would happen to them while I'm the only one who's safe in the situation. At the same time, all this led to an emotional meltdown. I loathed myself for not being able to concentrate on my studies and I constantly locked myself in my own room and was scared of facing the problems. Throughout the year, I have developed really bad habits like binge eating; I put on a lot of weight; I couldn't sleep at night so I would end up being awake until early mornings and end up feeling incredibly drained and have no motivation to face my problems. Some time in Febuary, I was followed at 2 am when I was walking back to West and my computer hard drive broke down when I had three essays due within a week. I didn't know why I was doing what I was doing. I don't know what has come to me but looking back at it, I feel like I've lost self awareness or consciousness of the hard-working person I used to be. I felt like I was in a vicious emotional cycle and I kept on struggling with my ongoing problems and I didn't know how to end it.
By that time, I was sick and tired of myself. I felt devastated and all I wanted to do was to get away from this life I was living. I couldn't wait to be back in China during the summer since it was a completely different world and I could finally be where I felt normal and the most comfortable.
The very next day after I landed in China, my mom and I got into an intense car accident while she was driving because the steering wheel lost control all of a sudden and we dashed from one lane through the metal fences across three lanes from the opposite direction and crashed into a concrete wall. The car was ruined but we were incredibly lucky to be left with only minor injuries like a sprained wrist, a few scratches and bruises. I'm so thankful that both me and my mom got through this accident, but we both had to rest up afterwards because I couldn't put force onto my wrist that had Chinese medicine patched on while my mom couldn't walk properly with a sprained/bruised foot. For the next two months, I could feel my heart rate speeding up whenever I got into a car. In the mean time, I did try to log on to my Queen's email but I couldn't probably being that China blocks almost every foreign communication website. I also foolishly assumed that there wouldn't be any important information directed towards me during the summer and a side of me was trying to avoid everything that had to do with the things that happened during my first year at Queen's since I thought that this would ease my ongoing health problems. Surprisingly, the car accident was like a well-timed and very much needed blow to the head for me that got me back to reality. I came to realize that I can't be so caught up in my problems anymore. I was scared, yes, but what I wanted the most was to grasp onto every opportunity that I had - there's so much more that I want to do, that I want to learn, that I want to experience.
I tried to keep myself as busy as possible so I spent my summer interning at a fashion company because that's one of the things that I love. I attended their Fall/Winter Collection fashion show and got to meet their filming crew who puts together the recap and marketing videos of the show. I also taught TOEFL English speaking to local Chinese students preparing to apply to college for 1 month and a half. I got the opportunity to be in a magazine photo shoot and also got sent to a music festival in Japan by a music app in China similar to Spotify. I did plan on going into film and media last year but after this summer, I am so much more reassured about my passion for filming and if I'm allowed to continue my studies this year, I'm more than ready to come back to Queen's and learn about what I'm truly passionate for. I feel like I'm finally back on track and recollected the Vivian that I used to be.
I've moved in to my new house with my housemate, I'm eating healthy, I'm seeking for counselling service from Dr. Khanne so that I make sure I'm reaching out for guidance instead of just keeping everything to myself. I'm so glad to have talked to my academic counsellor Katie Phillips because it was so burdening not having anyone to talk about my situation with. I feel relieved that I have finally found out how to utilize all these resources around me that have always been here waiting to help me out as long as I take the first step of seeking help. If I'm allowed to continue my studies, which I certainly beg for, I plan on repeating the film course that I took last year so that I can work towards my goal of being in Film and Media. I'll take a manageable course load and make sure that I constantly reach out to all the resources from Queen's to keep myself on track. I know there's a better life ahead of me, and I can't wait to see what I'm capable of achieving. Thank you so much in advance and I sincerely hope for your reconsideration.