Ask Helga - Life after college and kidney failure
Dear Helga,
Everyone seems like they have everything figured out, and I haven’t even declared my major yet. How am I supposed to find out what I want to do for the rest of my life when I don’t even know what I want for dinner?
Dearest Viking,
It’s time to let some air out of your sails for a moment and take a deep breath.
I know college can feel very different for someone who is still figuring things out, but that is not an indicator of a lack of future success.
I have switched my major more times than I can remember, but every turn on my journey has led me to where I am today.
Growing up, my plan was to live on the fjord and sing Viking shanties until the day I died. When I got an invitation from Augustana Admissions to visit campus, I realized that even if I didn’t know what my end goal was, I knew that Augustana was a step in the right direction.
Helga’s advice? Keep taking steps in a direction that feels right to you — whether that’s taking classes that sound interesting, joining a club that brings you joy or even learning to play an instrument. All of these things will lead you to where your true purpose lies.
Don’t give up. You’re at the right place. Let your interests lead you to your next adventure.
Love, Helga
Dear Helga,
My roommate and my boyfriend won’t stop fighting and I don’t know what to do. My roommate doesn’t want me to dump my boyfriend, and he doesn’t want me to live with anyone else, so I just don’t see why they can’t get along.
Dearest Viking,
It’s hard to see two of your best shipmates at odds with one another, and harder still to know if the disdain is genuine.
This reminds me of the time on the fjord when I was going out with my friend Lena’s twin brother, Hans.
Hans was a great, fiery love that unfortunately had to end when I came to Augustana, but he remains a good friend.
Every time I visited Hans at his home, I would witness the most horrible fights between him and his sister. I couldn’t imagine hating someone as much as they hated each other — and they shared the same flesh and blood!
During our senior year of Viking school, Hans went into kidney failure, and Lena was the first to arrive at the hospital, volunteering to be a donor.
That’s when I learned about the epic nuances of siblinghood.
Helga’s advice? Love comes in many confusing forms, and I guarantee that even if your boyfriend and roommate can’t have a normal conversation, they would fight until the end of the earth for you.
You could also lock the three of you in a room and force them to say kind things about each other until they hug it out.
Love, Helga
