Well, I finally sent in that complaint form about my host family last semester. It was hard to do, because I basically had to call up a bunch of unpleasant memories to write it. By the time it was done, I was jittering with anxiety. 

My complaint´s been processed. The girl (Liz) who was living there this semester has been quickly moved out. It was ugly. The host mum was yelling at her, trying to guilt trip her, basically being a bitch. The program directors were not very nice to her either, pulling manipulative tactics, guilt trips. They showed up to move her out at an awkward hour of the night, without having told her aforehand that they were going to move her out. It seemed the higher-ups had a "discussion" with the program director that did NOT go over well, and he was taking it out on Liz. The program directors don´t seem to be aware of my email. Black clouds of drama loom on the horizon.

My ex-host mom has been removed from the business. Not just fired; she is not allowed to host any more students that go to the school I go to. 

There are several emotions plummeting through me at this current moment. 

Firstly, there´s an anxious and sickly churning in my stomach, a worry for this coming semester. I don´t like antagonizing people, but I don´t like putting up with bullshit either; I did what I had to do and that may have made things more difficult for myself. Who knows what the program directors are going to be like now--at least I know the higher-ups are receptive to my complaints, though. Its a good thing the hard-vs-easy distinction isn´t quite as important as the wright-vs-wrong distinction. And at least, I like a challenge. 

Secondly, I´m frustrated that I hadn´t thought of doing that earlier. Yay, its great that I helped future generations of study abroad students escape the clutches of psycho-host mom, but how does that help me? (insert self-interest: damn econ class, I can´t think of anything without inserting econ terminology anymore!) What if I´d had the foresight to complain to the higher ups earlier? How would my study abroad experience have improved? Could I have avoided the last month of sheer hell? Or was it necessary for me to suffer to write as good a complaint, so that other people have a better time?

Thirdly, I´m feeling very powerful. I´ve never gotten anyone fired before. My words are all the sudden much more important than capable of proving whether or not Shakespeare meant for Hamlet to be a role model or a dunce--they really can shift reality.

Fourthly, as a writing major and a language fanatic, I´m very pleased with my persuasive writing ability. WOOT!