This $500,000 bond
When I took this scholarship to come to New York, I already knew that leaving the city would be difficult. After all, in the four years I lived here, I have learnt so much about the world and have met so many interesting people. I have made lasting, meaningful friendships. More importantly, this was the city that unembarrassingly nudged me to self-discovery. I came out. I met Rusty. I began to appreciate what it meant to fight for life.
Now, school’s out and I’ve almost repaid my bond year. Unfortunately, I still have five more years to go. Leaving Rusty in the middle of his chemotherapy was the single most difficult thing I have had to endure in my young life. When I said I already knew that leaving would be difficult, I had no clue this was what lay ahead of me.
Both Rusty and I have bounced ideas on how to quit this job and move back to New York with him. At the end of the day, it comes down to money. To break the scholarship bond, I will have to repay my sponsor close to half a million dollars. That is the total cost of my tuition fees, living expenses, with interest.