Just wanted to share a bit of my story

Student loans are for perfect people living in a perfect world. The truth, I discovered, is that people often don't really care as they are tied up in their own worlds.

Maybe I am doing ok now as I am getting a great discount on my student loan because my income is so low, but things were just terrible before that.

Part of my problem was (is) a female health problem. When you don't have a good job and good insurance, you can't function. I am now 63 years old. If it wasn't for some friends that have let me live in their house for a super low rate (compared to the regular rental rates), I would be out in the streets now.

I am finally feeling some relief in my life and have started teaching English to people outside the U.S. online, plus a driving job I have that pays minimum wage or less per hour. My English teaching is a blessing because I actually have come to the conclusion that Americans don't really care. This is the conclusion I've gotten because the college I went to basically doesn't respond to my e-mails with my ideas for work. It makes me feel like their heads are made of stone sometimes. Yet, they are good people. The truth is that everyone is so busy with their own agendas that they can't think or communicate with other people. These occupy movements cause people like me to express their thoughts, otherwise I am afraid to do that.

In the mid '90s I had found myself living in a little camper on my little '84 truck for over 2 years. People were supportive of me, trying to encourage me that I was not homeless. People like to make other people feel happy about their situation, but they really don't have ideas. I truly think this, especially now that our whole country seems to lack ideas and initiative about global warming solutions. We just go back and forth politically with the right wing media trying to keep us in a state of fear so they can get their politicians elected, thus giving more money to the big oil and pharmaceutical industry CEOs. This is really how I feel.

My little bit of horror story is when I felt like mailing the president of my college one of my blood-soaked sanitary pads when I was going through that gushingness of premenopause. That was happening at the same time as when I getting calls from college loan and other creditors. I just couldn't handle it emotionally, the stress. This was back in the '90s, and especially before the crash of 2008. Finally in 2008, at least, everyone was having problems. Not just me. At least, now everyone knows how I was feeling. Back then, no one understood my stress with the college loan because everyone had these expensive houses and good jobs. The rich do not understand the poor. This is not just an 'Occupy' movement statement, this is a real statement. People with money and jobs do not understand people without money and decent paying jobs. It was like some kind of joke or blame to me until 2008.

The way I feel now is that my only hope is to expand my teaching of English online. I don't have a car. I'm 63 years old. I can't get a job good enough to really pay my college loan. Age discrimination is a reality. The aging of the body is a reality. My transportation, other than when I do my driving job delivering vehicles, is me getting around by my bicycle. But, my bike keeps my blood pressure down and is healthy. It is good.

This is getting a little long. Sorry. I guess what I want to say is that, as long as my pay back rate can stay with this discount, I am ok. But, if something broke loose on that, I might leave the country and go into hiding or something. I really don't know what I would do.