The BIG Decision

Right now, I am on the cusp of life... quite literally the cusp... I am at the beginning of the point in my life where I begin my future... or at least at the point where I am able to set my future plans in motion... is that too deep to handle?

Well, what I mean to say is that I'm a second semester junior at university and I have the power (and responsibility) to choose what I become after graduate. It is nerve wracking and exciting all at the same time. There are so many options for me after I graduate, but how do I know what to choose? How do I know what is best for me? Will I choose correctly? What if I hate the real world? What if the real world does not want me?
Déjà vu. I feel like I have been here before, and that is because I basically have. Exactly four years ago, I was in this very same position... I was a junior (in high school) choosing what my next step in life would be. I chose to go to university, and I chose the university that I am attending right now. I know that it was the right choice by far, but sometimes I wonder just how different my life would be if I had decided to major in something different or attended a different school, perhaps one not so far away from home. This definitely would have impacted my life as well as the person who I have become.
I know that my next decision is rather important... and I know that the choice is mine. I also have just begun to realize that in a year, I will probably have made my mind up and maybe I will even know what my future plans are...

SO, I've imagined up three plausible paths that I will choose from after I step off the stage on graduation day: 

1. Grad school
2. Find a killer job
3. Get a grant/scholarship to travel and write and learn 

 The most incredible part of this whole thing is that each of these three little paths have a ton of mini-paths branching off of them... where will I go to grad school? What would I get a degree in? Where will I work? Will anyone want to hire me? What if I do not get the scholarship I want? What if I end up living a nomadic life forever?

I know that I still have time to work through and decide these kinds of things... but I just want to know. I want to know exactly where I will be in five years and if I will be successful and happy; but alas, reassurance from a future self is rarely to be expected as time travel has not become feasible yet.
Also, before I make plans for after graduation, I have to graduate... I am not worried about my grades, but I just have to keep reminding myself of all the work I have to do to get to the point where I cross the stage at graduation. It is a bit overwhelming, but I have got my eyes on the prize... whatever it may be. 
 If you can relate to this post on the uncertainty of your future, here are just a few quotes from incredible people that may set your mind at ease:

• “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” - Eleanor Roosevelt 
• “The best way to predict your future is to create it." - Abraham Lincoln 
•  “Let go of the past and go for the future. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined.”- Henry David Thoreau
• “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.” - William Shakespeare 
• "There is nothing like a dream to create the future." - Victor Hugo 

    WE are in charge of our futures. Just let that sink in.

The female college student's bucket list:

This photo may not go with the title of this post and that is quite simply because it is random.

Time has flown by and I am now in my third year of college... actually, third and a half year of college! The other day, I was sitting at a round table in the dining hall with some friends, mentally preparing myself to make the long, cold walk back to my dorm when I suddenly I blurted out:

"We're almost done with undergrad."

Silence.

Some friends glared, but then moments later I heard a "thank God" in there.

I can hardly believe that I will be graduating in a little over a year and I'm not so sure that I am ready to leave the college lifestyle behind just yet. Sometimes, I hate it, but other times, I feel like there is no other place I would rather be than at school learning, living with friends, and having a good deal of both freedom and responsibility. 

A year and a half left of undergrad... 

Well, here is a list of some "bucket-listy" things that I have experienced/ have yet to experience that I believe, really compliment the college lifestyle:

1. Work hard and try to be the best student you can possibly be- You may not have decided to go to college for the diploma, but your parents think you did...by the end of the day (week, semester, year, college career) you want to be able to say that you tried your best.
2. Grow your hair out super long and then chop it all off- I'm in the process of growing it out... my hair has never been this long and let me tell you, sometimes it is so annoying and uncooperative that I just want to hack it all off with my desk scissors... but I refrain. (SIDENOTE: I was very close to shaving one half of my head last summer, but my hairdresser talked me out of it by saying that my thick, curly hair would never trust me again). 
3. Take full advantage of your college gym- a membership will never be this affordable, and you may find a new hobby or class that you really love! I have been going to spin class and yoga lately and I have really enjoyed it. Just last night, I went to BodyPump and I loved it, although I am really sore now.
4. Have a movie marathon with all of your closest friends- Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, Sherlock are some of my friend group's favorites
5. Make a commitment- Challenge yourself... I became a vegetarian! For me, it was always difficult to be a vegetarian at home, though I have always wanted to try it out. At school, I'm in control of what I eat so I became a "selective vegetarian" last semester and have carried that over to this semester... this means that I am basically a vegetarian but sometimes I just need a turkey sandwich ya feel me?
6. Write a good old fashion letter to someone- Your mom, dad, grandma, kid brother, dog... whatever... people love opening letters and sometimes people actually read them!
7. Become emotionally invested in a TV show... it is normal and healthy to cry over these kinds of things sometimes, OKAY
8. Travel- And I mean anything from studying abroad, to doing a service trip, taking a random weekend road-trip, going to your roommates house, or even just getting to know the area around your university
9. Go stargazing- If you to to school in "Middle of Nowhere," USA like me, here is the link to the American Meteor Society meteor shower calendar, but if you attend an urban campus, well then I guess the city lights will do for you.
10. Find a cause and go for it!- March for life, save the whales, whatever... just do it. Learn about your cause and teach others about what makes it so incredible.
11. Join a random club- Juggling club, karate club, Quidditch club
12. Fall in love without settlin- never.settle. 
13. Invest in a killer blazer- Get used to looking professional and keep this handy for interviews
14. Take a hike- But really, go explore the wilderness of wherever you may be 
15. Cook a five star gourmet meal with your best friends- or, if you are living the dining hall life, like me, BYOF (Bring Your Own Feta) and peruse the salad bar
16. Pull an all nighter- Really realize the value of a proper "good night's sleep" and check this exhausting but necessary college right of passage off your list.
17. Avert drama like a pro and become the biggest bigger person on campus- Is all this tension really necessary? Ain't nobody got time for dat. 
18. Learn to be independent slash be comfortable being alone slash fly solo sometimes- Being a student at a university means always being surrounded with different kinds of people... sometimes you need to get away from all that. It is perfectly alright to stay in some Saturday nights and take some time to do you (netflix, writing, yoga)
19. Do something crazy (not crazy-stupid, more like something unexpected)- Dread your hair, get a tattoo, learn to play an instrument, go skydiving... Do something that makes your heart beat fast
20. Keep a journal- These years go by fast and although there will be days and lessons that you think you'll never forget, writing them down will ensure that you'll remember them and this will also give you time to reflect.

Symptoms of study abroad withdrawal

So, I left to study abroad in London, England a year ago and it is so incredibly difficult to explain how much my life has changed, as well as how much I have changed as a person. I will have to say that traveling to London and making my way around the city and to other places in Europe has made me more confident, more independent and definitely more adventurous.

Right now, I crave new places, and to be honest, being at my university is really frustrating sometimes because I am out in the middle of nowhere and I can't just pop out of my flat and hit the city streets to feel fulfilled. 

If you have ever studied abroad, here are some things that I'm sure that you can relate to:

•  Your walls/room/dorm/apartment/house/flat is littered with trinkets, photos, and souvenirs from your adventures abroad and you are just dying for an unsuspecting someone to ask you about your trip, no matter how long ago it was. Sometimes, you even push them to make a comment, just so you can go on and on about how great your experience was.
• Seeing photos on social media of other friends or acquaintances studying abroad in your city makes you just plain MAD, MAD I TELL YOU! Okay, well, it makes me mad, and then a little sad and nostalgic, and then jealous, and then truly happy for them because I know that they are going to discover all the wonder and beauty that makes that city so special. 
• You find that you can only talk and reminisce about your life abroad to the people who are in the same boat as you because everyone else just finds it annoying.... yep. 
• You go to see some movies solely because you know they take place/were filmed in your city and you're just dying to see some of the places you love.
• Coming back to real college classes is hard and frustrating... because you actually have to do a ton of work and you no longer have commute time on public transportation to finish up last night's reading for today's class. 
• Driving everywhere is just plain tedious. 
• In your free time, you scroll foreign websites full of job opportunities and cheap rental properties in the city of you dreams, and you really really consider how much money you can save up in the next month or two to buy a one-way plane ticket and have some left over for one or two meals a day until you find a job. 
• You miss the bread. 
• And the wine. 
• You have lost some weight since coming back home, but you realize that you would rather be living fat and happy abroad. 
• You check in and stay in touch with the people you met while studying abroad over Facebook by liking all their posts and going through their old albums..... guilty.
• You read over the journal you kept while overseas and sometimes you cry and eat a lot of chocolate (which you know will never taste as sweet as the chocolate that you had while abroad)
• For the people who studied in the UK: You get just as excited over new BBC shows and series-es as the natives do and nobody back home understands what you are talking about EVER.
• Sometimes you get lost in daydreams of simply walking down city streets.

Those are just a few that I've experienced, and I've diagnosed myself with acute wanderlust and nostalgia. There is no cure but more travel. 

Feel free to comment more symptoms that you have been burdened with below!

Well, I just want to urge people who have not had the experience of studying abroad to do so and to urge those who have, and who loved it, to encourage their friends and family members to do so.
It takes some courage and a leap of faith (also a good amount of dinero $$$) but I think that experiences like this are always beneficial because of how much can be learned and how much good can come from them. 

Stay sane, 

Angela  

Climate Change

 

I recently spent some time in an actual winter wonderland: Niagara Falls, Canada. 

Here are a few photos from the day we went. My family and two of my best friends spent the day around the Falls. My two friends are from Maryland, and they had never seen snow or ice like this. We went to the American side as well as the Canadian side. Personally, I like the Canadian side better. 

 

There is a perpetual rainbow at the Falls that we see each time we visit. I was so glad I could capture it with the snowy and icy backgrounds.

The spray of the Falls ices over everything that it touches, so the barriers, trees, and ground were super slippery and shiny. It was beautiful and also dangerous. 

Below is a coin-operated binocular on the US side of the Falls, covered in ice.

 

 Just a week after this was taken, I found another coin-operated binocular on a beach in Florida. 

Quite a contrast!

It was so great to be able to spend time at the beach and get a little tan. My family and I had a nice holiday.

  I also was able to take some really great photos and just relax. It was much needed.

Hope you had a great holiday as well!

 xx
Angela

Parka Weather

  

 

I've spent at least some of the past two winters in Maryland and there has never been this much snow... ever. I'm not complaining because I'm used to it, being from upstate New York, I was just surprised by the presences of more snow than just a "dusting." 

 Last week, it snowed a ton in Maryland! My classmates and I were hoping that they would cancel school, and I bet that they would have, had it not been finals week. We trudged through wind, sleet, and icy conditions to get to our exams. 

 

I was actually pleased by the amount of snowfall, not only because it made everything around my campus look beautiful, but because it gave me the excuse to wear my most favorite winter coat; the olive green parka that I can be seen wearing in almost every one of my photos from my study abroad trip to London. 

Take a look at some of my past posts, it is an ethereal coat that was basically sent to me from God.

I bought my parka from a thrift shop during one of my first free afternoons in London. When we first got to London, it was colder than I had expected it to be. I don't quite know what drew me to it (since it smelled really smokey) but I am so glad that I bought it! I took the huge jacket to our flat and put it in the washing machine and it has been a great companion on several of my trips.

It is a longer coat and has huge pockets that can fit mittens, my phone, my camera and even a bottle of water!

After I had bought it, I noticed just how many other young female Londoners were wearing similar parkas. I was pleased to find that I fit right in with them and their styles.

The only thing that I wish I could change about it is the fur lining the hood. It is kind of an orangy color that I'm not really partial to. 

This coat is kind of worn and could use some mending, but it has sentimental value, so I could never get rid of it.  

I am trying to figure out a way that I would be able to change the faux fur lining on the hood, and I am also on the lookout for a similar parka that may look a bit nicer. 

I definitely want the same olive color and length; these two things are the most important. I think I may like a gray-ish faux fur lining and buttons that go down the front. 

Here are some that I have found online:

This parka is from ASOS and, although it is not really olive green, the darker gray goes really well with the fur on the hood. It does not look as long as my current parka, but it seems to be long enough. The price is reasonable for a good coat. 

This is honestly all I could ever want in a parka. It is also from ASOS and I enjoy everything about it, except for the price.

I will continue to be on the hunt for the perfect, reasonably priced parka, but I know that, even if I do not find one this season, my trusty London parka will have my back.

Some Insightful Tips for Surviving Finals Week

Here are my top ten tips to making it out of finals week alive:

1. Get enough sleep- I will be aiming for 7-8 hours if possible (hey, a girl can dream)... NEVER underestimate the power of a glorious slumber.
2. Don't let yourself get too distracted- I know that sometimes, when I am trying to get work done, I zone out and then miraculously find myself scrolling down and down and down on Facebook; SNAP OUT OF IT... I have begun to realize just how much time human beings, including myself, waste on scrolling through newsfeeds and it disgusts me... I would not even want to see the total number of hours that I have wasted this semester on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. This is definitely a habit that I will try to kick. 
3. Hydrate yo'self- I drink a lot of green tea and water. It is just comforting to have something to sip on while studying. 
4. Set 12+ alarms- this way, you are assured to get to your exam on time because if your multiple blaring alarms do not wake you up, your annoyed roommates will!
5. Wear socks- it is impossible to really focus on anything important if your feet are freezing cold, it is just a fact. 
6. Do not return your books/ sell them back until after your finals are done- Heed these wise words...
7. Bring at least six pens and three #2 pencils to every exam... and also bring a calculator, a big eraser and cough drops- as the boy scout motto states: Be prepared
8. Ensure that you have enough time before your exam to review, eat, shower, brush your teeth, check stocks, and tie your shoes... and get to your exam on time!
9. If you are a female with long hair, bring a hair tie on the day of your exam... and then bring an extra hair tie- one of the worst feelings in the world is not being able to physically see the exam paper in front of you because your own hair is in your face. We've all been there...
10. Try your very best- At the end of the day, it would be nice to walk out of the exam room and confidently toss all of your carefully handwritten notes into the air and watch people watch them as they flutter to the floor as you strut away... Or, at least, it would be nice to feel confident and be able to tell yourself and your parents that you fought with valor for the whole semester, and maybe, could have possibly done alright on your final. 

The Home Stretch

 

The Thanksgiving Holiday break was such a tease this year... I went home to spend the holiday with my family a week ago, and I had such a great time with them, but I was drowning in anxiety over approaching final exams and projects. 

It was fantastic to have a small break, but knowing just how much work had to be completed between the time I got back to school from Thanksgiving break until the end of finals week, next Friday, was daunting.

I did not let it get the best of me though! I was unable to get some of the work that I had brought home with me done, but it was just as important for my sanity to spend some time relaxing and hanging out with family and friends.

 

One of the highlights of my break, other than having some time to just chill, was going tobogganing with my younger cousins! The toboggan that I have can be called "vintage." My father has had it for around forty years and it is much faster than your average plastic sled. It is a work of art, made of wood with the curved front.

We flew down a steep, snowy hill and I was in charge of making sure we did not crash into any trees or the brick building at the bottom of the hill.
Normally, I do not really like the cold or the snow that much, but it was perfect for tobogganing and the sun was setting, which allowed me to take some really lovely photos. It felt like home and the winters that I have grown up with. 

 

Coming back to school on Sunday night was terrifying because of how much work I had left to do for Monday. Luckily, I was able to get everything done and I am so glad to say that I survived this week! It is basically smooth sailing from here on out. I have finals and presentations to give next week, but I know that I will have ample time to prepare for all these things, so I am not as nervous or anxious about them. 

I am really looking forward to finishing up this semester and being able to spend some time at home for our winter break.