When I came to the new city I was 21. (I still am for exactly 24 more hours)
It's quite an age, I must say! It has been a turning point for me for everything in my life - an age of change and learning, adventures and education, people and culture.
A potpourri of dreams and emotions!
Highlights of 21:
1) Dreams. I entered the year with a smile. I knew it was going to be a roller-coaster ride and I could feel the adrenaline rush. It started with my admission into my dream school and that was probably the high of the year!
2) Hourglass. The next few months were a whirlwind. A lot of planning and a lot of chaos. Applications and visa interviews. A complete Information overload.
3)Soaking in. There were so many occasions that I was trying to soak in. Family and friends, birthdays and anniversaries. Everything was feeling like sand that was falling from my hand. While I was excited about starting a new life I knew that there was a lot that I am going to miss.
4)Goodbyes. Then came the time to say goodbye. Farewell parties and airports. Tears and hugs and smiles through tears. OVERWHELMING.
5) Chicago. New city, new home, new bed, new fairylights, new pajamas. It was all new. New people, lots and lots of new people. Lots and lots of new happy people.
6) Northwestern University. Integrated Marketing Communications. INTENSE FIRST QUARTER. Lots of new peeps. Asians, Americans, South Americans, Culture, Conversation, Food, WOB. Laughter and a whole new IMC family!
7) Fears and Tears. Out of the comfort zone, fears of people judging you, tears because of homesick days. Stressed Midterms and finals week.
8) Accomplishment. Lots of relief because the first quarter was over. Out of the comfort zone was turning into a comfort zone, the house started to feel like a home.
9) Travel.New York City. Sightseeing through rose tinted glasses and days that felt like a movie. Empire state of mind.
10) Dreams coming true. Sometimes rosier than the actual dream and sometimes - Meh!
WELL ,
There were a lot of experiences that were life lessons,
But what's more important is what I take from this year :
1) Strength - We're women honey, strength finds us! Well, not being sexist but when the emotions go up so does the strength! All the emotions in this year have made me a stronger person. Extreme happiness and extreme homesickness, tears and laughter and skype calls and letters. Cooking meals and groceries and navigating through a new city. 21 taught me to take care of myself :)
2) Family - I value my family so much more! The value of 3 hot home cooked meals a day, of the mother's hugs and the father's scoldings. My nani's unconditional love. Sometimes you need to go away from people to value them more. Sometimes on a Skype call, you suddenly realize the value of a touch! I always valued my family but today I realize the value much more.
3) Relationships - I realized how important a support system is. I derive my support system from deep relationships. People who you can call at any hour and people who are there for you through it all. I am miles away from home and miles away from all the important relationships in my life. I see them all surviving, rather flourishing and so I realized how lucky I am to have a support system!
4) Goals - I'm just 21 and in grad school. Believe me, it's a risk I took. I didn't give myself a few years to gather some experience and then go back to academics. Maybe I'm in a hurry? I'm not too sure... But this year, I think is the year where I have really started working seriously towards my life goals. There's been clarity and motivation and the education has provided a direction for me to dream and achieve :)
5) Happiness -Finally, Happiness. 21 reminds me of the quote -
"If you want to be happy, be! "
This does not mean I've been happy throughout the year... I have been a sulky weirdo on days and a tortoise in her shell on others but through all of this I have realized that happiness is something I have to find within myself (or within the fridge)
There have been nights where I've danced on the tables too, days when I didn't give a rat's ass about life, days when I have sketched and painted and written poetry, and days that I have spent in bed with a huge tub of ice cream.
The year's been a long island ice tea. In a tall glass. Strong and definitely not smooth.but once I finished it through my curvy straw it's left a good high ;)
Thank you 21, You've been quite a ride!
ps. You know what 21 still hasn't managed to teach me? To proof read! I hope 22 gets me to be a little more patient!
Some serious last minute 21 year old swaggggger,
Juie
It's quite an age, I must say! It has been a turning point for me for everything in my life - an age of change and learning, adventures and education, people and culture.
A potpourri of dreams and emotions!
Highlights of 21:
1) Dreams. I entered the year with a smile. I knew it was going to be a roller-coaster ride and I could feel the adrenaline rush. It started with my admission into my dream school and that was probably the high of the year!
2) Hourglass. The next few months were a whirlwind. A lot of planning and a lot of chaos. Applications and visa interviews. A complete Information overload.
3)Soaking in. There were so many occasions that I was trying to soak in. Family and friends, birthdays and anniversaries. Everything was feeling like sand that was falling from my hand. While I was excited about starting a new life I knew that there was a lot that I am going to miss.
4)Goodbyes. Then came the time to say goodbye. Farewell parties and airports. Tears and hugs and smiles through tears. OVERWHELMING.
5) Chicago. New city, new home, new bed, new fairylights, new pajamas. It was all new. New people, lots and lots of new people. Lots and lots of new happy people.
6) Northwestern University. Integrated Marketing Communications. INTENSE FIRST QUARTER. Lots of new peeps. Asians, Americans, South Americans, Culture, Conversation, Food, WOB. Laughter and a whole new IMC family!
7) Fears and Tears. Out of the comfort zone, fears of people judging you, tears because of homesick days. Stressed Midterms and finals week.
8) Accomplishment. Lots of relief because the first quarter was over. Out of the comfort zone was turning into a comfort zone, the house started to feel like a home.
9) Travel.New York City. Sightseeing through rose tinted glasses and days that felt like a movie. Empire state of mind.
10) Dreams coming true. Sometimes rosier than the actual dream and sometimes - Meh!
WELL ,
There were a lot of experiences that were life lessons,
But what's more important is what I take from this year :
1) Strength - We're women honey, strength finds us! Well, not being sexist but when the emotions go up so does the strength! All the emotions in this year have made me a stronger person. Extreme happiness and extreme homesickness, tears and laughter and skype calls and letters. Cooking meals and groceries and navigating through a new city. 21 taught me to take care of myself :)
2) Family - I value my family so much more! The value of 3 hot home cooked meals a day, of the mother's hugs and the father's scoldings. My nani's unconditional love. Sometimes you need to go away from people to value them more. Sometimes on a Skype call, you suddenly realize the value of a touch! I always valued my family but today I realize the value much more.
3) Relationships - I realized how important a support system is. I derive my support system from deep relationships. People who you can call at any hour and people who are there for you through it all. I am miles away from home and miles away from all the important relationships in my life. I see them all surviving, rather flourishing and so I realized how lucky I am to have a support system!
4) Goals - I'm just 21 and in grad school. Believe me, it's a risk I took. I didn't give myself a few years to gather some experience and then go back to academics. Maybe I'm in a hurry? I'm not too sure... But this year, I think is the year where I have really started working seriously towards my life goals. There's been clarity and motivation and the education has provided a direction for me to dream and achieve :)
5) Happiness -Finally, Happiness. 21 reminds me of the quote -
"If you want to be happy, be! "
This does not mean I've been happy throughout the year... I have been a sulky weirdo on days and a tortoise in her shell on others but through all of this I have realized that happiness is something I have to find within myself (or within the fridge)
There have been nights where I've danced on the tables too, days when I didn't give a rat's ass about life, days when I have sketched and painted and written poetry, and days that I have spent in bed with a huge tub of ice cream.
The year's been a long island ice tea. In a tall glass. Strong and definitely not smooth.but once I finished it through my curvy straw it's left a good high ;)
Thank you 21, You've been quite a ride!
ps. You know what 21 still hasn't managed to teach me? To proof read! I hope 22 gets me to be a little more patient!
Some serious last minute 21 year old swaggggger,
Juie
