Hello, love - it's been awhile!
I know, I need to stop saying that every time I make a new post. Between double-majoring, going through some life changes, and re-watching season 1 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I haven't had a lot of time to post on the blog. But, don't worry - I haven't left! In fact, I've been working on some things that won't come to fruition until next year.
But enough about that for right now. How about I fill you in on everything that's happened since we last talked?
(By the way, if you want a drink or a snack, grab it now and buckle up - I'm about to hit you with three months of life,)
Where to even start? The last three (only three!) months since my last post have felt like an entire year. I've been challenged physically, mentally, and emotionally, although that's nothing new if you've been here awhile. It seems like I'm always being challenged. The Game of Life, I suppose.
Probably the biggest change that happened to me since September is a location change. Before you panic - I am still in NYC! You couldn't drag me away from that city no matter how hard you tried (I love Schmakery's Cookies too much). Rather, I've had a location change from one part of the city to another.
Let me explain. Over the summer, I withdrew from my NYU dorm housing (take risks, right?) to move in with my friend, who lives off-campus and whose roommate was moving out. It seemed like the perfect deal: my own room, a whole kitchen, a free NYU shuttle bus that picks up basically right outside the building. So leaving NYU housing was a no-brainer...that is, until, there was a mixup and I wasn't able to actually move in until the end of October. Needless to say, I was panicking (and don't even get me started about how my mom was feeling). Taking risks is fun and all, and sure, I'm trying to be more courageous, but being homeless for a month in NYC was not what I had in mind. On top of that, I had only two and a half weeks to go before I had to get on a plane and fly out.
Luckily, I was able to find a dorm-style, extended-stay hostel/hotel called Hotel 17 to call home for a month. There were some pros and cons (read: sharing a bathroom with an entire floor of strangers - con; getting your room cleaned every Friday - pro), but honestly, I was just glad to have somewhere to stay. The harder part happened after my family had left to go back home.
Moving from the hotel to my apartment sucked. But it would've sucked way more had it not been for the wonderful friends who got up at 9 AM (on a Sunday!!) and helped me lug my shit in and out of an Uber, unpack and assemble furniture, and even bring a box of donuts. After having packed everything myself, being able to rely on the support of my friends was welcomed. And now, here I am! I've been living in my apartment for two months today, and I love it so much.
Speaking of having wonderful friends, did I mention that I have wonderful friends? I consider them a part of my life update. Since first coming to NYU, I have been lucky to meet so many amazing people and even luckier to have found a solid girl group of some of the kindest, most gorgeous people I've met! Special shoutout to you if you're reading this right now - you know who you are! :)
A couple weeks into the semester, my entire class schedule got changed (long story- don't ask) and I was terrified. If you follow me on any social media, you probably knew that I was with one main group for the majority of my classes. When that got changed, I was really nervous to meet some new people and to perform in front of them, too. I could write a whole post about this alone (and maybe I will sometime), but here's the SparkNotes version of what came from that: I got to know some pretty kickass people and I'm very lucky to perform alongside them.
Still there? You're a trooper. We're almost there.
I was fortunate enough to be able to take a class with the chair of Tisch Drama, which was really hard but really intellectually stimulating! I can't believe I made it through that workload, honestly. On top of that, I officially started my second major this semester and took my first journalism class! It was reassuring how much I enjoyed taking that class; I was worried that in the year I hadn't done any journalism, I would lose interest. But it seemed like it was the opposite - my passion for journalism had only gotten stronger since I was the editor-in-chief of my high school's student newspaper.
Oh, and I got to meet Anderson Cooper, so that was pretty awesome.
I got to go home for Thanksgiving again this year, and took a much-needed long weekend break, only to come back and hit the ground running for the last stretch of first semester.
Between essays, finals, interviews for journalism, and memorizing lines, I was also busy with planning a concert! Yes, a concert. My sophomore class had to organize a benefit concert for us all to perform at for our vocal performance final - and because I never know how much to put on my plate, I volunteered to be a representative for the yellow group (my new group for those of you following along at home). My group was in charge of fundraising, as well as selecting the charity to honor at the concert. After going through many amazing charities, we finally decided that all the money from our concert would go to RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. We launched a GoFundMe and sang at the holiday markets - and thanks to so many kind people, and the hard work of everyone in the class, I am proud to say that we raised over $3,000! I feel so fortunate that we were able to raise that much money for such an important cause.
Speaking of the benefit concert, just a couple weeks ago I performed for an audience for the first time since starting at NYU! Singing at the concert was a blast. I can't describe the feeling of having a whole studio of support behind you. Besides that, I loved watching my friends shine in their natural elements. It was a great way to wrap up the semester.
So, here we are. Finals done, essays written, songs performed. I got five days free to explore NYC during Christmastime and get some much-needed rest (side note: if you ever get the chance to see the Christmas Spectacular, go!). Cut to now: I'm sitting at the Newark Airport, I've been up for five hours and it's not even 8:30 AM, my plane is running late because of weather, and I'm so happy to be going home to see my family. I would say I feel worn out, but that doesn't include the sense of accomplishment I feel towards everything I've conquered this semester. Instead, I'm more excited than ever to continue my schooling over the next two-and-a-half years - right after I sleep through the entirety of winter break.
Lots of love,
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