Do I Need a Title?

This break is flying by! I can't believe that it's almost Christmas (my favorite holiday). I just finished all of my shopping so I've just gotta wrap up a few things. For some reason it doesn't feel like Christmas, hopefully it will in the next few days.

I will be flying off in no time at all...WWHHAATT!! It's not even real.

The 12 hour flight to London is what is going to be the least fun. I'm planning on sleeping and bothering everybody around me. I'm going to also stock up on some magazines to read, I love magazines.

I saw a list of places that we get to go as a part of our programme, in our first week we are going to Bath. Then Stonehenge, Windsor Castle and then if I pay 10 to 20 quid I can go to Birmingham, Liverpool, Cardiff and Brighton! Absolutely brilliant. I'd like to go to Manchester also and of course London, that's a given.

I plan on going to mainland Europe also which will be a dream come true as well! I want to go to Paris for my birthday and see the Eiffel Tower and le Musee d'Orsay. My ancestors were Parisian so I feel that it is only fit that I spend time there.

Goals will be posted. My anticipation will also be posted here.

Home

Home is a good place to be. For me whenever I am home, it allows me to reflect upon my life and also do some of the things that I love to do like reading, writing and listening to music. Typically at school I don't get much alone time (which is fine by me) so when I get to shut myself up in my room for a few weeks I can recharge mentally.

I've gotten to spend loads of time with my family which has been great since I won't see them for a long time. It's good to have all of the fun we can now while I'm here so we can hold onto those memories while I'm away.

Speaking of being away, I am getting more and more excited as the days pass. I have just been sitting around thinking about exactly how loud I'm going to scream when we land at Heathrow Airport.  The moment we step outside the airport I will probably die from a combination of disbelief and excitement.

Once Christmas has passed I will be even more ready to pack up and go. Christmas is my favorite holiday so once that happens then there really is nothing else to look forward to in the new year until my birthday or Easter, which ever comes first.

This week I am going to create a list of goals I want to accomplish while abroad. They will include traveling, dining places, meeting people, seeing live music and visiting my friends who will be spread all across Europe. Two of my friends will be in Ireland, two more in London a friend in Italy and then in May another will be in Spain.  I couldn't be more excited to visit these places that they will all soon enough call home.

Alright then, so once I make my list and check it twice I will post it on here. And to keep myself accountable for each goal, I am going to get photographic proof then post about it. Sounds good? Great.

Peace Philly

As of yesterday I have officially left Philadelphia and am no longer a Temple student. It's such a cliche to say but it feels like the semester went by so quick.  It feels like last week my friends and I were shopping for Halloween costumes!

My final weeks were filled with little sleep and lots of laughs (just the way I like it).  Other than being crazy busy doing school work, my roommates/sistas came down for the weekend! We had such a wonderful time eating food, going to Reading Terminal Market and Love Park for Christmas Village.

It was great to see them since we didn't get to be together this semester. They are hopefully coming to spend some of Christmas break with me which is going to rule.

This past week before leaving was sad since it was a lot of lasts. Last time staying up until almost 4 a.m. (it was before my 8 o'clock final and it was 100% worth it), last time riding SEPTA and last time eating poorly crafted food. But most importantly I will miss the people that I have met and now call my friends.

This semester I didn't think that I would make friends (for some odd reason) because I assumed that everybody already had their friend groups pre-determined. I was most certainly wrong.  The friends that I have made are some that I hope to keep for next year at Messiah and hopefully for the rest of my life. I cannot wait to see them all again!

Through the people I met I learned more about myself than I ever imagined and talked about things indepthly that I never had before.

Along with the city I have learned to be more confident in myself as a woman overall.  That really was the big thing.  I'm not quite certain how it happened but it did and I'm grateful for it.  By taking this more firm grasp at femininity, I can begin to get closer to the woman that I want to be.

This semester was awesome and I wouldn't trade my experiences for the world!

Goodbye Philly, hello UK! My next stop after home is Cheltenham in western England.  This is going to be the biggest thing that I've done in my life thus far and I could not be more thrilled for it to begin. I have less than a month away and I'm not even close to being physically or mentally ready. All of the paper work is in, I now must finalize classes, pack (this should be fun, not) and create a list of goals.

The future is uncertain for next semester but all I know for certain is that it will be the best.

Finals, the joy

This past few days have been crazy busy with working on projects and attempting to have fun with my housemates before we never see one another again.

Tonight I just finished my term paper for my sustainability class, thank the Lord! I absolutely hate big papers.  Being a journalist we are taught to write very briefly and only make the key points known. One sentence is considered a paragraph in journalism.  When one writes a real paper, there has to be tons of words and pages that it blows my mind.  I don't know if I'm cut out for this kind of work anymore.

For the rest of my academic time here I have to finish two projects and study for three exams. That sounds like a blast to me...

Other than that my two roommates from last year are coming down to visit this weekend! Hurray! Since it is also my last weekend in the city we are going to be doing absolutely everything. Most of the kids in the house will hopefully come along when we go and see the lights that the city put up in Center City.  We are all going to go out to eat which of course will be a good time.

As I look back on my time here at Temple I do not wish that I would have gone here for all four years of college. I love Messiah too much to leave it for somewhere else. I see faults in both systems but Messiah is my home so I can't even hate on it.

I have also gotten to learn more about myself as a person even though I had once thought that I knew myself really well.  I really value this and I wouldn't unwish anything that happened here in Philly! I did a lot of learning and discovering things about me that I never even knew.

I will post again during my final week (hopefully).

Vistors and freezing wind

This weekend was great! A great 2nd to last weekend in Philly for sure.

Friday a group of us from MCPC went to the Franklin Mills Mall which was oddly long. Like it just was odd looking but it had a lot of really good stores.  We went to Forever 21 and almost bought the entire store. Their clothes are incredibly cute!! From there I got black tights, socks with the Union Jack on them and an eyeshadow palette that is amazing. Then from Gap I got this black and white striped shirt with this cute collar thing. I love it.

After that we had a spa evening with our gal pals which was fun. We did nails, facials and massages like professionals. I think I'll work at a spa if journalism doesn't work out.

Saturday my best pal from Messiah, Bo came to visit me! I picked him up at the Amtrak station on 30th and we went back to my house to watch the Doctor Who 50th Anniversary episode. The episode was brilliant! I adored it!

After that we chilled with people and went out to eat at one of my favorite restaurants in Philly called Sabrina's Cafe on Callowhill. All of us really enjoyed our food and the overall atmosphere there. I highly recommend this place if you're ever in the 215.

This week I am going home on the train for Thanksgiving break. I am excited to see my cats, family and friends even though it's only for a short period of time. I work also so getting a few extra bucks for SEPTA tokens will be nice.

My oldest and dearest friend Micheal and I are going to uphold our Black Friday tradition of going to the gym ridiculously early just for the hell of it. There is no rhyme or reason to it, we just do it. That is something I half look forward to and half dread since I haven't been to the gym in months. How sad.

I will post after Thanksgiving and basically just right all that I have learned from this semester. I'm excited to really reflect about everything and see how I've grown as an overall person.

Everything's Due

How is everything due on one day? This Thursday I have something due in all of my classes except for one. It's going to be a crazy, crazy week.

This reminds me of a typical week at Messiah where I am constantly swamped with work. When I go back for senior year I am 100% sure that I won't know how to do homework.

I should be doing my work right now but instead I am writing this blog and practicing my German. I have become more dedicated to remembering everything I learned in my German classes so that I can get around Berlin when I go in the spring. I want to go to Germany SO bad!

Countries I need to visit while abroad:
-Ireland (I have friends living there so I'll definitely go)
-Italy (also a friend there to stay with)
-France
-Germany

Those I must visit or I will just shrivel up and die. They are part of my heritage and I feel that I need to see where my ancestors are from. And they're going to just be beautiful anyway.

My dreams grow closer to reality every day which will get me through this possibly horrid week.

52 Days

That's right, 52 days until I depart from the USA to the UK!!!!!!!!

I'm incredibly excited to finish up the semester (which is ending much faster than I realized) and head off to England. There is no way at all in the entire universe that I will not have the absolute best time ever.  There just isn't.

Have I mentioned that I plan on moving over there? Honestly, if I love it with my entire being then I have no choice but to go back.  Come on, they have Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes AND Doctor Who!

Anyway.

This woman that I emailed about classes has yet to get back to me which is probably just her being senile. I don't appreciate that quite at all... I am excited for classes that I want to take and hopefully it will all work out and such.

My friend, Micheal is planning on coming over which will be fantastic. We are planning on a big outing for my birthday this spring which will most definitely include Paris and possibly Berlin. Just thinking about it makes my soul soar!

I will report on my mental preparation and all that I have been learning about English culture. The other day I learned the three B's: brilliant, bloody and ballocks.

How delightful.

Where have I been?

It has been ages since I posted last which is incredibly, incredibly sad. I haven't even been doing anything really exciting so I have no excuse for not posting on here.

In the past month I have gone to the PA Ballet to see the ballerinas perform a show called Jewels which was absolutely brilliant! I have always found ballet to be the most beautiful of all the dance genres. There is just something so elegant and lovely about it.

I have also gotten to learn how to make wontons by a Chinese master chef named Chef Joseph Poon who is the absolute best! He was so nice and taught us so much about cooking and life. He even made me an entire plate of vegetarian food which he totally did not have to do.

School wise I have been working on my final projects in all of my classes and in general doing well.  I have been working on developing a magazine for children called Veggie Kids for my magazine class. We have to come up with tons of stuff for it but it has been a really fun process. Then for my design class we have to come up with a website/portfolio type deal on WordPress. Mine is here and far from anything impressive. It's incredibly basic.

For photo class I shot my final project already and now I just have to print them.

This is a kid named Jason who lives in the house with me. He graciously offered his afternoon to model for me. 

The look is far from what they were inspired from which are 1920s mugshots which were not even close to how they are done today. The photos that I saw were of dapper men in suits who looked pretty high class. So I tried to replicate that, emphasis on the tried. 

Finally I have two papers for advertising and my urban ecology class which will 100% not be fun. Who ever enjoys writing papers for school? Not me. 

Friends of mine are going to be coming up for the weekend soon which I couldn't be more excited about! My photographer friend, Bo is coming in two weeks and my roommates Sarah and Laurie Sue will be here in December. I can't wait to show them around the city and let them get a glimpse of where I've been for the last 3 months. 

There is more going on in my life in the realm of studying abroad in England but I will just make a whole new post for that. Talk to you then (whoever you are).

General Life

It's been since October 6th that I've posted so I think it's time I wrote at least a little something.

Life has been pretty busy these last two weeks because of midterm exams and projects. I had two exams, two papers and two projects which sounds like a lot but I really wasn't that bad. Stressing out over school work isn't something I do.

For my midterm I shot this picture of Zach who lives in my house. It turned out excellent once when I printed it out, I am pretty proud of this shot.

My photo class has taught me a lot about lighting but not a ton about the compositional aspect of photography. For that, I must push myself.

Last weekend I visited my family which was wonderful! I certainly missed them all and especially my cats, haha! While there I was reminded that Williamsport will always have a place in my heart even though a lot of the time there isn't a thing to do. You learn to make your own fun there while in Philly you can go to many different places and find something interesting to occupy your time.

What I truly miss are the people that live in Williamsport.  They're the most interesting, odd yet awesome people that I've ever met. It's the locals that make the town, without them it would be dead.

Today my friend, Bo and I got tickets to see the 50th Anniversary of Doctor Who in 3D on November 23rd! We are super excited to go! It's going to be the best time ever, possibly, maybe. I am jazzed that Bo gets to come to the city also since I haven't really gotten to spend quality time together since last semester ended.

Coming up in my life is basically nothing other than that. Though I live in the city, that does not mean that my life is anymore exciting.

New friends and art

Another great weekend in the City of Brotherly Love!

I feel like all I ever write about are my weekends but that's because the normal week is incredibly dull. It's going to school, school isn't that exciting. It's what happens after class that is the fun part!

Today a group of us from Messiah went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and I had such a wonderful time! I have been there once before but did not see as much as I did this time around.

I got to see beautiful pieces (like Vincent van Gogh's "Sunflowers" above) that I had seen in my art history class in real life which was spectacular. I got to see numerous works by Monet, Degas (his "Little Dancer" below), Picasso, Duchamp and Jasper Johns.

Viewing art is something that makes my soul sore! When you see some of the details that an artist will put into a sculpture or painting, it blows my mind. Seeing that each brush stroke has an essential purpose to the overall painting and the complex, beautiful sculptures made of marble that look flawless. Art can say everything without uttering a word.

Also this weekend I went to see the dragon boat races (less exciting than you'd think) but I went with a girl named Skye from my Magazine Editing class and her friends Kayla and Tim. It was great being with new people and doing something different.

After the races we were starving and ate at this place called Sabrina's Cafe which was ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL! I honestly haven't had a meal this good in a really long time. I got their crispy tofu which was HUGE pieces of tofu along with soba noodles, mango salsa and avocado. This is something that my stepdad would want but with chicken instead of tofu.

England update: nothing new.

School update: I'm not failing.

A Hindu parade, Benny Franks and iced coffee

This weekend was fantastic! There was tons going on and wonderful adventures that were had.

On Saturday my friends and I went down to Ben Franklin Parkway near the Philadelphia Museum of Art to attend College Day.  College Day is basically where businesses and people give college kids free stuff and all of the museums in the area are open for free to students.

Before we arrived at the event we literally ran into a colorful floats and hundreds of Indians throughout the streets! It was incredible. A man explained to us that this was the Festival of Chariots which is an Indian festival that takes place in cities all across the world.

They had huge floats like above which housed their god (I think) and between the floats people were dancing and chanting, it was beautiful! Even children were in the parade, they built smaller versions of the floats and pulled them with jump ropes.

There were also stands all set up in this park that sold Indian saris and scarves, there was a psychic and a lady who did eyebrow threading which my friend, Lily got done. There was also a huge feast (which I wish we would have attended) which was all vegetarian and vegan food (Hindus are generally vegetarians). Also a few of us received small booklets about their religion and beliefs which I plan on reading.

The first museum we visited was the Rodin (pronounced row-dan) which was a bunch of his sculptures. They had a replica of his famous, The Thinker and I believe the actual The Gates of Hell at the entrance. Many of the sculptures were linked back to the Gates piece.

The one above is called The Secret which is two hands almost completely touching. I really liked that piece! Certainly one of my favorites.

Then we went to the Franklin Institute which was fantastic! We went inside this heart, saw a show at their planetarium and learned about what doctors do when people have heart attacks. They had a exposition on espionage but it cost extra sadly.

After that long day my roommate, Mandy (in the picture with me at the top of this post) and Lilly went to get dinner. I ate vegan food at a place called HipCityVeg, 127 S 18th St, where I had a fabulous jerk "chicken" salad with dried plantains (I love plantains).

Today was National Coffee Day therefore I had to go and have coffee to celebrate! So a few of us went down to Old City to have pizza at Soho Pizza, 218 Market St, visited The Book Trader so that I could pick up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and get coffee at Old City Coffee, 221 Church St. I had a great cup of iced coffee! I highly recommend that place. Great atmosphere and the employees are quite nice. They also have great chocolate chip cookies!

With so much that happened this weekend there is no stopping the momentum! This week I am going vegan for the week which should be a challenging but rewarding experience. I will be living off salad, soy milk and apples. Wait, that's what I already eat!

Also this week I am going to go to see the movie Salinger which is about my favorite author J.D. Salinger. I read so many bad reviews but I am determined to still view it! I am obligated since he is my favorite and will do my best to enjoy it even if it is mediocre. Salinger would probably hate it anyway so it will be alright if him and I hate it together.

I will post again once I know more about England stuff and if anything exciting occurs in my life.

Accepted

This morning has declared the beginning of the rest of my life. I received an email that told me that I have been ACCEPTED TO STUDY IN CHELTENHAM FOR SPRING 2014!!!!!!!!!!

I couldn't be more excited! I have never been so ecstatic about something in all of my days. I know that this is where I need to be therefore I am going to make the very best out of this experience. It is going to be incredible.

From here I have to fill out Visa stuff, health history crap that says I don't have any diseases and pay more money (of course). It looks like a long but worthy process.

To prepare myself for the trip I am going to construct a list of goals that I want to accomplish while abroad in the UK. I know that I want to visit my friends who will be abroad in Ireland which will be such a wonderful experience!

God save the Queen!

Visiting Friends and the Joys of Fall

It has been ages since I have posted on here and I feel that it is time that I let the world know about what little has been going on in my life.

This past weekend I went back to Messiah College to visit all of my wonderful friends.  They threw me a party complete with vegetable lasagna, carmel corn and pumpkin cookies! I got to spend time with the people that I care for most (besides family) which was exactly what I needed in my life.  We also went to some of our favorite places to eat like Neato Burrito and Baker's Diner, these were the two best meals that I've had in ages. Distance certainly makes the heart grow fonder in regards to people and food.

Visiting made me happy to see all of my friends and made me value the short time that I was with them.  I hope to go back again before the fall semester ends.  Hopefully some of them will come and see me in Philly as well.

Today my mom and stepdad came to visit me which was a great time.  It was good to see them both and eat some quality food.  We went to a place called Fuel on Walnut St. and also to get ice cream on Locust St. at a place called Not Just Ice Cream.  Their ice cream was awesome, I highly recommend it!

I think almost all of my posts include something about food. I don't know what that says about me.

Other than that nothing has been going on for the most part. Just projects and papers, dumb things like that. Doing school work is my least favorite part about school. That and 8 a.m. classes.

This week I have to take photos for my class using an external flash, write a paper about my family's ecological footprint and go to the Puerto Rican Day festival, which should be way more fun than the other two.

Update on England: I still don't know if I got accepted or not. This is lame.

So long, my friend

After reading back through my posts I realized I never wrote about the best thing to happen to Messiah's Philadelphia Campus, MUFFIN! Muffin is the lovely cat above.

A week or two ago some girls and I were coming back from dinner and outside our house was a calico kitty walking around meowing.  We instantly fell in love with her, picked her up and threw her into our backyard.  She has been living outside in our garden area, she is basically living in a modern day version of the Garden of Eden.

Instantly everybody fell in love with her! Kids would go outside and pet her while they did their homework or chatted with other students. I think that Muffin really brought us together as a community because it was something most of us could bond over and talk about.

She stayed with us for about 2 weeks, digging in the dirt, eating cheese and sleeping in a box.

Today she left to go and live with my friend, Corinne and her family until they can find a home for her with a family friend. I know that Muffin will have a wonderful life outside of North Philly! I am so glad that I could help her get to a good place. I have no idea what would have happened if we didn't take her off the street.

She was such a blessing to me and I'm sure for everybody else who fell in love with her.

This Past Weekend

This past weekend was a pretty good one for sure! School wise I finished 98% of a project and other boring things but the fun parts certainly out do the dull ones.

A group of us from Messiah went on this mural tour which is lead by some art society in the city.  They take you around Center City and talk about the different murals that have been painted.  Some of them were really fun like the one above of these silly monsters.

This is a group picture taken by our tour guide, Donna in front of a mural dedicated to women. This one was all about women throughout the ages and how far we have come in society.  This one was certainly one of my favorites because it was relatable in my life.  It spoke about women being able to make an impact on the world and that they are awesome.

I also got to eat my first falafel (that's chickpeas and ground up and cooked type thing) at Reading Terminal Market and it was pretty good. The only down side to eating at the Market is that it's super duper expensive! It's like at least $8 for one person to eat. That's a lot for a college kid.

On Sunday a few kids from Messiah and I went to see Fall Out Boy and Panic! At the Disco at the Liacouras Center, which is Temple's huge auditorium place. They have basketball games and big stadium concerts there. BUT ANYWAY, the show was great! I went in honor of my middle school self who absolutely loved both those bands. I would listen to them all the time on my iPod Shuffle. Good times.  It was great to sing along to songs that I had been listening to years ago from albums like "Take This to Your Grave" and "A Fever You Can't Sweat Out".

Panic! was great, I absolutely loved Brennan Urie (their frontman), he is a great performer! With FOB they were also super good for guys who are getting up in years. My only complaint about them was that Patrick Stump (frontman) had trouble with the higher notes. Most of their newer songs have a lot of high notes and I'm really not sure why he put them in if he can't hit them. Patrick's got me stumped.

This week coming up is nothing excited. Just school and projects and hoping for money to appear in my bank account.

Photo Class

Photo class is possibly my favorite class other than my Magazine Editing one. With photography I get to do something that I really enjoy with a whole bunch of other kids who are also into taking pictures.

Above is one from Tuesday, this kid brought in a skull with a cigarette and we lit it and got some really cool shots. I dig the smoke and all that jazz. The lighting and all looks sweet too!

This is Elle. She rules and is a beautiful woman!

Other than taking a bunch of photos and getting eaten alive by bugs things have been pretty average. Tomorrow is First Friday and also the opening day of this new documentary "Salinger" which I could not be more excited for! The movie is about my favorite author, J.D. Salinger and the legacy that he has left on the world. He was a genius, I absolutely love him.

Also check out the new Arctic Monkeys album AM. It's awesome.

So yeah that's about it. I'll be posting more pictures and stuff throughout the weeks to come and talking about food, coffee and other random stuff.

WAIT, speaking of coffee I had the best frappaccino from Starbucks I've ever had in my life. It was in Old City somewhere and it was heaven in a plastic cup! The barista must have been God sent.

Old City

Today my friend Olivia and I went to Old City and it was quite a treat. I actually have pictures to prove it all! The reason I originally brought my camera was to take pictures for one of my classes. We have to create a photo essay, whatever that's supposed to mean.

The Book Trader, 7 N 2nd St.

We first went went to The Book Trader, this was my second time going so I could focus on taking photos. A lot of them didn't turn out perfect but that's alright! I got to flip through a book about Vincent Van Gogh and read a couple pages about red haired people.  It was so boring, I feel terrible thinking that a book about my people is dull but it truly was. 

After leaving the bookstore and on our way to AKA Music shop I noticed this girl sitting in the alley smoking and my brain screamed "TAKE HER PICTURE!" So I asked and I think that it turned out pretty well! I am very proud of this photo.

There was also this really random mural by this parking lot. There was this goose and the skull above and there was also polka dots and palm trees. I was confused as to exactly what the artist was trying to convey.  

Speaking of art, I saw some beautiful pieces at this gallery, I don't remember what the name was. There were three paintings by this woman and they were beautiful! They were just colors and the paint was so thick that it was pressed up against the glass of the frame. 

I certainly have not seen all that Old City has to offer but I think I want to explore other parts of Philly in the next week or so. I want to venture to Center City and Rittenhouse Square. Should be great!

It's honestly ssssoooo hot, I can't handle it any longer. Where is autumn? I would like to be able to wear scarves, hats and jackets without having a heat stroke. If Mother Nature could make that happen I would be very, very content. I hope she takes requests.

1 Day. 5 Classes.

It's a little after 10 and I have not passed out from running around campus all day going to my classes. It took all of my will power to stay awake in my 9:30 design class but I made it through!

The vibe that I am getting after writing everything in my planner is that I will be incredibly busy doing one thousand projects.  Why didn't I just take one straight up lecture class? I think I made some bad decisions when I did registration. Haha, not really.

I really think that I am going to really grow in my skills as a journalist which will definitely help me out once I graduate in 2015.  Some stuff I may never use but who knows when I will need to know about advertising and three point lighting.

Speaking of lighting, my photo professor is insane and I couldn't be more excited to learn from this guy. He is one of those guys who has been taking photos for years and years and knows what he's talking about, but he's also crazy. He will certainly be pushing me in my photography which could definitely be improved!

And I swear I will be posting photos on here (first I have to take some)! I am hoping to take my camera out this weekend and get some shots at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Center City and of people that I live with.

Today I was informed that I will be employed for the semester! YAY YAY YAY!! I was super nervous that I wouldn't be able to find a job here and I would have to mooch off my mom and dad for three months. I couldn't handle that. But I got a job in my Messiah building to clean. Far from glamourous but money is money! So I'll be cleaning up after breakfast which entails doing dishes, wiping off tables and sweeping/mopping. Basically every job I've ever had put together.

This month I am going to try and plan out my trip to Messiah's main campus to visit my lovely friends that I haven't seen since May. (If you're a friend of mine from Messiah I miss you terribly.)  It's so weird not being there with all of those wonderful people but you know what they say, "absence makes the heart grow fonder".

First Day of Class

So today I had my first full day of class and I survived! After having a horrid night sleep and getting up at 6:45 I made it.

My classes seem good (I have not had all of them yet but these so far are fine) and I think that I will learn a lot in each of them.

My first class is Media Advertising which is something completely new for me! I have never had a class about advertising so I am prepared to fill my brain with new knowledge. My professor gave us a speech about making sure that we get IRAs so that we aren't broke when we retire.

Then I had Magazine Editing which I can already tell is going to be really awesome. My professor has a ton of experience in magazine writing and editing and is really passionate about the industry. I love magazines so it is exciting to be in a room with other people who also share that zeal.

For my final class of the day I had was Photographic Lighting and we literally sat and looked at picture all period. It was actually really boring. This should also be interesting so I am excited for this one as well.

I haven't failed yet! There is still a chance that I will succeed at this new place.

Here

So I have successfully moved into Philadelphia and have yet to cause any trouble or get myself in some ridiculous situation. So I would say that things are going alright.

But the semester is still in its infant stage! There is a lot to come.

In the past few days we have gotten tours of the Messiah house that I'm living in and also a very (very) brief one of Temple University. We have mainly be traveling around the city eating food, drinking coffee and stuff.

On Friday I got to go to a really good Indian restaurant on 38th St. but I cannot remember it's name! Everything was pretty spicy so if you're not into that kind of thing I would not recommend it for you.

Yesterday we served at some church on Allegheny, I got to use my broken Spanish asking women if they needed bags to put the clothes that they were buying in. "Necessitas una bolsa?" My Spanish teachers would be proud.

Today we all went to church together at a place a few blocks east called Epiphany Fellowship which was pretty good. I was freezing cold because I didn't bring a cardigan so I stayed awake for 85% of it. I wouldn't mind going back to the church, it seems like they have a lot going on and really want to reach out to the college kids in the city.  

I have been enjoying living in the city, I have always known that I would feel comfortable living in an urban area opposed to one in the country.  Using SEPTA (that's the train) has been great, I would rather take a train over a car or plane any day!

Classes for me start on Tuesday which I am ready to begin. I have Media Advertising, Magazine Editing, a photo class focused on lighting and Design for Journalists. I am hoping to learn a lot, especially in my photography class.  Improving my photography skills is really what I want to focus on this semester.

Also I think that I am going to invest in a Union Jack (British) flag to hang in my room here.  Keep my hopes high for my journey across the pond!

Packing

Today I have officially begun to pack 75% of what I own into boxes and American Tourist suitcases. The only part I enjoy about this whole process is getting to use my small collection of vintage luggage cases.

I never know what to bring to school especially in a new place so my plan is to just bring everything.

Friday I will be departing from my hometown and venturing off for a few months of insanity. I can only hope for the best though. I plan on sending hundreds of letters so if you would like to write me let me know!

I sound like I'm going to prison. I hope that Philadelphia is not the equivalent of being incarcerated.

As of now there is no update as to whether I got into my England study abroad program so I am still impatiently awaiting my acceptance/rejection letter. Hopefully they will let me know soon so I can have something to look forward to.

Fun fact: you can become a citizen after living in the UK for five years.

Please send positive vibes and prayers my way as I transition to the big city life! I will be posting this weekend to let you all know that I have not died.

Goals

I am a goal setter, I always have lists and lists of goals that I set for semesters, holiday breaks and other stuff.  So of course I have to make a list of goals for this coming term.

It won't be long since I have other goals that must be achieved and I also have to probably do school work.

The list consists of:

-Visiting the Philadelphia Museum of Art (I love this place!)
-Going to see an art film at a real art cinema
-See a live show (I've never been to a concert in Philly, so it should be crazy)
-Make one good friend from the area
-Lick the Liberty Bell (not really!)

That's really all that I can come up with at this point. But I will have about 4 months to tackle this list and I am certain that they will all be accomplished.

Comment below if you have any suggestions as to what I should but on my list!

Mental Preperation

Hello all!

My name is Megan, hopefully you actually know me (but that's alright if you don't, I like making friends) and are just as excited as I am for this coming transition in my life.

I am moving to Philadelphia! This small town girl is about to meet big city life.

Though I have never lived in a city, I do love them. I've never been much for the country lifestyle that so many people around me seem to enjoy.

Excited yet incredibly nervous, this is going to be an enormous growing period for me and I am thrilled to have an opportunity like this.

More or less, this blog is for my family and friends from home and school to follow what's going on while I'm away. Though my hometown is only 3 hours from Philly, this will essential when I go to the UK.

Yes, part two of this blog, once the fall semester ends I will hopefully be journeying across the pond to England.  As of two days ago I finished my application and should be hearing from the program within the next few months.

Excitement, fear and growth will certainly be occurring during this year of university.

I most likely will not begin actually posting until late August when I move, just FYI. Once I get over there I will do my best to post frequently and with photographs!

Subscribe to the blog and you will get email updates as to when I post!

Adios para ahora,

Megan