About to be a Noob

Dude. The end of school is in like... 28 days. Holy balls.

I've been doing a lot of thinking lately because I have recently experienced things that will make me a better person and help me decide what I really want to do when I grow up.

So... to update you all on my recent life, I haven been quite busy the past few weeks. The highlights of them are as follows:

The most monumentous experience took place in Malawi, Africa. I was only there for 10 days, but I can truly say it was life changing.

We snuggled with babies in a crisis nursery built for abandoned and helpless babies, we organized two mobile clinics where we went out into the bush and served about 700 people, and soaking it all in. Life there is so different. It's really even hard to explain. One of the things that stuck out to us most (and that I loved) was the concept of "Africa time". Two hours means five, be there at 8 means be there at 845. Everyone just lives.

The other part about the trip that was so amazing was all the people I got to share the experience with and met. The nurses, doctors, and the other student that went with me were so much a part of the experience and will certainly live in my memory forever. Cheesy as hell, but think what you will. It. was. AWESOME. I can't say enough about it. Everyone should do a trip like this at some point in their life, because it teaches you so many things; not only about yourself, but it gives you a clearer picture of what the world is, and puts you in such an appreciative and global mindset. The world gets a little smaller every time I go on a trip, and that, my friends, is a wonderful feeling.



Moving on to less exciting things: the job hunt. MAN does it suck. I've put out 34 applications, I think. I lost count. And I'm pretty sure I'm starting to look like the guy with the sign. As of late, I've been deciding to just go with it. Just see where life takes me. I'm doing everything I can right now to be successful, and that's really all I can ask of myself. Sure, I have days where all I do is watch Intervention on Netflix, but you can't be hypervigilant all the time or you'll just go bonkers.

I'm still dead set on moving to New York City. It's where I want to be right now, and there are so many people up there and over here who are supporting me, and for that I will be eternally grateful. One of my besties is getting married this summer, and I'll take my licensing exam and go from there. Life is pretty exciting right now. I'll close with some more pictures from the trip.













"In our country we’ve got something called Ubuntu. When I want to praise you, I say this person has Ubuntu. Because in our culture there is no such thing as a solitary individual, we say a person is a person through other persons; that we belong in the bundle of life. And I want you to be all you can be; because that’s the only way I can be all I can be. I need you! I need you to be you so that I can be me. The only way we can be human is together! The only way we can be free is together! The only way we can ever be secure is together! The only way we can ever be free... is together."

-Desmond Tutu

i love

spending time with the fam. they are pretty rad, i must say. we always go over to my grandparents on sundays to make pancakes and talk about the world's problems and how we should fix them. we always play games like scrabble and build ridiculous pyramids with blocks that are five hundred years old. we always laugh about things, give each other advice, tell stories. i am so lucky. it really makes me sad when people don't have the kind of relationship with their families like i have. i can't wrap my mind around hating your grandparents. it's an impossible concept for me. i can't understand how people hate their siblings and avoid them at all costs. again: foreign concept.

i think people underestimate the value of family. yeah, you can survive without them, but how happy can you be when you have no one to turn to? when the whole world is at odds with you and you don't have the safety net of unconditional love and support that a family can give. for some, that doesn't exist, and that makes me want to cry. no one deserves to be shunned and expelled from their family. family is the one who always forgives, who nurtures you, who lets you crash at their house because you've had a bad day, or your pantry is empty [as mine quite often is. come on people! i'm in college!]. i can't express the gratitude i have for my family and how important they all are to me. it will be so hard when they all start leaving this earth. i can't imagine what it will be like. i don't want to imagine what it will be like. i'll just have to take it as it comes, just like a billion other things in life. i'm just so happy when i'm with my fam. i don't have to put on any fronts, they laugh at my jokes even if they aren't funny, they tell me when i'm being a bitch and need to cool it. they are real with me, and that's hard to find in friends.

i. love. family. the end.