Changes: 2013

I find it real ironic how inclined I am to blog when I’m in the thick of my semester. It’s easy to pull myself from something I don’t want to do (reading, homework, research) to something I can do with my eyes closed. But the moment I get some free time and have nothing to do, blogging is but a mere fantasy. Nevertheless, I’m here!

I’ve been on a kinda break, meaning I’m officially done with my second semester of graduate school! Man, that sucka almost beat me. It was the toughest yet. We had a writing intensive class, Sociolinguistics, in which we had to produce two 20 page papers (double-spaced) and I’m pretty sure I’ve done as much writing in one semester than my whole Bachelor’s degree in English language and literature. According to the class that just graduated, it’s the hardest semester of the program. Glad that’s over.

Lots of changes are happening this spring and summer and I’d thought I’d share.

I’m a Second Year Graduate Student Now! Come this Fall, a new batch of newbies will be coming in. Ahhhh! Where did the time go?!

I’m a Bridesmaid on Wednesday! 

Remember when I was so excited about the news that I would be a bridesmaid? Well, to be honest I’ve had very limited participation due to 1) graduate school and 2) distance. My best friend lives in Las Vegas and would literally just send e-mails asking for opinions and ideas. I’m not blaming her, but this e-age kills the beauty in certain things. Maybe planning a wedding is just stressful and not supposed to be fun, but it’s definitely made me think twice about the way I want to do things when it’s my turn. Either way, this next week it’s going to be all about Rosie and I’m going to try my best to do what she asks so that her wedding is as memorable as it should be. Maybe the fact that I’m physically there and am extra set of hands for her will be good, but for now I don’t feel very accomplished as a bridesmaid.

My Roommate is Moving Out. I have one more year of graduate school and was actually looking to move walking distance to campus for next semester. Financially, that’s not possible this summer. Therefore, I’m going to sign another yearly lease where I reside now. My roommate has opted not to. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t doing somersaults inside. This roommate situation has been tolerable and not enjoyable. Namely, we don’t communicate very well. It didn’t start out that way. We started out very ambitious. But somewhere along the road, I found myself very annoyed and living with someone I felt was good at talking, but not good at doing. Also, I felt like the mother in the situation– the one who made decisions, and then made sure there was follow through. That’s not what I signed up for. Most of our communication is electronic  at this point (basically, the internet is the devil of this century) and because of it we have not made any progress. This change does not mean I will be living alone. I will be living with another roommate, but am screening more carefully this second go round! #chances

I’m Knee-Deep in a Relationship. I know you’re like, when do you even have time for a relationship? Well, I strongly believe in academics and keeping focused but the key to staying sane is also being social. And that includes having me-time and boo time. Things work because his schedule is very demanding so we have healthy time apart, and then squeeze in some fun times together. It works. We work. I’m happy.

I’m Working For Money. This summer, I’m finding time to get me a paying job (already secured one) before the fall begins again. Not only is the loan money dwindling, but I’m also taking an online class that I had to pay out of pocket. I will be plenty busy this summer, just like this time last year. Hustla, baby.

That’s about all for now folks,

She

Any new changes happening this season for you? Any advice on how to choose a stranger to live with? What are some potential roommate red flags? 

Music that’s Rockin’ My World

Admittedly, I usually discover new music through a link online, a blog I follow, or a friend’s car. I am not big on purchasing music online or following release dates, but I still enjoy discovering a  song that takes me to a different time and place.

Here are the top 5 songs on heavy rotation right now.

Justin Timberlake- Let The Groove Get In

This song reminds of a late-night backyard fiesta in Cuba. A beautiful blend of percussion, horns, and catchy phrases- There, there, right there! I truly love how Justin’s songs evolve from one song to the next with changing beats…it’s very refreshing.

Justin Timberlake- Pusher Lover Girl

junk, junk, junk, junk, junkie for your love

Lianne La Havas- Elusive

Robin Thicke- Blurred Lines

A fun song.

Bruno Mars- Show Me.

Reggae tune.

BONUS TRACK: Stained by Tori Kelly.

Any new tunes you’ve discovered recently? How do you come across new music?

-She

Mamma Mia: A Mother’s Day Post

Teenaged She and Mami

Now-a-days, it’s hard living in a different state than my mother does. Mostly around the holidays. It’s hard to believe we have not lived in the same state for almost 10 years.

To be honest, distance has done my mother and I well. I had a very strict upbringing, especially around my pre-teen and teenage years. My mother and I could not get along. We could not communicate, and I believed at that age that my mother’s sole purpose was to make my life miserable. Eventually I learned it was pretty typical for mothers and daughters to be at war during puberty. And when she got married and moved to her husband’s state when I was 18, I felt a type of freedom I had wanted to experience but couldn’t while she was still around.

Betty, as I was allowed to call her before the age of 7 and before we moved to the United States where other people thought it inappropriate, was the strict disciplinarian, teacher, enforcer, provider and nurturer most of my life. When it came to school work, she was a perfectionist. No excessive eraser marks, no sloppiness, no bent pages. She was a very involved parent through most of my formal schooling, only stepping back when I got to High School and was supposed to exhibit independence. To her, academics were #1.

At this age, although I may not have understood her parenting techniques, I cannot deny the fact that considering what she had, she did damn good. She herself had a distant relationship with her mother, got pregnant at 16, moved to the United States at age 23 to live with said mother, worked demeaning and off-the-books jobs just to made sure I had what I needed.

To this day, I am still learning my mother. That’s the beauty of building a relationship with her as an adult. We visit each other as often as we can, and we make the best of every moment. I joke around and say I can only take her in doses. This is partly true.

Distance does makes us closer. This year I’m going to be 28 years old. I’m not yet a mother. But I pray, when I do become one, I possess just half my mother’s strength and endurance.

Happy Mother’s day to all the wonderful moms who make the job look so easy!

Best,

She

5 Things I Learned from #PassportDC

Passport DC is a FREE cultural event celebrating May which is International Cultural Awareness Month. The District of Columbia is home to more embassies than any other city in the world, and Passport DC honors the diversity of cultural influences in the District by providing tourists and residents alike to learn more about the international community. Along with the “Around the World Embassy Tour” there are Street Fairs, film screenings to round out the affair.

I participated this past Saturday on the Around the World Tour and traveled to: Haiti, Japan, Belize and Brazil. I visited a mosque as well.

Here’s what I learned from the embassy visits.

5.  Japan manufactures everything. Land (Toyota), air, or sea they got it all covered!

The MRJ, coming to an airport near you!

Security was tight outside of the Embassy

And if that wasn’t enough, they also make these:

4. Venezuela’s official name is The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This does not mean that it is ‘owned’ by Bolivia, which I originally assumed. Upon further research, the name was imposed by Hugo Chavez as part of his revolutionary project to change Venezuela’s constitution. Bolivarian refers to the figure and national hero Simon Bolivar, which Bolivia was also named after.

3. Bolivia’s official name is the Plurinational state of Bolivia. According to Wikipedia, this name acknowledges the multi-ethnic makeup of the country, and the “enhanced position of Bolivia’s indigenous people under the new constitution.”

2.  I may or many not be able to pass for an Arab woman.

1. Quinoa is a grain-like crop (plant) that is cultivated for its seeds. The crop is mostly grown in Andean regions. 2013 is the International Year of Quinoa, and on the tour Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela featured some aspect of the crop at their embassies. At the Venezuelan Embassy, I tried some Quinoa juice and bread pudding. The juice was very different, not sweet nor sour, but the pudding was alright!

Quinoa

All in all, the trip around the world was a good time.

I don’t see what other reasons I may have to visit an Embassy (unless I get excited to some uber exclusive party) so this was a nice way to be introduced to places I hope to see in real life soon!