Give a year. Change the world.

On Friday, I was accepted into City Year New York for the 2012-2013 school year! On Monday, I was offered a position as a counselor at P.S. 24 Brooklyn's after-school program run by The Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility. I'll be ringing in the new year performing in Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. And six hours later, I'll be on my way to Honduras to lead two service trips, be reunited with mi familia hondureña, and meet the kids in SHH's recently inaugurated children's home. If I were you, I would be pretty jealous of my life right now.

I think I might have seen a commercial for City Year once on ESPN, but other than that, I had a very vague idea of what City Year was. I was doing research at the A&P office one day, looking for local blogs for one of our clients, and I came across the City Year New York blog. Later that day, I went home and went home and did some of my own research.

For those of you who don't know what City Year is, it's an AmeriCorps program that sends teams of young people, ages 17-24, into low-income community schools, providing the students in those schools with one-on-one or small group attention during and after school hours. City Year corps members serve as tutors, mentors, and role models for these kids who don't have many people to look up to. Our goal is to close the achievement gap, and let our students know that they have a fighting chance to be great and do great. People call it the "domestic Peace Corps."

The best thing that City Year has to offer is the opportunity to inspire and motivate. Over the years, I can think of three teachers who inspired motivated, and shaped me into the person I am today: Miss Quinn, Mr. Howard, and Dr. Kilbourne. 

My sixth-grade teacher, Miss Quinn, nurtured my talents and was my biggest cheerleader. That year, I really felt that the sky was the limit for me, and if it weren't for her reassuring me along the way that I was a great writer, singer, and person, I wouldn't have developed the confidence to pursue the things I love at such a young age, that I've continued to build upon over the years. She wasn't just a teacher, but she was my best friend. I remember meeting her in second grade when my class and her sixth graders were putting on a farewell performance for my second grade teacher, Ms. Sears, and I vividly remember second-grade me thinking, "I am having Miss Quinn as my sixth grade teacher!" 

My junior-year AP Literature teacher, Mr. Howard, taught me to become a better critical thinker, reminded me that I was smart, and cared enough to get to know me as a person. In high school, I didn't really apply myself to things I didn't want to do and seriously lacked motivation. But he saw my potential, knew I could do better, and made me want to be the best. After school or during lunch, I would hang out in his classroom, and we talked about my family, my crazy, Korean mother who "just didn't understand me," boys, friends... pretty much everything most people talk to their moms about, I discussed with Mr Howard. For a man who is the epitome of a sarcastic cynic, he's one of the most compassionate people I have ever met.

My sophomore-year macromarketing teacher, Dr. Kilbourne, inspired me to go to Honduras on a service trip that changed my life forever.

In my opinion, many colleges like Clemson, that are located in the middle of nowhere, are microcosms that breed selfishness, superficiality, and materialism. College for us is, first, a place to party, and second, a place to get an education. Don't get me wrong - I had the time of my life, learned a lot along the way, both from teachers and friends, and made lifelong friendships. But I fell into the trap of wanting to fit in when I had always been proud of being true to who I am. I wanted a David Yurman this, a Tory Burch that, and I have never invested so much of my parents'  money on fashion in my life, regrettably so. 

I took Dr. Kilbourne's macromarketing class because it was a prerequisite, and I had to either take that or Marketing Research. I chose Macromarketing, and on the first day of class, I remember seeing this tall, lanky, long-and-white-haired older gentleman standing in front of the classroom. He wore wiry glasses, a white long-sleeved t-shirt tucked into his light-wash 90s-reminiscent denim jeans, and plain tennis shoes. The books we had to read were about social this and environmental that, and all I thought was, "He is going to bore me to death this semester." It ended up being my favorite class, and he, one of my most inspiring teachers.

Dr. Kilbourne gave me a heavy dose of perspective when I needed it most. He taught me that the amount of stuff I was buying was not only unnecessary, but damaging the world I live in. He taught me that the way we're living our lives so individualistically, completely blind to the rest of the world, needs to change before we do irreparable damage. He taught me that buying nice things will make you temporarily happy, but doing good things will create happiness that will last forever. He taught me that things have started to define people, instead of people's thoughts and actions defining themselves. He planted a fire in me to do better, spend less, and most importantly, to think more. It was because of his class that I started becoming myself again, the person that I had abandoned in order to "fit in." His class was what fueled me to taking that leap of faith and volunteer in Honduras.

The common thread between Miss Quinn, Mr. Howard, and Dr. Kilbourne is this: they believed in me when I didn't. They found me when I had lost myself. To me, these teachers are heroes because they teach to make a difference. They teach to inspire, motivate, and change. They reminded me of my great potential. They reminded me of who I was and the great things I was capable of achieving. They taught me to think differently, act differently, and be the best me I can be. Because of them, and all the other teachers who have inspired me throughout the years, I joined City Year. And I can only hope that my future students will remember me, years down the road, the way I remember Miss Quinn, Mr. Howard, and Dr. Kilbourne.

Give a year. Change the world.

What you're supposed to do is what you love to do.

So much for updating my blog regularly.

I always do this: commit to blogging, keep up with it for a little while, and eventually get too busy, preoccupied, lazy, uninspired. This time, I'm not making any binding or non-binding commitments in the hopes that I will blog regularly on my own accord.

So since my last blogpost of naive euphoria, a lot has happened! A person can really grow up and change a lot in eight months.

The most drastic change I've made so far is quitting my job at Allison & Partners two weeks ago. If you've talked to me since March 2010, you know that my life's path and perspective changed drastically after volunteering in El Progreso, Honduras. Poverty is a personal struggle for me, not because I've lived through it, but because my Honduran family continues to live through it. To go from working in the nonprofit industry solely focused on social change, to the corporate world more focused on personal gain, was a drastic change I naively did not anticipate.

During my internship at Allison & Partners, I learned a lot about myself, life, and my passions. Among many other things, I discovered:

1. I need to be active. I need to interact with people, be on my feet, play with children, dance, sing, build, perform... furiously moving only my fingers as I sit on my ass for nine hours does not count as physical exertion and it definitely does not motivate me to wake up every morning.

2. I am a hard worker. As an intern, I wore many hats: administrative assistant, printer expert, book binder, product stocker, receipt scanner/taper, minutes recorder, notetaker, secretary, brainstormer, magazine delivery girl, mail delivery girl, account coordinator... the list goes on. To be completely frank, I did not want to do 98% of the menial tasks I was responsible for every day, but I did them with a smile on my face and made the tastiest damn lemonade out of the lemons I was given. I know it might be hard to believe, but I actually enjoyed news monitoring because I learned about industries that I never thought I gave two shits about or could ever understand, like technology. If I had never been the sole news monitor for the Dropbox team, I would never have discovered that Steve Jobs is one of my heroes.

3. I love performing. After sitting at my desk for nine hours, I was mentally and physically drained. But there would have to be a tornado between me and my three-hour choir practice or hour-long dance class in order for me to go home directly after work. Pushing myself creatively, musically, and physically was imperative to my happiness, and it's what forced me out of my bed every morning.

In short, Allison & Partners taught me to pursue my dreams, work hard, and always think positively, and I will always be grateful for the experience.

I had thought about quitting for several months before I actually did it, and knew that the corporate world was not meant for me (nor was I meant for it). But I became quite complacent with receiving a steady paycheck, not worrying about money, and living comfortably, so I stayed. Everyone told me not to quit without another job, and I followed that advice until I came to a point where my happiness could no longer be compromised. I had to do what I felt was right, which was to chase my passion for people, music, and creativity, and I had to be prepared to face the consequences of a less predictable life. Although being unemployed and searching for a job in such a terrible economy has not been a walk in the park, I refuse to compromise or settle.

After reading articles and blogs, watching videos and documentaries, and doing some serious soul-searching, I've realized that I was put on this earth to do great things, and I might as well be dead if I'm going to waste my days living comfortably. I've always been a dreamer, and I don't know why I briefly fell into conformity... probably because it's easy, risk-free, and what the majority of the world does. Doing what you love may be a riskier way of living, but no one in the history of the world became great by living a comfortable, risk-free life. Steve Jobs quit college after four months, slept on the floors of his friends' dorm rooms, built Apple out of a garage, and in the end, created software and products that revolutionized technology. He dreamed big, risked big, and in the end, it paid off.

Jaded people say that it's stupid to continue chasing your dreams beyond childhood. They say, "It's time to grow up, get real, and get a real job." Yet most of these people are stuck in these so-called "real" jobs for which they feel hatred, dislike, or worst of all, indifference. I don't understand why people would want to wake up and live mediocre lives fueled by hatred, dislike, or indifference if they had the option, ability, intelligence, and opportunity to do otherwise. If you don't have serious financial binds or family members to care for, what is stopping you from chasing your dreams other than yourself? I realized that the only person standing in my way of chasing my dreams was me. It wasn't my mom, my dad, or all the people who advised me to follow the status quo. I had let other people's thoughts affect and warp my own. So from personal experience, I plead: don't let it happen to you.

If your passion is music, dance, technology, writing... hell, if you get really jazzed about picking up trash because there's so much of it all over our damn city, then do it. Do the things that truly make you feel alive. Live your life so you don't look back on it and regret, asking yourself, "What if?" I know that my life is too important to squander, not helping, not singing, not dancing, not performing, and not innovating.

That's why I joined the Brooklyn Community Chorus. I'll be singing the solo for "Joyful, Joyful" (the Sister Act 2 version) next Friday in the Jingle Bell Jamboree, a holiday concert held in Brooklyn where locals and families gather to watch musical performances. I'm also performing on New Year's Eve and ringing in the new year with Brooklynites who were too lazy to venture into Manhattan and watch Beyonce or Rihanna perform. Making a choice to do the thing I've always loved to do led to other opportunities, and these small successes will continue to drive me to sing. They will serve as reminders to never give up on my dreams.

Leaving my job of comfort, security, and stability has taught me to trust my intuition, do what I love, and never settle... actually, Steve Jobs taught me that posthumously through his Stanford University commencement speech in 2005, but quitting made me understand his words so much more clearly. If you haven't watched it yet, you need to watch it on YouTube now.

If you're confused, in a rut, at a crossroads, or whatever other terms we have for "don't know what the hell I'm supposed to do with my life," first, figure out what you love to do. Do you love to cook, build, sew, paint, fix, farm, organize? What you're supposed to do is what you love to do. And if anyone tries to stray you away from what you love to do, turn that opposition and negativity into fuel towards chasing your dreams even harder.

Hello, Good Morning - Diddy Dirty Money, featuring T.I.

Today was my first day as Allison & Partner's new PR intern at the New York office. I didn't sleep very well last night in anticipation of the big day, and woke up at 6 AM; I work at 9 AM. I didn't get lost en route to the office, which is a clear sign that my sense of direction has improved immensely. I am so proud.

I got a tour of the office, was briefly introduced to everyone, and started my day off with A&P's weekly Monday meetings. All the "A&Pers" go around and give a quick synopsis of their plans for the week, clients they will be working with, and tasks they will be responsible for. The meeting was a "no-nonsense, get the information out, and let's get started five minutes ago" kind of meeting. Everything sounded as foreign as Swahili, but it was exciting to know that I'll be speaking their language soon enough.

I started working on accounts immediately, got familiarized with the media list-building software that A&P uses, and read lots and lots of articles. To be completely honest, I was really overwhelmed for a split second, and thought to myself, "Can I actually do this?" But before I could even answer the question, I was so immersed in my various tasks and excited to have so much responsibility that, by the time I glanced down at my watch, it was already 2 PM and I had forgotten to eat lunch! And trust me: I never forget to eat.

Around 3 o'clock, all of the exhaustion I should have felt from the Angela-filled, sleep deprived weekend wholly unloaded onto my eyelids. I tried to give myself a coffee-induced second wind, but unfortunately, it has resulted in subtle body convulsions, and I don't know how I'll fall asleep tonight. Lesson learned: the ratio of coffee grinds to water is not one (bag) to one (cup). I know that sounds so obvious, but when you're functioning at 30%, you do stupid things.

I have always been a firm believer of that contrived mantra: "Everything happens for a reason." Back in October, I picked up a seasonal position at Madewell in October on a complete whim, after I dragged Jay and Sean into the women's clothing store to buy a pair of earrings. McClain happened to walk into Madewell in November while I was working, we caught up, and she briefly told me about her job at this PR firm. A few weeks later, I emailed her, expressing interest in working in the PR industry. I went to Honduras for a month, and four days after returning, I hopped on the Megabus and interviewed at Allison & Partners. My friend Kelly, who I met on my first trip to Honduras, let me stay with her at her Brooklyn apartment overnight while I was in New York for my interview. Kelly, then, gets a job in Honduras, working for Students Helping Honduras. I, then, decide to move into her apartment and room, without a job and less than a handful of friends in the city. And today was my first day as a full-time PR intern at Allison & Partner's New York office. As hackneyed as that saying may be, it consistently proves to reign true.

My brain is slowly melting. It's time for bed. Another update soon to come, hopefully by the end of the week!

I love loving work. I love McClain Bell. I love Kelly Ryan. I love New York.

c.k.

Sidebar: "Hello, Good Morning" is significant because I played it this morning to amp myself up for my first day of big-girl work. Also, no pictures because I don't have the mental strength to google-image photos to go along with text. Sorry I'm not sorry.

Celebration - Cool & The Gang

It is seriously time to celebrate good times because...


I GOT A FULL-TIME PAID INTERNSHIP AT ALLISON & PARTNERS!!! Allison & Partners is a PR firm that has offices all over the country, and a variety of clients, from Johnny Rockets to L'Oreal. My friend McClain works in the DC office, and she recommended me to the New York office. I have been persistently following up with them since my interview in January, and it's finally paid off! They finally have space in the office to bring on an intern, and that intern is ME! I can't even contain my excitement!!! I'm well on my way to having a big-girl job!

Another reason to celebrate: today was my day off. It didn't really feel like I had last weekend off because my friends visited from DC, which was also one, long celebration. It was just nice to have some peace and time to myself, as well as some time to run errands.

I just realized I haven't mentioned it in my blog yet, but for Lent, I decided to give up meat. That being said, this morning, I made a "frat sandwich" - Carlton's fraterminology - for breakfast, with a veggie sausage patty and it was honestly so delicious. Don't hate on the fake meat until you try it. It's got all of the flavor, and none of the guilt. Morning Star should totally pay me and use that as their tagline.

I didn't give up meat because I indulge in it. I actually don't eat it all that often. However, sometimes I subconsciously eat it, and if it's the only good option, I'll eat it. I haven't eaten meat for the past three weeks, and lately, I have become so cognizant of what I'm putting into my body. Without it in my system, I don't get indigested, which has always been a huge obstacle for me. I also feel more energetic and I feel better, overall: mentally, morally, and physically.

I've been thinking about going vegetarian since last March, when I went to Honduras and saw chickens happily running around the hotel in the morning, and a grilled chicken thigh on my dinner plate that evening. It just seemed wrong that I was playing with the little chicks, and then eating their mother's leg for dinner. So when I got back from Honduras, I reduced my meat intake in honor of those hotel chickens.

For Lent, I took it a step further and cut myself off, cold turkey, pun intended. I thought this would be a good way to try out vegetarianism, and see if it's something I can or want to do. So far, it hasn't been very difficult. I did crave wings the other day - which I don't even like - when Carlton and Jay got them last Saturday, but other than that, I haven't missed meat in my diet. I'm so glad I decided to give up meat for lent because it forces me to cook, which I rarely do! Plus, eating out all the time in New York breaks the wallet. I make sandwiches, salads, omelettes, pasta... just call me Chef Chi.

I work at Madewell tomorrow through Monday. Oh, happy day. Sarcasm aside, my A&P internship starts in two weeks, and I'm thrilled about it, which is so refreshing and relieving. It'll be nice having some consistency in my life, for a change.

This weekend, I insist that you get yourself a drink (or four) and celebrate my employment at Allison & Partners! Tootles!

c.k.

NOTE: I wrote this at 2 AM, and I fell asleep before posting.

A Beautiful Day - India. Arie

Life is a journey

Not a destination

There are no mistakes

Just chances we've taken

Lay down your regrets

Cause all we have is now

Wake up in the morning

And get out of bed

Start making a mental

List in my head

Of all of the things

That I am grateful for

Early in the morning

It's the dawn of a new day

New hopes, new dreams, new ways

I open up my eyes and

I open up my mind and

I wonder how life will surprise me today

Early in the morning

It's the dawn of a new day

New hopes, new dreams, new ways

I open up my heart and

I'm gonna do my part and

Make this a positively beautiful day

Na na na na

Na na na na na

It's a beautiful day...

India Arie is so damn inspirational. These are some of her other musical gems:

• Heart of the Matter 
• Wings of Forgiveness
• Long Goodbye
• Video
• Yellow
• Therapy
• Summer

Her songs always put me in such a great mood, but just as importantly, I love that she sings about matters that actually matter. Don't get me wrong: I am a sucker for solid beats accompanied by brainless lyrics. But my favorite artists sing about real things. Her lyrics actually mean something, and it's so damn refreshing. She's so underrated, so go buy, Youtube... or illegally download some of her songs. She will move you.

New York has been a total whirlwind. It's only been two weeks, and it feels like I've been here for a month. During my first week in Brooklyn, I either hung out in my room, living room, or a local coffee shop, fittingly named Sit & Wonder. My daily regiment was: sit in front of my computer writing a million cover letters, search for jobs, and exercise. I got lost a countless number times. I felt so paranoid, while walking home, that I was going to be mistaken for a child and get kidnapped. I felt so small in this big, bustling city. I was trying to get acclimated with Prospect Heights, learn the subway routes, and find the best grocery store.

During my first week in the city, I applied, interviewed, and accepted a job at Madewell in SoHo, working part-time while searching for a big-girl job. I started working two Sundays ago and worked almost forty hours in five days. Going from my first week, where I worked zero hours (although applying for jobs is a job in itself), to working almost forty hours, was like going from zero to sixty in 3.5 (If you caught the Rihanna reference, there's a reason we're friends). There were days where CLIF bars were my only form of sustenance, and nights I spent folding cardigans and spacing hangers. Let me tell you: Madewell SoHo ain't no joke. It gets chaotic on a Monday. But I really like the people that I work with, and I get a serious rush from being inexorably busy. So, Week 2: I met a ton of people, worked too many hours, and started feeling like a real New Yorker.

My friends drove four hours from DC to visit me in Brooklyn last weekend, and we had so much fun exploring Brooklyn and catching up. But when they left on Sunday, I started feeling homesick for the first time since I've moved here. After they left, I called my mom to tell her about my weekend, and that made it worse. I am so happy I took such a bold leap of faith by moving to Brooklyn by myself, but I still miss the comfort, security, and loving company of home, without question. It's exciting to meet new people, explore new places, and create a new "home," but there will never be anything like Great Falls, Virginia. And it doesn't help that I am having serious separation anxiety from being apart from Sadie for this long, and everyone and his mom has a dog in Brooklyn to remind me that my psychotic, energetic priss of a dog isn't here.

Good news! I just got an internship working at a showroom for a clothing company called Sienna Rose. I'm starting next week, working twice a week, and I'll be doing marketing, researching competitors, and promoting the line to buyers from department stores, like Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, and Macy's. It's unpaid, but I'm really excited to get some exposure and experience in the fashion industry. I'm continuing to apply places and interview with people, so hopefully I'll find something more permanent soon. But for now, my Madewell paychecks will suffice, and my internship is just the beginning of my career in fashion.

Let's end this blog-novel with an amusing story.

So at Crunch Fitness, they offer an African dance class, and I went two Tuesdays ago. I had high hopes but zero expectations, and I honestly have never had so much fun working out in my life. There were three guys sitting at the end of the dance studio, wailing on their djembes, and we would dance across the floor, flail our arms, legs, and head to the beat of the drums, and it was totally liberating. Now, with all that said, I think I had a little too much fun. Holding my head up for the next five days was utterly painful because I flailed my neck so unabatedly during the class and crucially strained it. I always fully commit, especially when it comes to dancing, and I just pushed myself a little too hard. Basically, I'm an idiot, and looked like one for five days straight. I haven't been able to go back since my exhilarating (yet excruciating) dance experience because I worked late last Tuesday, and I'm working late tomorrow. However, I am impatiently anticipating next Tuesday!! Seriously, it was so much fun. Even if you don't dance, you should try it. There is something so cathartic about moving your body to the beat of a drum.

Now go listen to some India.Arie, take an African dance class, and be bold. I am keeping up with my new year's resolution to live unabatedly. I think it's time for you to hop on this one-woman bandwagon.

c.k.

Empire State of Mind - Alicia Keys, featuring Jay-Z

I'm officially living in New York!

So why the sudden move? Well, let me tell you! Last March, I met a girl, named Kelly Ryan, on my very first service trip to Honduras with Students Helping Honduras. We became really good friends, and I visited her at her Brooklyn apartment all the time. Fast-forward exactly one year: she gets a job in Honduras working for SHH, she has a room in a four-bedroom Brooklyn apartment that needs to be filled, and I've been wanting to move to New York since... forever ago. She left most of her furniture, so all I had to do was bring clothes. Sans job, I took a leap of faith and moved into her apartment. It's probably one of the boldest moves I've ever made in my life, but I'm the biggest proponent of living outside of your comfort zone, and I could not be happier about my decision. Of course I'm nervous, overwhelmed, and a little too paranoid that I'm going to get kidnapped, but I'm also looking forward to this new chapter of my life, living in this huge city, learning to live on my own.

I moved half of my stuff in last Wednesday, went home for the weekend, and came back with more stuff on Sunday and officially got settled. HUGE thanks to Becky, Erin, and Zack for driving me all the way to Brooklyn and helping me move in. You guys are definitely city girls (and boy) in my book!

Yesterday was my first official day living in the city, so I ran a few errands. I signed up at the Crunch Fitness in Fort Greene, and worked out next to Adrian Grenier from Entourage. Totally normal. On my walk to the gym, I saw a man lying in the middle of the sidewalk with a plastic Iron Man mask on with half his crack revealed and five policemen surrounding him. He seemed pretty harmless, but I guess they wanted to create a barrier around him just in case he awoke from his sidewalk slumber.

I ate lunch at a vegan/vegetarian deli called Healthy Nibbles, took a peek inside a vintage store called 1 of a Find, and applied to the Madewell in Soho. I got so lost on the way home on the subway, and ended up in Sketchville. I asked some reliable-looking ladies for directions, and I got back fine. I did some light grocery shopping, which means I bought the essentials: fifty CLIF bars, hot sauce, soup, and rice. Then I spent the rest of the evening watching The Bachelor, sending my resume out to the world, and chatting with my roommates. It was a pretty solid first day.

Today, and probably the rest of the week, will be more running errands, more working out (and hopefully an Adrian Grenier sighting!), and more applying to jobs. I am looking forward to having more run-ins with celebrities and sloshed superheroes.

c.k.

Bills, Bills, Bills - Destiny's Child Cover by Glee

Bonjour!

So ever since I watched the Glee episode featuring Britney Spears back in September, I have been hooked. I was very apprehensive about watching Glee because the idea of a musical TV show seemed a little cheeseball, but au contraire! I was totally wrong, and it's one of the best shows on TV. I was on my death bed on Saturday after visiting the SHH chapter at JMU, and what saved me? Oh, just the Gleekend Marathon on Oxygen! And what did I watch after I saw the Pack sack the Black and Gold? Oh, just the Glee Super Bowl Special! And that's where "Bills, Bills, Bills" was sung by Darren Criss and The Warblers. Youtube it now. If you never liked Destiny's Child (in which case, you're crazy), and you never liked the song, "Bills, Bills, Bills," (insanity) you will love this version, and you will be forced to watch Glee, every Tuesday at 8 PM Central Time, just so you can hear Darren Criss's beautiful voice. I also recommend watching the Britney Spears episode of Glee. It will change your life.

Ok, enough Glee talk. Like I said, over the weekend, I went to JMU to visit the group of volunteers I led in Honduras this winter. Seeing them brought back so many memories of Honduras, like Danny's starfish sleeping position, Melissa's inability to filter any of her opinions, Diana's bodily functions, and Laura's boyish ways to which I can totally relate. They had a "grilled cheese" fundraiser on Friday, which was hilarious to see in action. Basically, they make and sell grilled cheese sandwiches to inebriated college students in order to raise money to build schools in Honduras! To take it a step further, the JMU chapter decided to have a driver cruise around to all the bus stops with a cooler filled with cheesy goodies to raise even more money for the ninos! The JMU chapter is full of rockstars. I miss you guys already!

I've been a lot more disciplined about exercising these days, and I have to say that I am genuinely happier and more excited about life when I'm active. Whether it's running, dancing at Zumba, or kickboxing, I'm always happier after a really intense workout. My friends make fun of me because I love being drenched in sweat, but there's something so empowering about pushing yourself beyond your body's limits. I catch my second wind when I push myself through those moments when I don't think I can physically keep going. I usually go through phases of rigid exercising, but I think I'll be able to keep it up this time because I'm obsessed with Zumba and I'm exercising solely to benefit myself. If you're not usually inclined to exercising, I highly recommend Zumba. It will change your life... just like Glee! And we have come full circle.

I think I'm moving to New York.

c.k.

Corrine Bailey Rae - Put Your Records On

Shalom, homies. It's been a while.

So I have wanted to get back to blogging, and the beginning of the new year would've been the perfect time to start! Too bad life isn't perfect, and I was busy leading service trips in Honduras, so it was difficult to do anything else. But now that I literally don't do anything except look for jobs, and occasionally work at Madewell, I figured I should do something productive. Hopefully, my life will start getting more interesting.

I've decided that every blog entry is going to have a title song, which is going to represent my current state of mind. Today, I picked, "Put Your Records On" because it's the best pick-me-up song. Why do I need a pick-me-up? Because the weather is gloomtastic (new word, made it up), my hair is still short and I wish I could feel the exhilarating freedom of letting my hair down (listen to the song, and this will make sense), I miss feeling overwhelmed with tasks (Honduras, te extrano), and I want to live anywhere but here (here, being Suburbia). I've been applying and interviewing for jobs in New York, and I'm patiently waiting to hear back, but one of my flaws is that I'm very impatient. I'm just ready to move to a new city, make new friends and new memories, and have new experiences. I just want to start living my life again. Being in limbo ain't fun.

So I hate new year's resolutions, but I read an Allison & Partners (it's a PR company) blog entry the other day, and the blogger said she creates "new year's themes" instead of resolutions. So I'm stealing the idea because that's much more realistic than making resolutions that I'll never keep.

I would say that 2010 was my year of discovery.

My first trip to Honduras with Students Helping Honduras was in March, after I saw a bright blue flyer outside of my Graphics class, and that trip changed the trajectory of my life. I don't know if my life trajectory was really pointed anywhere; it was spinning in a circle, going nowhere. But going to Honduras, getting my hands dirty, and falling in love with those ninos really gave me a newly realized appreciation for the little things in life. I discovered my love for children, my need to help people, and my passion for traveling. Kelly ate Cheerios covered in hot sauce, Jess ate a napkin, and Grace wore an eye patch. It was one of the best weeks of my life.

I graduated in May, which was so bittersweet. I was ready, but completely not prepared. Less than a week after graduation, I went back to Honduras and stayed for two weeks, met some more amazing people, ate some more uevos and frijoles, and brushed up on my severely broken Spanish. In the fall, I was on the very first SHH Road Team which will forever be the best work experience I have ever received. Living out of a car, driving to universities and showing up to organizations fairs unannounced, convincing students to go to a country they'd never even heard about, living in hostels...  I discovered how far I'm capable of pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

This winter, I went back to Honduras for three weeks. I had the best New Year's Eve of my life with some of my favorite people, drenched in sweat and dancing like a maniac. I met the cutest freaking children in the world - let's be honest; they're all the cutest - at Rio Chiquito and La Nunez, both schools my volunteers and I helped construct while we were in Honduras. My volunteer groups couldn't have been more amazing (JMU, Clemson, W&M, VT, GMU!), the weather couldn't have been better, even when it rained for two days straight, and the musically-fueled bus rides were unforgettable. After leading those trips, I discovered my independence.

2010 was my year of discovery: who I am, who I have become, and what I'm capable of achieving. I discovered a lot of my flaws and faults, but I also discovered my strengths and capabilities. 2010 was monumental.

I want 2011 to be my year of unabated living. Everything I do, I want to do unabatedly. According to Dictionary.com, unabated means, "without any reduction in intensity or strength," and I think that's the perfect way to live life. So I will strive to live every aspect of my life unabatedly, everyday.

What's the theme of your life this year?

c.k.