The World is Your Oyster...

Next week, after the submission of 2 papers and the completion of 2 finals, I will officially be finished with my undergraduate career at Suffolk University.

Ok, now that you've taken a few moments to process the grandiosity of that statement, can I just say WOOOOOO! (insert curtesy here... and possibly fist pump to go with it).

I still have not found a job, but I have some good leads. My advice to anyone out there reading this, is networking is key! I have faith that everything will work out upon my return to Beantown after going home for Christmas. Suffolk has given me an excellent education as well as numerous leadership opportunities for which I will be eternally grateful. I have spent months soul searching and networking and researching possible career options-- now I just have to have faith that whatever will be, will be.

It is very bittersweet leaving... so excited for graduation and yet so sad to be ending a huge chapter in my life. Sigh. My tumult of emotions is actually more than bittersweet-- I'm a hot mess! I have yet to really cry, but I can sense that it is imminent. Right now it feels normal, I am going home for Christmas and then I'll becoming back in January. I haven't really grasped the idea that I won't be coming back to Suffolk in January... weird.

Anyway, I am not sure if I will continue blogging as an alumnae. Probably not, considering that I have been a terrible blogger as a student. But who knows? Maybe with all my free time, I will find the motivation. So, for now, I will say farewell. It has been real.

6 weeks and counting

Can you believe I only have 6 weeks left of being a college student?! That is a crazy statement right there. I'm 8 weeks finished and 6 to go, which sounds like I'm just a little over halfway through but I know that the end is just going to fly. I am not prepared for this!

I have 3 major projects and an honors project all of which I haven't really started yet, or need a lot of work. Not to mention that I need to find a job... and while I'm busy networking, sending my out resume and cover letter, conducting informational interviews, and forming lists of jobs and companies I want to apply to... it still feels like I'm not prepared. Oh man, the real world may not be as glamorous as it seems.

You have to keep in mind that I'm great at complaining about my life and about being overwhelmed, but I absolutely adore everything I do. I love my classes, my job working in Admission and my internship. I'm incredibly sad to think about the possibility (read: the reality) that everything will be coming to an end very soon. It is so bittersweet-- while I desperately want to be finished with homework and studying and a crazy schedule, I'm so sad to think that everything in my life as I know it will be done in 6 weeks. It is going to be so weird not being able to do everyday Suffolk things. I've been a student for the past 16 (going on 17) years... crazy that in only 6 weeks that won't be the case anymore. It is difficult to fathom. I may be tired and cranky from having too much on my plate, and complain about it often, but the truth is I love my life and wouldn't have it any other way.

I hope it is normal for graduating seniors to be as crazy as I am. This package of feelings (fear, excitement, sadness, anxiety, enthusiasm, etc.) is nuts. I'm trying to reassure myself that my craziness is normal. Sigh, 6 weeks...

Way to Go!

College Career Edge has been kind enough to give me lots of guidance and help in my career search. They were just featured in the paper. Way to go Celina, Kathy and Steve!

http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/business/x1172102610/Natick-company-offers-collegians-a-job-market-edge

Check out their website:

http://www.collegecareeredge.com

Its Rainy in Boston...

The past week has been full of raindrops and dreary weather... today included. Although it is certainly harder to wake up when the sun is not shining and when you are in a perpetual state of tiredness, I cannot help but love Boston in the rain. I wrote a similar post last year about the magic of Boston in the rain. Glowing street and car lights, raindrops falling on the pavement, and the mystical fog wrapping around the skyscrapers, are just some of the few descriptors of what creates the magic. I was reminded of my blog post while walking to school this morning... watching people hurrying about and realizing I still remain in awe of the magic. I cannot describe precisely what it is that makes me feel so warm and amazed by Boston in the rain. Maybe its because I love both...

So it may be dreary, I may be tired and wet, and the city may have a calmer overall attitude today... but I love rainy Boston. It is going to be a good day!

Oh geez...

This is embarrassing... I devote blog posts to promising I will keep up with posting more often and then I absolutely fail to do so. June 26th was my last post and it is now October 4th... so much for that promise.

Well enough about that, might as well catch you up on what has been going on since June. I went to Japan in July. A friend of mine lived there and taught English many years ago. She has Japanese friends who she was planning on staying with. Also, she has a pilot friend who hooked her up with some highly discounted buddy passes. One day this summer she said "I'm going to Japan, do you want to come?" My initial response was that I couldn't afford it, couldn't take off work, could't just up and go to Asia on a whim. But then I realized that going to Japan at a third of the regular cost for plane tickets, staying with friends (not paying for a hotel), and getting a truly authentic Japanese experience was an opportunity that would most likely never present itself to me again. So I went to Japan!

Oh my goodness it was amazing. I would move there for a year... just to eat. The food was out of this world delicious. "Oishi" is the Japanese word for delicious and it was uttered at least 10 times daily from my mouth. I think a lot of people think that sushi is the only thing the Japanese eat, I know I hadn't given it too much thought before I went. But their cuisine is most definitely among the best in the world. I haven't been too many places, but I still think I would say that after travelling the world. It is all fresh and flavorful and exotic and cooked just right. I fell in love with udon, oni giri, okonomiyaki, yaki soba, tako yaki, soft tofu, gyoza, and the list goes on. I'm a very adventurous eater, which pleased the Japanese. I tried everything from raw egg, to raw octopus and squid, fermented soybeans and "parts of a chicken" to which I was not told which parts even after I ate it. Now I cannot get enough Japanese food. I bought a cheap rice cooker and I make all of my favorite dishes at home. I have got nothing on the Japanese, but it is still nice to have a little taste of their food here in Boston.

I also learned a lot of Japanese. We stayed with a Japanese family and only had one English translator the whole time we were there, our friend Yumi-san. So I was forced to learn a lot to interact with people. The language is so different from that of English or even of French, so I was less hesitant to try speaking it. I'm really glad because I probably have a vocabulary now of about 50-60 Japanese words, which I think is impressive for only being there for one week. It also helped me to feel more comfortable in speaking French because I realized that so long as I'm trying and I'm relatively understandable, that people will be receptive. Just as I was patient and receptive to the Japanese who tried speaking English with me.

One of my favorite aspects of the trip was just the interaction that I had with the Japanese people. They are so open and welcoming-- they make tourists feel comfortable by their openness and friendliness. People were so wonderful, it truly made me feel at home even though I definitely stood out as a foreigner. I will try to post a few pictures when I'm at my computer at home... all I can say that it was yet again, a life-changing experience. If you are considering going to Japan, GO! It is incredible and I would definitely go back soon if I had the opportunity.

Since returning to school, I have been a busy bee... I'm working in the Admission office several hours each week, I have three classes and I have an internship. My classes are all challenging this semester. I have my Global Business capstone, my Strategic Management capstone and Intermediate French. It is definitely interesting being in two capstone classes at once, everything I have learned in my four years as an undergraduate student is coming together. Part of me feels like I'm learning all the same things all over again, but then I realize that what I'm really doing is applying all of my previous knowledge to overall strategies of organizations. It definitely makes me aware of how deep and broad my knowledge of global business, general business, and marketing concepts truly is. I am amazed at my ability to recall theories, concepts and examples which are applicable to the strategies we discuss in class. It is really exciting because it makes me feel wicked smaahht!

Also, Intermediate French has been going well. My comprehension has significantly increased and my ability to think and speak on the spot has also improved greatly. I still feel sometimes like I'm struggling to keep up, but I think that is natural when learning a language. My vocabulary and grasp of the language is definitely subconscious and much broader than I think it is in my conscious state, so it always surprising to me when I say something and have no idea where it came from. I guess that is a good thing, you are supposed to just think in the language you are learning.

I also have a Public Relations Internship where I am the Donations Coordinator... at a great company! But I'm afraid to post the name of the company because we get a daily PR newsfeed where anytime the name of the company is mentioned (from radio to newspapers to blogs), it shows up in this newsfeed that is sent to the greater part of the Marketing Department. I love my internship, but I don't necessarily want to be in the newsfeed mentioning it in my blog! I'm having the time of my life-- I'm challenged, learning a lot, loving the corporate culture and having fun doing it.

So between my internship, the Admission office, and my three classes I am busy and super tired. I love everything that I'm doing and I'm enjoying most every moment of my last semester, but at the same time I'm absolutely exhausted. So I must say that it may be a while before I blog again. No more promises to be better at blogging-- under-promise and over-deliver is my hope!

Slacking

Man oh man am I a slacker when it comes to keeping this blog updated! To those of you out there who are reading this (though I doubt there any) I apologize for letting this fall by the wayside... I am going to try my best to make sure this stays more current. All of that being said, you have to understand that I am the kind of person who does not even post Facebook statuses. I am strangely private about my thoughts and my life online. I say strangely only because I am one of the most talkative and open people you will ever meet in real life. I think part of it may be due to having a lack of time and energy to post my thoughts for others to see... but I'm going to try to do just that with this blog.

So, to keep up with my promise made in April, I am posting pictures from the remainder of my Morocco trip in Rabat and Marrakech. I'll have to update you on the rest of my summer in another post soon!