A year in Review

I've been wanting to write this post for some time now and I'm finally getting around to it now! It has been a little over a year since I've graduated from college. I remember all those nights I'd stayed up wondering "where will I be a year from now?" I remember telling everyone I could not see where I'd be a year from now. And here I am, a year older, slightly less naive and still as ambitious as ever.

A year ago today, I would have been talking to Brenna on the phone, planning for our big project in Brazil. It was still slight inconceivable that we'd received 3 grants from Midd to carry out our project. But after months of grant writing and reaching out to NGOs, we'd somehow managed to put together this amazing project.

Late June-August: Implementing The World Through Youth's Eyes. It was all an incredibly humbling experience. I'm not going to lie, it was hard and I often time didn't live enough in the present to enjoy it because I was so concerned about what I was going to do after the project, when I'd returned home and Brenna would finish her last semester at Midd. I regret not appreciating that time more. Towards the end, I was able to live more fully and push aside all those fears and concerns. I also learned what a huge challenge it is to work with kids...especially in another language!

September-December: September was a hard month. It was spent writing CVs and applying to jobs. and never hearing back...not even a "No thank you". Lisa was also in a similar rut, waiting to hear the final confirmation for her job. We took up jobs at a startup retail fashion store called CWonder. It felt good to be employed and actually help launch a store. My hard work and dedication was noticed by my bosses and I quickly gained the trust and respect of my supervisors. I met huge celebrities like Brooke Shields, Bethenny Frankel and Kelly Ripa. I was blogged about by Brazilian fashion bloggers. I was a personal shopper for Kelly Rutherford! I became the queen of the jewelry department even though I don't wear jewelry often. Through experience, I also saw the consequences of favoritism in the work place and while I benefited from being a good employee--other good employees were treated disrespectfully simply because our bosses didn't particularly care for them. Fashion is a hard business and you are always judged. I would get comments like, "Christina--you look so much better with make-up!" How is that supposed to not affect my self-esteem? So I adopted a daily make-up routine, which when I was at Midd, swore never to do because natural beauty is the best! But then I realized the importance of looking good in NYC...so that "no make-up rule" went out the window.

December: I decided to buy everyone in my family Christmas presents because I was so grateful for having them in my life. It has been a long time since I've been incorporated into my family's routine and finally, I felt like we were gelling. My parents weren't on my ass about moving on in my life and just happy to have me home.

Because of Steven, I got to meet the delightful Mayor Bloomberg!

December was also the end of 2011. A year of incredible growth, transition and self-discovery. I had also discovered my renewed interest in women's entrepreneurship and got an internship at The Story Exchange, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women entrepreneurs.

January-March.: I worked part-time at CWonder and interned at The Story Exchange. January was one of the darkest months for me...I don't even quite remember it. I was very anti-social and so embarrassed to say what I was doing to others. It was a period of incredible shame because I was not where I wanted to be in life. I also booked my tickets to see Sophie in Arizona because I needed to get out of New York.

By the end of February, on the very day when I would tell my internship that I would only continue through to March instead of June--my boss calls me into her office and offers me a full-time position. This blows my mind. I didn't even know she was offering me a job until the end of the conversation when we were talking about salary. I take a couple of days to digest this and accept her offer. I also tell her that I'll be gone for two weeks in March because I'm going to visit my best friend in Tucson.

March-April: TWO WEEKS IN TUCSON!! Even though I somehow got very sick and was struck with major allergies, I had a fantastic time being with Sophie and her loving family. We were constantly busy and for the first time, I knew what being super busy meant in the context of Sophie's life. I came to see a different side of her--the daughter, sister and friend that she is to her community in Tucson. It was something very special and I'm so glad that she let me into her life in this capacity. I don't think I've ever allowed anyone to be so close to me and my family. We road tripped to the Grand Canyon and drove across Arizona. I wish so badly I could have driven...this is my motivation for getting my driver's license--I felt so helpless when Sophie had been driving for 10-12 hours and we were so lost and an hour away from Tucson. I actually drove for the very first time in a Tucson mall parking lot with Sophie and Eduardo, Sophie's Chilean friend. I had a great time in Tucson and it was just the recharge I needed in my life.

April-May: These were the most socially charged months of my life so far this year! Every weekend in April, I was out at a birthday party or some social event. It was a lot of fun. My parents became so chill with my curfew. I barely had time to relax and spend some alone time. I realize how much I love and value my alone time. And I also realize that I do have friends in the city...so even though I may feel lonely at times, it's okay--I have a lot of people who do care about me, near and far. I'd like to claim that I am an anti-social person, but quite honestly, I'm not. I think it has to do with my insecurities with friends and betrayal from my old friends that I feel this guard when I make new friends. I just gotta be myself and people will either like me or not. I'm not going to bend over backwards to please others any more. I'll always at least be very polite and cordial.

And now it's June 2012. It's already June.
When Spring turns into Summer.
When the booty shorts come out of the closet and manicured (and un-manicured) toes peep out from sandals.
When the sun sets at 8pm and you'll wanna stay out till 4am.
Summer loves and ice cream go together like pb&j.

There's always something about the summertime that makes people happier. It's probably the overdosage of sun in our lives.

This summer I'm set out to have the best summer in NYC. More details to come about that. But it's just going to be about doing lots of activities and having fun.

In a couple of weeks, I'll turn 23. Already, just when I was comfortable with saying that I'm 22. And I'll wonder as I do every year, where will I be a year from now?