Postgrad Update: 1 Month Forward

Greetings from Lugano....Cafe in Tualatin, Oregon!

It has been just over a month since I've graduated. The dust has settled, and I have been having a relaxing summer at home with my family. Besides relaxing, I also have a part-time job at the ice cream shop where I first started practicing my Spanish. It's fun getting to know my coworkers, speak Spanish with the clients and have them be surprised that I speak it, and also to eat whatever ice cream/frozen treat I want during my break. The shop is owned by two of its employees, two brothers originally from Mexico. They make all the ice cream themselves and I love seeing how they've decorated the shop and really made it their own! Now that I've been to Mexico and have had significantly more experience with Latin America since I last worked there three years ago, I have an even deeper appreciation for it and the community it serves.

Part of the agenda once I got home from school was going through all my old papers, notebooks, etc. all the way from middle school. My mom made me do it, but I'm glad she did. Honestly I should have just scrapped all those science and math assignments from my early college career at the end of their respective semesters like everyone else seems to do, but oh well! Good thing I won't be needing those anymore. 

Some items had more of a sentimental value, obviously. I saw two assignments, separated by almost six years, I chose to do about Egypt. One of them was from 6th grade, where I had to make a little book about it and for extra credit make up a travel journal. I seemed to put a lot of thought into it. I definitely did not scrap it, but instead took pictures for future reference... 

Honestly, my handwriting was really good for a 12-year-old's. Though it's still really good now.

This was when I first moved to the USA, so I don't think I understood the value of dollars quite yet. Pretty cool I could already reference Lufthansa, though. (It wouldn't be another 7 years or so before I would actually ride Lufthansa.)

Well, as of now, I have gone on a cruise along the Nile! Just not the Egypt one. 

Of course, there was an abundance of pug pictures and pictures of Igor, my pug from when I was a kid. How I miss my precious baby!! 

Besides that, I have kept up on my 2018 Song Challenge. It's deviated a bit from the original lineup, but I was expecting that. I've also started studying for the LSAT using Khan Academy's FREEEE LSAT prep!! It's actually been a lot of fun. Best part is, again, it's free. I wasn't about to drop thousands of dollars on a prep course, because I don't have that kind of money and I have an apartment to pay for...well, almost. 

There is at least reason for me to be looking for an apartment because I GOT A JOB!! 

I will probably write more about that next time once I start doing serious work for it but I got hired as a bilingual paralegal (lol other people actually believe in my ability to speak/write/read Spanish in a professional setting) at an organization called Justice In Motion. So I'll be moving to Brooklyn after traveling around Asia this summer!! And working remotely for them. This is all gonna be interesting and probably chaotic but nothing too new for me. The paying rent and cooking and generally living on my own will be new, sure, but the transplanting myself in a new location and finding a new routine will not be. Though this time, it'll be my routine for the next couple of years at least! What a relief. 

That's basically it. Now I have to occupy myself with trying to find an apartment and, first and foremost, preparing for my upcoming travels while also making sure to relax at home. Truly living my best life. 

Next I write in this blog, I will most likely be in the Philippines. Can't wait to write more about my return, long overdue after four years! In the meantime, back to other work/general enjoyment in Lugano. The cafe, not the Swiss town. Yeah.