Before You Go Abroad

Guys, I am finally qualified to write about the study abroad experience! I have officially spent six months in a foreign country and come back to tell the tale (which you can check out along with some very personal thoughts on the matter over in the Tufts Admissions Blog). So after the time, travels, friends, and experiences, I finally have something generalizable to say! It all comes down to the same things I wrote about when I debunked Spanish myths: people will tell you things that are not all true about the abroad experience and you have to make sense of the mess. Except this time, it’s all about that pre-departure advice that’s coming at you from anyone and everyone. Here are two I personally encountered that I wish I’d been better informed about:

Make a point of only hanging out with the natives!

Before going to Madrid, I made a pact with a friend about making friends with the locals and ditching the rest of the people in our respective study abroad programs. Later, I explained that making friends with natives can be extremely difficult because of their views on Americans, your short stay in the country, and other such factors. But that’s not why I’m not all for this piece of advice. I think you should hang out with whoever you want. Why? Because you need an immediate support system that gets you. People you won’t have to explain what things in America are like because they know and love (or dislike) the states as much as you do. How much you need this support will vary–I’m not saying make best friends with people in your program or even integrate into program culture (program culture is a thing, you’ll see!)–I’m saying make sure you have someone you can go out with or even just speak English to. It’ll feel comfortable and nice at times when you’ll need it, but try not to get too comfortable: remember you can hang out with American kids for the rest of your life back home you, but you’ll only be able to live with and learn from native kids for this short period of time. It’s all about finding a balance between the familiar in order to create a support system to use while exploring a new culture and making new friends.

Take advantage of the travel!

I remember my grandma whipped out her calendar and wrote down the exact number of weekends I had in Madrid and told me I had to be out of the city every single one of them. As soon as we got to Spain, the kids in my program went on a travel-planning frenzy and two weeks later I was in Portugal for the weekend. No joke. People started traveling so much that I didn’t see kids from the program on the weekends for months–I was personally away from Madrid every weekend in a two month period! Though I don’t regret my back to back trips to Paris, Italy, Barcelona, Sevilla, and London, I wish I had been wiser about the planning. I wish I would have had in mind that there’s no way I’m not going back to Europe and that with only a five months abroad I was bound to not get to every city I wanted to see (and I didn’t). And though at times it feels like I really didn’t travel all that much, I look back on all the plans I had to cancel with my Spanish friends, all the developments I missed in my program culture (this group was like “All My Children,” just as dramatic and missing a week of drama felt like missing a year!), and all of the places I didn’t get to see in my beloved Madrid, I also feel like I was never there!

I’m sure you’ve figured out the theme of this post: the abruptness of the abroad experience. Time FLIES when you’re away! Yeah, you’ve probably already heard that but trust me it won’t hit you ’till you’re sitting back home entertaining the idea that maybe it never happened. So since you’re just starting, know this: you have five to ten short months to make new friends, travel the world, and change your life as much as you want to. Be sure to never take a second for granted, take it all in, and use your precious time wisely!

#StudyAbroad

I’ve been in Spain for about two months now, so maybe I’m not entirely entitled to write a post about the study abroad experience. But I must say, life has slowed down a tad: I feel like I’m falling into a routine (which isn’t a bad thing!), I’ve gotten accustomed to eating like Spaniards (big comida, small cena),things are starting to feel a tad more common place, I don’t get lost as easily, and I’ve FINALLY mastered the Renfe. I was talking to one of my favorite people not too long ago (WHATTUP LIL’ J) and she told me about her plans to study abroad next spring. In a span of twenty minutes, we spontaneously covered two things that in two months I am ridiculously passionate about when it comes to study abroad. Had to share:

HAVE NO EXPECTATIONS.

At all. I expected to not have to deal with culture shock–I was wrong. I expected I would be hanging out with Spanish people 24/7–was wrong about that too. Another expectation that I personally didn’t have but is pretty common is thinking we’ll find a significant other abroad. Sorry to kill some dreams, but though flings have occurred between Spaniards and my program buds, they were not relationships and if anything, they ended relatively quickly.

Odds are, you WILL experience culture shock–it’s inevitable. I feel like we take for granted the little things that light up our lives back home and once we’re here we feel empty without them. Whether it’s getting smiles from strangers on the street (in Spain, you don’t smile to strangers… ever) or big breakfasts after a night out (here, it’s all about the churros and chocolate at 6AM after the disco). As for relationships with people our age abroad, and this one was difficult for me to digest, only some will want to befriend you. I’ve heard that in some countries, feelings towards Americans aren’t that warm and fuzzy, but from what I’ve experienced, I feel like a lot of people aren’t particularly willing to approach me because they think it’ll be a lot of work to hang out with me (thanks to language/culture barriers) and because they know I’m leaving so they don’t want to get too close. However, some people love the culture exchange, the possibility to practice English and helping you with your language. I’ve made an incredible handful of friends here who love what I am–an exchange student. But kids at UAM aren’t tripping over themselves to be my friend and I’m not expecting to find my future husband. About that, the ladies are generally told that boys here don’t make one-on-one friends with girls (the friendzone does not exist!)–and if they want one-on-one time with you it’s for one thing only… Do what you will with that info!

NVM, YOU CAN DEFINITELY EXPECT THIS:

Weight gain. Madrid, Paris, wherever you go, you will be surrounded by amazing and different food. If you’re like me and treat food as an experience, then you won’t want to miss out on anything! I’ve heard horror stories of girls going back to the states with an extra 20 pounds on them, but though I know I’m gaining weight, I’ve figured out how to minimize it. The trick? Get to your country and eat like a tourist for the first month. I mean it, eat EVERYTHING, as much as you want, for about a month or two. Then, start eating your country’s food like the locals. In Spain, it’s one giant meal a day (lunch), and two small meals (cena and breakfast). Slowly remove things that you KNOW pack the calories/are extremely unhealthy and maybe just have them as treats every now and then. Add some veggies, some salads, AND WALK EVERYWHERE. When I first told my host dad I was paranoid about gaining weight he said, “La mejor manera de quemar calorias es gastar los zapatos,” or the best way to burn calories is to wear out your shoes by walking everywhere! But seriously, weight gain abroad is unavoidable, but it’s not a bad thing. Part of experiencing another culture, another place, is to enjoy the food it has to offer! It’s just a matter of enjoying it adequately

Despite the weight gain and sometimes broken expectations, study abroad has been the most life changing experience yet. Though I’ve already gone through the process of adding another culture into my identity, coming to Spain has given me another perspective from which to see myself and the rest of the world from. In two months I feel like I’ve become a much more well-rounded and balanced version of myself.

If you’re thinking of going abroad, DO IT. Don’t let expectations, things people say, lengthy applications, or fear hold you back. I promise, you will not regret it!

Debunking Some Spanish Myths: Parte Dos, Yo.

So you think the “advice” and stories stopped after my dad told me to learn how to make coffee before some Spanish man picks me up and throws me in bed? I wish. Before I continue, I should probably throw out the fact that I’m not some crazed alcoholic, drug pushing, slut. I see how one might think this after reading the advice my family members gave me before going to Madrid, it’s just that my dearest father has a hard time digesting my not-so-wild status because I go to college in the United States (Nation of the Wild Collegiette) and he’s millions of miles away in Lima, Peru–not watching my development. Clearly, we had lovely conversations as I tried to convince him that Madrid wouldn’t swallow me whole and turn his beloved hija intelectual into a man-eating prostitute. Anyway, here’s a continuation of some of my favorite pre-departure myths about Madrid and how they measured up to my actual experiences after a month

YOU WILL SEE DRUGS EVERYWHERE

Guess who brought this one up? LOLZ. Personally, I haven’t seen anything and I’ve gone to the biggest clubs in Madrid. However, I know where I could get some if I so desired. FUN FACT: In Spain, you don’t get in trouble for using drugs for personal use, your dealer does for selling them. BOOM.

YOU CAN GO TO A DISCO ALONE AND YOU’LL HAVE FUN AND MAKE FRIENDS

Yeah, I don’t know about that one. Depends on what kind of friends you want, how comfortable you feel throwing yourself out there, and on where you go (context!). Thing is, as an international/non-Spaniard, it’s difficult to randomly make friends with locals because they know you’re leaving and don’t want to get too invested. The Spanish friends I’ve made know I’m leaving and are cool with that, they appreciate the culture clash, my sporadic fails at Spanish and love how much we’re sharing with each other about our respective cultures. The  the closest I ever came to making friends with Spaniards at a disco happened at my fave club (thus far) in Madrid. One BLACKOUT Spanish girl offered my friend her drink because her and her friend couldn’t finish it, my friend didn’t respond, and the girl asked “ALGUNA DE VOSOTRAS ES ESPAñOLA!?” “Are any of you Spanish!?” … I lied and took her drink. She told me to be careful and stumbled out of the bathroom. Vale. (Vale means “okay,” NYU in Madrid describes it as “catchall phrase and a great space filler, conversation closer, transition word, etc.”)

THE SPANISH ARE INCREDIBLY DIRECT

YES YES YES. Being accustomed to the political correctness and constant tip-toe-ing around people in order to avoid conflict in the US of A, I was legitimately uncomfortable, when after one of the many random talks I had with my host father, he said, “Veronica, never stay silent. Always say something–because staying quiet is hypocrisy.” Shit. He was most certainly correct and I was most certainly culpable (guilty) of hypocrisy for the sake of being liked or dodging an argument, even if it was over the silliest thing. Slowly, I feel little comments like that (though some are actually lovely instead of hard-hitting) are changing my perspective, attitude, and behavior. On a not so deep level, the Spanish don’t sugarcoat things or stay quiet/complacent (it’s hypocrisy!), and though a couple of my friends have felt embarrassment or been offended by this, I personally find it refreshing when my salsa teacher tells me that next time I’ll dance better after what I thought was a great class!

Looking back on all the hilarious things I heard before coming to Madrid, I’m glad I didn’t listen. Some of my favorite myths are the ones that I feel changing me every day, and not into a drug crazed alcoholic prostitute but rather into a better more balanced version of myself. The Spanish quality of being extremely direct is one of them. And the rest are on their way If you’ve visited Madrid, are from Madrid, are here with or without me for your semester abroad, get at me–I want to hear your thoughts and experiences! And if you see a comment or a story YOU gave me before coming to Spain, then, por favor! No toméis ofensa a mis comentarios! Laugh, revel in my discoveries and adventures, y nunca olvidéis que los quiero mucho!!!

Debunking Some Spanish Myths, Yo.

For the past year, I’ve been bombarded with information about Spain as soon as I told people I’m studying abroad in Madrid. Some of it was helpful, some of it wasn’t, and after hearing the millionth story of someone else’s adventures in Madrid (Chiqui y Señor Waldo, I’m talking to you…), I may or may not have stopped listening. Oops. So I thought I’d share the reality I’ve experienced in a month vs. my favorite comments and myths I heard before arriving in Madrid

THE SPANISH MEN/WOMEN ARE INCREDIBLY ATTRACTIVE/EXTREMELY UNATTRACTIVE

“Spanish women are beautiful and always dress up.” “No no no, women never dress up, they don’t wear make-up…” “The men are incredibly handsome, but the women… are not.” With so many differing opinions, no wonder I stopped listening… Now that I’m in Spain I can honestly say, you can’t really generalize about Spaniards.The only thing you CAN generalize about is fashion: Spaniards dress much more fashionably than people in the states–a way of life I’ve made my mission to emulate! As for attractiveness, all I gotta say is beauty is relative. With the caveat that Javier Bardem doesn’t tickle my fancy but I’ll watch an entire football game AND root for a terrible team as long as Tim Tebow (YUM) is playing, I’d say Spain has as many lookers as any other country. Same with the ladies, not every girl on the Metro looks like Penelope Cruz in Vicki Cristina Barcelona, but I know some of the boys in my program are delighting in the Spanish custom of directly STARING at strangers on the streets by creeping at Spanish girls from afar. Again, beauty is relative, and saying that the people of an entire country are beautiful or unattractive is like saying all of America is fat/intelligent/warm–it’s simply not true and we all know it.

SPANISH MEN WILL THROW THEMSELVES AT YOU

Months before coming to Spain, my dad pestered me with comments that at first I found hilarious and later straight up alarming.They ranged from the average Spanish men are very handsome and charming and will be all over you because you’re pretty to DON’T GET PREGNANT AND LEARN HOW TO MAKE COFFEE BECAUSE THEY’LL EXPECT YOU TO MAKE COFFEE FOR THEM IN THE MORNING!!! Gracias, dad. Here’s the thing about Spanish men: how they treat a lady is entirely contextual–again, you cannot generalize how Spanish men will treat you  from one dude cat-calling you in Chueca (fun stuff, kids). Walking down the street you WILL get stared at regardless of what you look like, as mentioned above, that’s just how the Spanish do–they stare! Cat calls and things like that don’t really happen unless it’s late at night and a bunch of college boys are in a car going crazy beeping at me and my lady friends (or if you’re walking around in Chueca…)–but they’re not throwing themselves at us. On the same note everyone will call you guapo/a–from your Spanish friends to your taxi driver–but it’s like a loving, respectful thing, the word is not intended to get you in bed. At the SPANISH clubs, Spanish men definitely creep a little, but I feel like I’m respected more there than at your average frat–I mean, the dude will probably ask you to dance, at least make eye contact or dance next to you for a while before making a move. You WON’T suddenly feel some dude grinding behind you and ask yourself what he looks like, like at frats in the states! Big international clubs are completely different, though (context!!): these are places filled with Spanish creepers who are only there for easy, wild Americans, and Erasmus/International/American kids–basically a nice-looking frat where ladies will probably get groped and most definitely interact with Spaniards who probably won’t call them guapa in a loving respectful way–which can be fun, but can also be kind of a hit or miss situation, at least for me.

Again, it’s been ONE MONTH so I probably will revisit these in the future. T-S Program kids, get at me: Am I off? Do you feel the same? Familia: gracias for the many months of drowning me in stories, you gave me much to write about  Everyone else: I have more gemz coming–I heard a lot before FINALLY coming to Spain!

No Pasa Nada!

It was the second time I’d circled Puerta de Alcala. It was starting to get dark and I only knew the general direction home but was starting to doubt my ability to get there. Why did I decide to walk home alone, again? And despite the fact that the Metro seemed to have moved from the last time I saw it, the maps began to look useless, and the beautiful streets began to blend together, panic did not sink in. Silliness, maybe. Pride in refusing to ask for help or directions, definitely. But not panic. Or stress. Just a feeling that everything would be okay. And it did (45 minutes later than expected, but hey, I made it!).

That’s the thing about Spain. It’s just so chill! Even though I’m in this big city, constantly walking around the financial and shopping districts (I’m pretty sure I live in Madrid’s Newbury Street–there are like 5 Zaras and H&Ms around me…), I don’t get that gross, stressful big city vibe in my surroundings–you know, that feeling that you get if you’ve ever been around in the area Boston’s South Station during the work week. Spain’s chillness is party of every aspect of life, lunch included. My host parents cannot believe that employees of the biggest companies that make the most money take a five-minute lunch or work as they eat. They say you’ll never see a Spaniard do that! Spaniards take time to enjoy their lunch–in whatever area or on whatever budget they have. It’s a beautiful thing!

And in all honesty, it’s not something I’m used to. I mean, I’m that girl that pulled a few too many all-nighters, ate multiple meals on the go and lived off of coffee and ibuprofen last semester. Being chill is not exactly my forte… But after six days in Madrid, I feel so so good! I’ve realized that this emphasis on being chill isn’t just that–it’s an emphasis on balance and on truly enjoying life: from your daily commute to your lunch hour(s). Since I’ve been in Spain, I’ve been late (a lot). I’ve gotten lost. I’ve spilled stuff on my host family’s floor and chairs. I’ve accidentally slept through the cena (dinz). And every time I’ve gotten a “No pasa nada!” or “Nothing happened!” in response.

This attitude, this lifestyle, is pretty incredible–especially after the semester from hell! I could not be happier to be in Madrid and cannot believe that I am fortunate enough to be enjoying this massive change of pace for a whole 5ish months. The predicted changes of the study abroad experience are already in effect, and in a very positive way, I’d say!

Madrid, te amo

El Pacto

Ready, set, ADVENTURES ABROAD COMMENCE NOW!

But let’s backtrack for a sec. Before the 7ish hour flight to Madrid, the 6 hour layover at JFK, the 2 hour flight from Florida, the frantic last minute packing… Let’s go back to a couple of weeks ago. I Skyped with one of my close friends, a fierce little girl and one of my favorite people in the entire world, right before she went abroad. We talked for four hours, and at some point, the topic of the typical American experience abroad came up. You know, the stereotypical party hardy American college kids who run around Europe on vacation for a semester (or year) without truly immersing themselves in the culture or language of their country.

Neither of us felt particularly inclined to follow that route even though it would be so easy and tempting to fulfill the stereotype. We wanted a true abroad experience: being friends with locals, finding and frequenting non-touristy places, and completely integrating ourselves into the life and culture of our respective cities. It would not be easy, we knew. And that’s when two sassy biddies made a pact. Un pacto. We would push ourselves out of our comfort zones, find the locals and win them over, and drastically improve our language skills at all costs—together.

She’s been there for a week or two now, and she’s doing splendidly! She seems to have found a balance between keeping our promise and being a part of her program doing the American kid abroad thing, thus far, and I commend her for it! Now, it’s my turn to keep up my end our pacto—and you know I’ll keep my word. For the rest of you kiddos going abroad this semester, I challenge you to get in on this with us. Seriously, it’s like setting a gym schedule—it’s easier to do it with friends! So holler at me, join El Pacto and let’s see what our travels make of us

New Year’s Revolution

As you know, the last couple of months were not exactly easy. And the difficulty of life in general carried on into my blogging: how am I supposed to write about lessons learned when I’m still going through them and they kind of really suck? Who’s going to want to read that? No one. And having two blogs didn’t exactly help since what I wrote about in one took away from the other–the content was too related. In the second iteration of this blog, I meant to focus on lessons learned, but I branded myself in a way that became much more difficult to fulfill as the lessons became harder and more personal than I expected–my life became much less generalizable and therefore irrelevant to many, which I did not find worth writing about. And again, this was never my journal.

So here’s what I’ve decided: this last revolution will take from the lessons and simply show you the results, the butterfly that came from the gypsy cocoon, shall we say . This blog won’t just be about growing up, realizations, and adventures.  It’ll be professional. It’ll be a travel blog. It’ll be somewhere I can write about the evolution of the e-surance campaign and how I feel about insurance ads (yes, I really love marketing that much) along with some travel.

For this next adventure, I’ll be writing for my abroad program AND Admissions. So if you’d like longer posts with specific adventures, check out the Admissions blog. As for this blog, this post is my last revolution. Thanks a bunch of reading and coming on this cyber adventure with me, it’s made my life starting conversations (and arguments) with you guys and hearing your thoughts on life and blogging in general! I promise if you’ve enjoyed the blog in the past, you’ll love what’s coming.

Get ready for a complete blog overhaul. Something great is coming

 

Finals Time Epiphany

It hit me, yet again. But it’s 1:14AM and I have a massive paper due tomorrow so bear with me. Here it goes:

I have spent the entire semester wishing it was over. Practically counting down the seconds for “the semester from hell” to end. I’ve worried, cried, been angry, hated everything and everyone on a daily basis and been obnoxious about it in person and every social media outlet imaginable. I’ve kept a lot to myself but also shared and expressed strong emotions of disillusionment and hate that I didn’t know had been building up inside of me for a while.

I even wished for college to be over.

A bunch of my friends went through similarly dark times. Yet as I’m sitting here at 1:17AM knowing that in eleven days I will be home for more than two days for the first time in nine months, I feel absolutely INSANE for letting the deep dark chocolate in me simmer for so darn long–especially after going through this process of ultimate sadface breakdown followed by success and happiness and later regret for the moments wasted dwelling on the bad. Okay, maybe I had some pretty rough things to deal with this semester, and maybe life hit me in the face with things I’d been too young and immature to see and understand. But what was the point of being so upset? Of worrying so much? Of counting down the seconds for a pretty fantastic time in my life to be over?

Carpe diem is easier said than done, I’ve noticed. Some days are easier to seize than others. Every day this semester felt like a long drive on the emotional, academic, and personal struggle bus–not the easiest thing to seize. Yet now that it’s almost over, I look back on the experiences I had and feel that despite the bad times, the outcome is nothing but positive: I am better because of the challenges I faced this semester. I appreciate the darkness of this time, because the current light (or nearing light–remember, it’s 1:21AM and I have a 6-10 page paper due tomorrow) illuminates the changes that happened in the darkness. I learned a ton, even in the classes I absolutely detested. I cried, and I overcame a pretty silly breakup and came to terms with what the future holds. I whined, was angry and unpleasant, and found the people who will still love me despite of all my failings– along with those who I needed to distance myself from.

Though darkness is good, I wish I would have been a little more positive, a little happier about my current situation. Next semester, I’ll be going on a completely different adventure, and though that’s fantastic, there’s a lot I’ll miss from the now. My best friend. The incredible support system I have magically created while in school: a network of bosses, professors, friends, and advisors who have guided and helped me through this tunnel of change.

But hey, no regrets, right? I have eleven more days. Eleven days to thank those who made this experience possible, embrace every second with people who I won’t see for months, and absorb the knowledge that’s being thrown at me in this intellectually engaging environment.

So kiddos, though it’s finals time, don’t forget, seize the day. Because next semester is going to be a whole ‘nother adventure for all of us!

Slacker.

You know you’ve been slacking when your mom notes that you haven’t been writing on your personal blog recently (Hola, mami).

Well, yeah. Blogging during the school year is not easy! Especially since I now have another blog. The thing that makes blogging even harder for me is that I began this blog with the idea that it was not going to become a diary. I wanted to create content that people would actually be reading, enjoying, and hopefully getting something out of. But recently, life has not lent itself to reading content or experiencing cool things, digesting it/them, and putting it/them back out there as post that’s actually worth your time.

Earlier this week I read a statistic that said less than 16% of Twitter users are younger than 24 years old. Mashable thinks this is because teenagers don’t have the life experience or professional focus to put out the sort of content that thrives on Twitter: knowledge worth sharing. Teenagers are more interested in their friends and keeping up with their social networks (hence why they’re all Facebook crazed).

Though I’m technically not a teenager anymore, ever since school started, I’ve been feeling this way. I spend a ungodly of time on Facebook, less time reading cool info posted on Twitter (I’ve realized I have a filter that only registers tweets from people I know which is kind of defeating the purpose of having a Twitter in the first place), and a lot less time blogging (and if I am blogging, I post on my Tufts blog). My days are pretty average in comparison to most college kids in top ranked schools: class, work, activities, no sleep. The things I feel strongly about have shifted to exams, boys, drama… the usual. The only “cool” things that I’d want to throw into the blogosphere now are how the things I learn in class apply to life, or rather, my life. Which means my posts would be me-centered in a pretty disgusting way and I don’t dig that. All other things that I feel I should write about are ridiculously personal things things that belong in a diary, which is everything I don’t want this blog to be.

So though I refuse to kill my blog like some people, I will admit to slacking. Blogging content is sparse during the semester. Next semester will be much better since I won’t have four classes, two internships, a job, and two dances to worry about. I’ll be abroad and blowing up this blog with my adventures in Madrid But for now, hit me up with ideas. What do you want to read whilst procrastinating? How do you feel about diary blogs? Do you agree with less posts for better content? Hit me, I love your thoughts on blogging!

Everything I’m Not

Today I woke up early and instead of digging into my readings for the day in my PJs like I usually do, I got dressed up. If you know me, you know this is weird–I hardly ever wear more than mascara and blush and for me, getting ready in the morning isn’t a magical dive into fashion exploration, it’s more of a struggle to look put together and relatively attractive. So why was I actually trying this particular morning? For a marketing meeting of course!

I’m taking this class where you actually come up with a marketing plan for a company–a real company. Doing so of course requires actually meeting the company. A couple of days ago my team and I went over our plan for the meeting: what questions to ask the company, what we thought of them, and what we would wear. I decided I would be wearing a dress and one of my teammates inquired about it, I showed him a picture and he immediately declared it was too much of a cocktail dress. He insisted I wear heels and a cardigan with my outfit (in case you’re wondering this is an incredibly tame dress, thank you very much). When the day came, I walked in my awful heels for a grand total of 3 minutes (I brought flats to change into) and felt like a complete alien in my surroundings. Here I was, in my required dress, heels, and cardigan, in the middle of Boston meeting with a real company to discuss deliverables. I didn’t feel like myself until wayy into the meeting when we started talking about social media–my thing. Once I had a grasp on their approach, I understood the company but I also understood the basic limitations of the corporate world, something I’d never tasted before.

Over the summer I worked for a startup, a place where intelligence, action, and contribution are necessary for survival. One of my current employers mentioned that startups are “idealistic” places, and she’s right–they are. But I like that idealism. Idealism is backed by enthusiasm, something the company we visited today completely lacked.

So while I sat through this meeting, I wondered whether this would be my future. Will I be sitting in a dress, heels, and cardigan, not feeling like myself working for a company that’s not excited about something until everything clicks halfway through the meeting? And even when things fall in place, I’ll still have to leave the building in said outfit, except I won’t be able to subtly (or not so subtly) change into flats before I walk out. But my problem isn’t really the outfit, it’s the lack of enthusiasm and the dumb requirements and bureaucracy in the common corporate work place. It creates a stifling stuffy-ness that I’m not sure I want to be a part of.

I feel like when we think of our futures we expect the ties, suits, and uncomfortable heels–but is that really a part of us? Is that really a part of anyone? Okay, maybe some ladies dig the heels but still–don’t tell me that your work self and your non-work self are different: they shouldn’t be. If you’re truly passionate about something then you work with the same zest that you live your life with. And people in supportive environments who love what they do breed incredible successes.

Okay, so maybe I have drank from the start-up punch and I’m ranting and throwing around crazy thoughts–but I’ve seen this environment in action and it was a truly beautiful thing. And once I graduate and leave this hippy school where everyone is ridiculously passionate about what they do and bring that enthusiasm and love into their both their academic projects and shenanigans, I’ll look for the same thing. I’ll look for a place where things fall into place not halfway through meetings, but from the beginning, where ideas flow, and (hopefully) where I’ll be able to rock a pair of jeans.