Is it too late to go home?

Hi guys,
  I've finished my first week as a graduate student and all I have to say is... if I don't turn into a book from all this reading, that's going to be a miracle. Besides the crazy amounts of reading, I'm pretty happy. It has been a great time meeting new people, who are from everywhere with super interesting stories... I love being in school! However, I don't like being the poor and unable to spend money part... but I'm still working on that... it'll come sometime soon.
  I haven't done much outside of school... I hung out with a few friends, played a little tennis with them. I definitely miss the IMA where everything was nice and cool and in one place. To go to the tennis courts here... I had to take a shuttle which lead me to another shuttle and then there's the courts. They aren't very nice like the ones at the IMA... oh how I miss the IMA with it's awesome gym and nice pool.
  Talking about the pool.... I went to the pool here, and I know I'm not the biggest person but this pool made me feel big... it really wasn't a pool... it was like a puddle, so I was very disappointed. I got into my speedo, with my swim cap and my googles and I walk in and I see the pool and the sign says 3-5 feet... and I'm like "are you for real???" Once again... is it too late to go home and go back to the IMA pool? Even the pool in Spain which was small was even better... at least there were more than 3 lanes and it was deep enough for me to jump into... oh well what can you do right?
   Umm... besides that, I'm happy with how things are going, still trying to find a job and some other activities to fill my day. I've been sticking to my workout plan, it's a lot easier when the gym is downstairs and it takes me 2 seconds to take the elevator down. Next week I start my volleyball team thing and I'm very excited... as I always am to play volleyball. It'll be a nice way to meet new people, but I just hope my shoulder holds out.
   All in all, my first week has been great, made some cool new friends, did some exercise, explored the city a little more. Life is great... besides the millions of pages I have to read, but I can't complain, I only have 3 days of classes so it's kinda like working in Spain again... :) If only my weekends were filled with traveling rather than being holed up at my desk with my articles on health care reform... i guess when I dose off I return to Spain and it feels as if I'm really there... A girl can dream!
   The rain right now is making me miss Seattle and of course all those that are there without me. I hope to talk to everyone soon, and I hope you guys are doing AWESOME!

Lots of love,
 Ngoc :)

New Beginnings

Hi guys,
  It's been a while since I've updated... only because once I got to Philly it has been insane... looking for an apartment and getting all settled in. There's so much to say and I'm sure all my words are going to be jumbled rambling... hopefully it will make some sense.

   Let's start off with the apartment... I got a little studio near the Art Museum area (that's museum with the steps that Rocky runs up in the Rocky movie). My apartment is on the 15th floor with an amazing view of the sunset and north philly. It is a little small, but I guess I'm small so it fits. At first I didn't like it as much, but it has grown on me. After all the furniture was moved in and stuff, and I've started a little decorating it's starting to feel like home. This is a great place in that it has everything I need, a gym, tennis courts, salon, ATM, Rite aid and a restuarant... oh yeah and a bell boy!!!! It's a like a mini hotel.. I can't believe I live here. If you guys want to come visit, you are more than welcome.... just know that there's a limit of one person at a time, or else there might not be enough room... jajaja... or we could all try to squeeze in! I don't have any photos right now... cuz' I want it to be a surprise when the place is finally finished... I'll post photos and a video when it all comes together.
  I thought traveling with my mom for 3 days was going to be a an awkward situation, but it turned out to be great. We got along great... did I ever mention that my mother is the greatest haggler in the world? She managed to get the landlord to lower my rent and get him to furnish the place also... she's great. I'm soooo glad she came with me. Unfortunately she wasn't able to see much of Philly because we spent most of the time getting settled in, but hopefully the next time she's here, I'll be able to show her a little more of the city (hopefully I'll be more familiar with it by then).

   My impressions of Philly.... it's not Seattle. Philly is not as beautiful as Seattle is... but the people here are nice... on my 2nd day here, I took the subway to my class... and didn't know that the machine required exact change... I only had 2 dollars, and it required 3... i thought 2 would be sufficient because that is the price of 1 pass... but no... here they do it differently you have to buy 2 passes at the same time... and the guy wouldn't give me change for a bigger bill i had... and the machine wouldn't give me back my money... i couldn't even use my card.. nothing... I was freaking out cuz' I was going to be late... and didn't know what to do... then out of a nowhere this nice guy handed me a dollar, and "saved" me... It was great!!!! I think that's one of the nicest things that any stranger has done for me.. it made my day!!!! It also didn't hur that he was super attractive... if only I was quick enough to chase after him before he left... he could have been the one!?!??!?! My impression of Philly changed and I'm going to give it a try... so check back in a bit to see how i feel about the city.

   School wise, i had my first class today... and not to sound like a nerd but it was great to be back in school... and when I was buying my notebooks and books it just felt great. Although I have a ton of reading and work... I'm in the "it's nice to be back stage"... we'll see how it goes at the end of the quarter. As for the people I've met... my classmates have been really friendly, but I guess that's how it always happens when you are thrown into this type of situation... but only time will tell if the friendship sustains.

   Living on my own so far has been great, I feel very mature and independent, but I do miss having someone to talk to all the time. I always want to turn around and say something, expecting Ally to be there but she's not. I miss her and her companionship dearly, but I guess eventually we must separate. But I do have to say that there seems to be many more people my age here in Philly than there were in Huelva... Atleast when I go out and meet people, they usually are in college, have gone to college or something like that... so I know my future husband is waiting somewhere in the city. Now I just have to narrow down the search between the 5 zillion universities in this city
   But as my first week in Philly draws to an end... I am happy, healthy and excited for the possibilities that lie ahead. I'm open to meeting new people, trying new things and living the "college" life I never had. As an undergrad my whole life was consumed with school and work, I didn't have much time for anything else, and I've seen that has definitely hurt my relationships not just romantically, but also with my family and friends. So this time around, although I'm dedicated to school... I'm not going to dedicate every single moment of my life to school, and working to start my career. It will still be important to me, however, I've realized that there's more to life and I need to focus on building relationships. I guess my books won't talk back to me when I'm whining, or they won't take me out on a date, but they do take up a lot of space in my bed though.

    Either way... this is a fresh start for me, to take risks and put myself out there and be free to have fun (and not constantly be thinking of all the homework I need to be doing). I guess it sounds crazy to say but I've always been afraid to think about anything but school and work.. because that's all I've really known my whole life. It never let me down and it could never hurt my feelings. But having had the chance to meet new people and spend time with them outside of an academic setting makes me really wish that i would have done it more with those in Seattle. But I guess there will be time for that in the future.... wait for me!
   So as this post comes to an end, I'm gonna head off to bed with my book on tubercolosis... don't be jealous of me ok??? I hope everyone is safe, happy and healthy. I miss you guys more than you know. I hope to see everyone soon. Tons of hugs and kisses (as the spaniards would say it)

 With lots of love,
 Ngoc :)

P.D. I miss the spanish way of greeting... shaking hands is soooo... "frio" I want to give besitos!!!!! Would that be awkward if I started that here????
 

Philadelphia or Bust!

    It's my last night in Seattle, and I guess it's become a tradition to have my close friends over for dinner before I leave, but each time that we say good night or see you later... it makes me sad to leave. I then begin to think whether I really want to leave, and all the excitement I had built up is quickly converted to doubt and fear. I think the quote "moving on is simple, it's what you leave behind that makes it difficult" explains what I feel the best. I'm not scared of the future, the unknown or what lies ahead for me. I've done it before... gone to a different city, without knowing anyone (i.e. Granada, Spain 2006). That part actually is what excites me ... thus I don't mind the moving on part. What holds me back mentally is all the people I'm going to leave behind and the life I'm leaving behind.

    I firmly believe that having a few true friends is better than having tons of mediocre friends, and the few friends that I do have... (the ones that always seem to come over the night before I leave) are some of the most amazing people I know. They have always been there for me, and listened to my crazy stories, ideas, and lame jokes. They understand me... without me having to say anything. They actually put up with me... which I think sometimes can be difficult. Without them I don't know where I wold be. No matter where I am in the world... i know they will always be there for me. Life often is so busy that we don't see each other as much as we would like, however the separation doesn't take away from the fun we have when we are all together. I missed them terribly while I was in Spain and I know I will miss them in Philly. However, we all understand that this is a path that we all must eventually come to and there is no way around it.

     Besides the friends, I will obviously miss my family. Although they drive me crazy sometimes... it's hard not to laugh when I'm around them. If there was ever a family fit for a reality show... it would be mine. I have the father who speaks VERY, VERY loud and who I think is incredibly funny. I have a mom who is obsessed with Asian dramas, and a brother who I often butt heads with, and a younger sister who is my best friend and by far the craziest sports fan in the world. There are no words to describe what it means to be home, amongst your family and to know that no matter what you do they will always be there for you. I'm not going to lie and say I'm not excited to have my own apartment and experience freedom again... trust me I am. The summer living with my parents hasn't been horrible... but near the end it was beginning to drive me crazy; however, I know when the holidays like Thanksgiving come around I'm going to miss the craziness that is the Nguyen household.

    Tomorrow, as I get on the plane, I'm not really saying good-bye to Seattle, because I know I'll be back. It's just uncertain if I'll ever be back permanently. This move to Philly and the east coast maybe 2 years or even longer hence that is what makes it more difficult to have to leave those that I love.  In a way it is the end of the "young-irresponsible" chapter of my life. Because I'm going to be paying for every single credit I take at Drexel I have to be more "mature". I have to actually put on real clothes... my sweats and PJs won't count. I even attempted to get a "professional" hair cut... but we all know after 3 days, it's going into a ponytail. Not only am I going to be studying like crazy in Philly, but I'm going to take the time to discover myself, and test my limits. Now is the perfect opportunity to force myself to step out of my comfort zone because I will have no safety net and that is very exciting. I'm not leaving the true me behind, but this chance to move away from home and study will be for me what moving away to go to college is for high school graduates.
   Right now it may be difficult for me to leave Seattle, but I know that once I'm in the atmosphere of studying, and I'm busy... I will be fine. Because this is what I want to do, and I've worked hard to get to this place. It's just a matter of waiting for that moment to get here. In the end, all my loved ones in Seattle know that this isn't good bye it's a "see you later". I look forward to seeing each and everyone in the city of Brotherly love.

Besos

Ngoc :)

How to pack your life neatly into suitcases 101

Can we please clap it up for me... because I have finally managed to get my packing done... and I still have about 28 hours before departure. Packing this time took much more effort than expected. Although I did some pre-packing/cleaning, I don't know if that helped a great deal, because I felt that I had to take everything back out and repack them... but I'm just going to say that it helped to decrease the time just to make myself feel better.
   The total time it took me to pack my life into 3 suitcases and one backpack was about 7 hours... but that doesn't say much about the sweat, the pain in my fingers and possiblity of future back pain. Once again.. I ask myself, why couldn't I be super rich or have a super rich boyfriend so that I didn't have to worry about packing??? I guess you can't have everything.

   Although I've traveled many times before, and I should be a pro at packing... it's sad to say... I'm not. However, after the 10 hundredth time... I think I've managed to learn some things...
   1. DON'T go into it without a plan
   2. DON'T think that you're going to be able to pack 32 pairs of shoes
   3. DON'T try to shove everything you own into the suitcases
   4. DON'T put all the heavy stuff into one bag (that is a back accident waiting to happen)
   5. Space savers are your best friend (combined with a vaccum you can almost fit your whole life in a suitcase)

   6. Sitting on the suitcase while trying to zip it shut IS very efficient, but it's even better when you have your brother who weighs 200 lbs sit on it and then you zip it --> team work
   7. Cursing at the bag for being too small WILL NOT get the things to magically fit (trust me... I tried every single word possible... it just wasn't happening)
   8. Packing should be considered a cardiovascular exercise... because I don't think I've worked out as hard in my life.
    I've included some pictures of my process of packing... starting with all the clothes that I decided to take. Next I had to narrow down the shoes and put all the clothes into their space saver bags. For those who aren't familiar with the bags... they are a genius invention. You put your stuff in side, and you can roll out the air... or you can take a vaccum and then vaccum suck the air out... it's AMAZING. It's like magic before your eyes. They were my trick into fitting all the stuff into my 3 suitcases. They also help for you to stay organized and know where your stuff are with them being transparent and all. Whoever invented them... GENIUS!!!!!
    Now that I've finished packing... and I'm sitting in my room. that's super clean and missing a few things, it seems surreal that I'll be leaving in a little over a day. I guess once you have everything packed it means it's really happening. From packing... I've realized that I don't really own anything besides a whole bunch of shoes and clothes... oh yeah and this computer that I'm typing on... but I guess that's a good thing, because there is no way I could fit anything else into my bags, they look like they will explode any moment. I'm just praying that they survive the trip to Philly.
   In the end, I'm super happy that the hard task of packing is over with. I'm excited to spend one last day with my friends and family before I go out and start my new adventure. I hope that everyone is safe, happy and sore-fingers free... because I think I have enough soreness for everyone. Good night!

 Love,
 Ngoc :)

P.S. For all those other people who are packing... will be packing... good luck and you can do it!!!
 

Go....... HUSKIES...... Go....... HUSKIES!!!

First things first.... YAY DAWGS!!!!!!!!! Another day gone... and I'm closing in on my last few days in Seattle. Today I went to one of my favorite places in Seattle... Husky Stadium!!!!! I went with my sister and brother, along with a few friends... and it was GREAT. It had been about a year since I was inside husky stadium and let me tell you it was great to be back... the atmosphere, the people... the purple! It brought back memories of games years ago. There may have been less people in the stands, but I think the excitement and madness was still there. The stadium is incredibly beautiful, and I have to agree that it is an awesome place to watch football, plus the sun being out didn't hurt either, except for when it started to get too hot underneath the purple hair... but that was a minor price to pay to show my Husky pride.
    Everyone that knows me knows that I'm a sports fanatic... I'm one of those crazy people that yells, jumps up and down and probably says a little too much... but that's why I love going to games. What makes it even better is that at the games  there are tons of people like me...some even worse (if that's possible) so I don't feel tooo crazy. I think people get a little scared when they see me at games... because they don't expect sooo many bad words or loud shouts to come out of little old me... but let me tell you, when I go to see a game, whether it be football, basketball, or soccer... it's all or nothing for me... that's what makes the games fun. (That's probably why I fit in so well at the Huelva soccer games... because all the men there were out of control crazy and I loved it!)
Before I never really liked football, my sport of choice was basketball... however an ex-boyfriend of mine was really into it... and his obsession rubbed off on me. I don't know if that's a good thing or not... but it is what it is.  Because of him football became my new  favorite sport to watch... the excitement, the sound of bodies colliding is soooooo awesome. But most of all football brings my sister and I together. She knows more about football than most people I know... and she might be a bigger Husky fan than me... although she has yet to attend the school. HAHAHA
     All in all, the day was great... I put on my purple attire, the shoes, the hair, the earrings, the beads, and even painted the nails... just to watch my Huskies smash the Idaho Vandals. Although it wasn't a close game, it was nice to have a win. The team hadn't won a game since Nov 2007... I happened to be at that game too. So it was icing on the cake that my first game in over a year happened to be the first win in a long time for the Huskies.
   On a sore note... I showed my school spirit, and now I'm paying with a sore throat. I guess it's been such a long time since I cheered that hard and my vocal cords were not well prepared. It doesn't matter if I can't talk for the next few days... because it was all worth it to be back in the stadium and coming out with a win. As the game came to an end... it meant that it was time for me to put away the purple things because who knows when I'll be back to husky stadium... but to get the win made saying "until next time" to all my Husky gear less difficult. However... I will bring a few purple T-shirts along with my purple jacket to Philadelphia because I can't leave all the purple behind. :)
   In the end, I hope everyone is enjoying a great weekend and BOW DOWN to WASHINGTON!!!!

Love,
Ngoc :)

7 days....

Let the countdown really begin!!!! Today marks the official one week mark, and next Wednesday I'll be in Philadelphia. To be completely honest, I haven't done any packing or cleaning or anything, but I've decided that I'm just going to stay true to myself for one more week.... I'm going to stick to what I do best... procrastinate. So I'm just gonna wait until Sunday to do all my laundry, and Monday and Tuesday to pack up my suitcases... no matter how I do it, I'm sure it'll get done, because that's how it works for me.

 However, I know that once I get to Philly, I'm going to try and not be such a procrastinator anymore... but I'm not sure how that's going to work but it'll be worth a try. This last week has been full of just spending time with friends and family and doing things that I might not be able to do in Philly... such as read for leisure. I'm currently working on finishing another book in Spanish and I have to say I enjoy reading in Spanish and I'm hoping it helps me with my vocabulary... but without anyone to really practice speaking with, it's kinda difficult.... so if anyone who happens to be reading this speaks Spanish and wants to help me out... you know where to find me... in Philadelphia!
Other than the usual laziness I've been exhibiting, I've been doing a lot of walking around the city and playing tennis. I'm not great, but I have to say that I really enjoy the sport... however, for those that know me, let's just say my temper and language need some work to fit in with the game... but you know I'm trying and it's fun. At least my right forearm is getting a workout and I haven't broken any rackets... yet.

          With only a week left in Seattle, I'm trying to spend as much time with my family and friends as possible.  However, with everyone busy working, the scheduling does get difficult, however, I'm going to try and make it work. Within the next week... I have to finish packing, narrow my choices of apartments to look at down, work on improving my sleeping pattern and finish my books.... oh so many things to do.... so little time.
            But yeah, nothing too exciting... however I'm really excited that it's almost here, but I know that I will be sad to leave... like I always am. Until next time! I hope everyone is well!

Besitos,
Ngoc :)

The Little Things You Often Overlook

Hey guys,  
(*) It's a lazy Sunday, and I'm actually sitting here in my bed, typing this. Outside the rain is falling and I have to say, that's one of the sounds I enjoy the most. It's soothing, pleasant, and always reminds
me of Seattle. Many people don't like rain, but being a true Seattlite I love it. I could walk around in it, I love the smell of it, and definitely the sound makes me feel at home. As my time is winding down in Seattle, I've started to think about the little things in this city that I'm going to miss. Having only been back this summer, I haven't had that much time to get back into the groove of Seattle. However, I've noticed tons of things that I might have overlooked when I lived here and they make me feel at home.

   Last night I was driving late on I-5 and I saw the downtown lights. I have to say that Seattle's downtown when it is lit up at night is breathtaking. Especially the view from Gasworks Park. Sitting on top of that hill and looking over the water to see the lights is probably one of the most beautiful scences I can imagine. That spot is definitely my favorite in all of Seattle. It had been a while since I was at Gasworks Park, but seeing it again brought back tons of memories of Fourth of July, or just walking up the hill with friends. (**)
    The lights on Qwest field are also lit up at night, and you can see the blue against the white as you're driving on the freeway. Although I've only been to Qwest field one time to watch an actual game, I've seen my fair share of Seahawks games. Football and sports in general bring Bi (my youngest sister) and I together. I can't even describe all the times we spent together watching games, yelling, cheering and at times crying for our team. But seeing the field reminds me of all the good times with her and how in Philly I'll be watching the games without her and it won't be the same.

 Since my return to Seattle, I've been walking a lot, and my favorite place is Greenlake. I usually walk down to it and then around it. When I lived here, I probably went to Greenlake once a year, but now I go atleast 3 times a week. I never noticed how beautiful and serene it is. The other day, I actually sat down by the water and chatted with my friend Ben, whom I hadn't seen in 2 years. In all my years in Seattle, I had never sat down by the water at Greenlake to read, talk or do anything.  But sitting by the water and seeing the ducks and everything else around the lake was awesome, and for the first time in a while I felt home.

     Finally, last night was the first UW football game of the season. I missed last year's season because I was in Spain and so it was good to be back on. Although I'll be a Dragon now, I'll always bleed purple and gold. I'll be a husky for life and will always cheer on my team. Watching the game on TV just made me want to go back to Husky Stadium with all the people in purple. I wanted to put on my purple wig and put on everything else purple I owned and get in the Dawg Pack. Seeing the game and cheering with my fellow huskies at home, made me see that I have missed the UW greatly the past year. I miss wearing purple, I miss walking the huge campus, I miss everything about being a Husky... But either way, it's time to move on, one day I'll be back hopefully but no matter where I end up or where I go.... I will bring my purple with me.
    Obviously there are more things about Seattle that make it great, if I've missed any, let me know. So, lets just take a moment to enjoy those tiny things that make us feel at home, because you really don't know what you have until it's gone. I hope everyone has a great Labor Day Weekend.... and one more time for old times... GO DAWGS!!!!

Besos,
Ngoc :)

*http://www.eontarionow.com/images/Rain.jpg 
**http://adam.smugmug.com/photos/162135255-L.jpg

Two Weeks Notice

Hey guys!
    I'm officially two weeks away from moving to Philly. I've started the "packing" process... It's going to be long and tedious, especially since I HATE packing. I really wished I was rich so that I could just go with my wallet and my backpack... however, I'm poor so I have to actually pack stuff and probably repack a billion times before I get it right.

This move is different than my Spain move in that I'll be going for 2 years and I might even be away for longer than that... maybe up to 10 years or so.... jajaja saying that out loud makes me realize how long it could be... Packing for Spain was difficult also but I don't remember it being anything like what I've started. If you remember, from my previous blog "La Rubia y La Morena" Ally and I both did a GREAT job of packing... as shown here by the pictures.... jajaja. We both said that our second time to Spain we would pack lighter... but as you can see we managed to pack about everything we own... we were kicking ourselves when we had to carry the suitcases up and down stairs in the Madrid subway station. Unfortunately my plan of a strong, good looking gentlemen would stop and assist us didn't quite work out... I mean, yeah I can lift my own bags and stuff... but it'd be soooooooo much better if some hot guy would just offer to do it for me... :) A girl can dream right?
    Anyways, Phase 1 of the process has begun with cleaning and organizing.... those that know me know that I'm not a fan of cleaning or organizing.... but when you have sooo much time like me I guess there's nothing else to do. My room usually looks like a tornadoe had just passed by, and my mom is always saying something, however a clean room isn't really my style, I just feel as if I can't find anything in a nicely organized room....

     Against everything that I know, I've forced myself to spend the last few days cleaning my room and going through all my old stuff and tossing anything out I don't need. I've realized that I like to collect things... Whenever I clean I always find old letters and cards from years ago, it's nice to sit down and read them, it takes you down memory lane a little. I've managed to organize all my papers and stuff in my room, I'm quite proud of how organized the papers look, they're actually labeled and filed. I've also managed to narrow down my shoe collection to 31 pairs that may come with me to Philly. I'm sure I'll have to pair them down, but for right now this is what I have. It's soooo hard, i want to bring them all but if I do then I won't have any clothes to wear. I know that when I get there I will definitely buy more shoes, so I guess leaving a few behind won't be that bad. If I could I would just bring all the shoes and forget clothes... who needs clothes right?????

    Either way, I'm very proud of myself, I've been pretty on top of things with this whole packing process. Normally I wait til' the night before to pack, and then just randomly throw things into my bag. However, I've decided to show my mom that I've grown up and am more organized by starting early. I've even made piles of things I'm thinking about bringing. I have managed to put together 4 bags of things that I want to bring, but that is not including tons of stuff.... so the hard part will come when I have to start putting things into the suitcases. I have to mention I hate how you have to pay to check a bag... if I didn't have to worry about having to pay so much for a bag, I would just bring everything, and then I wouldn't have to go through the process of sorting and packing and repacking.... grrrr!!!!
   But yeah, besides that nothing exciting in the journey... still need to find a place to live but I guess I'll have to wait til' I get to Philly to start looking... I don't know how I feel about that, but I really don't have any options... at least my Mommy will be with me :)
    Next time you hear from me hopefully I'll be further along on the process. I can't believe in 14 days I'll be on the other side of the country.... soooooooo excited!!!!

Besitos,
  ngoc :)