By popular demand???

Well... by request by an "anonymous" follower... I have decided to begin blogging again. It has indeed been over ONE Year since I've last blogged and my life has been busy, busy, busy. It's hard to recap what has happened in 2010, but let's just say that it was exciting, motivating, and at times exhausting. However, I'm still alive and VERY excited for what 2011 will bring for me.

I have been in Philly for over a year... and it is finally feeling like home to me. I've gotten use to going to work, going to school.... but there are moments where I miss home. However, in the time I've been here I've learned so much about myself... and what I'm capable of doing. I can't say that I've done all I have here, without help from new friends and family. When you move around so much like I have in the last few years... the friends you make become your new family. Although they can't take the place of your family at home, they fill the void when you need people around the most.

I recently, went home to Seattle to visit and it was bitter sweet because I was home, but at the same time I felt so foreign. Life for my closest friends in Seattle has been moving so fast, I can't quite fit myself back into their lives. I tried to visit the old places I spent my college years in and do the things I use to do... and I missed while I'm in Philly, but it didn't feel the same... The whole time in Seattle.. I thought about what it was like 3 years ago when Seattle was still my home... but now i don't know if I can call Seattle my home anymore. Maybe I'm a wander.. with no home... and building relationships that cannot last for too long, because I am just going to move...

But as an update about my life... to all those that care or are following... I'm finishing up my masters' this year... six more months... and I'll officially have the "MPH" behind my name. In the mean time I'm just working on finishing, and praying for a place in medical school.... My life is school and school and more school.... but hopefully I will get into med school and that will be the last schooling I ever do with my life.... (hopefully... jaja).

Life is good, I'm healthy, happy and hopeful for the future... I hope all my friends all over the world are happy and healthy as well. E-mails, letters or other messages are appreciated. Although we may not communicate as often as we should... true friendship is being able to pick up where you left off... when the chance presents itself. Lots of love!

Ngoc :)

1 down 5 more to go!!!

Muy buenas todos!
   I have officially finished my first quarter as a graduate student and it feels great to be done. I'm trying to decide whether the sensation is similiar to what I felt when I finished in undergrad... but I don't think it is... it just feels different. Maybe cuz' I'm more grown up???? Or maybe when I think about it 5 quarters left doesn't sound as bad as like 16... jaja.
   This quarter has gone by soooooo fast I can't quite believe it's over. I'll be getting ready to go home on the 15th for a couple of weeks to spend with the family. Although one of my sisters won't be there, it'll be nice to be home to see my parents and my others siblings as well as my friends. Having been here for almost 3 months it feels as if this is now my home. I was walking home the other day and I guess this is starting to become my home... I'm starting to know the streets... recognize the buildings.. although I may never truly fit in for a true Phildelphian, it is starting to feel like home. I guess that's a good sign since I do have over 1.5 years here.
   Although the quarter has gone by so fast... I've learned tons of things in the few months I've been here...
   1. I miss Spain terribly... but I'll just keep it in my mind and the photos will remind me that one day I'll be back there.
   2. Friends are the closest things you have to family when you're far from home. The ones I've met here have been great, and it has made being "social" a lot easier for this "semi-antisocial grandma"
   3. Grad school is nothing like undergrad and you definitely need a laser printer... and graduate students like me, who can't read from a computer screen for that long, are probably public enemy number one on the environmentalist list.
   4. Having a hot plate does not equal a kitchen... no matter how nice the apartment is.
   5. Bernard Hopkins live in my bldg... for those who don't know... he's a big time boxer from Philly... I didn't know either... but he's nice and not that scary looking... but I'm sure he's scary if you had to fight him in the ring.
   6. The Rocky steps aren't that bad looking... talking about that I need to watch that...
   7. PHilly is NOT like Seattle or Spain and women walking around late at night is not okay... maybe I haven't quite learned this yet... but I'm sure eventually it'll sink in.
   8. Working + graduate school doesn't work for me...
   9. I miss my mom's cooking like crazy....
  10. It's freakin cold here in Philly....

   Obviously I learned stuff in the classes also, but who wants to hear about that. Now that I've settled in and gotten to know the city, some people and a feel for my classes... I'm looking forward to my 2nd quarter, and excited for all the opportunities it will bring. With more time to dedicate to school... I hope to get involved in some volunteering activities or some organizations... just to get in the spirit of public health.
    I'm trying my best to continue to update, if something interesting happenes... but as you guys can tell... the life of a graduate student isn't as exciting as the traveling, english teacher you had a year ago... but I'll try and work something out for you guys.
    Love you and miss you where ever you are in the world. I hope to hear and see many of you soon.

 Besitos,
  Ngoc :)

And We're Back

      I'm finally back into updating.... it's been crazy with getting accustomed to school and life here in Philly. But i can safely say that I'm going to be better at updating. The quarter is now coming to an end, as finals week is actually NEXT WEEK!!!! I can't quite believe how fast time has gone by, however I guess that must mean I'm keeping very busy. I have enjoyed all my classes and I'm glad that I'm here, and I think I made the correct decision in coming here.
      In the 2 or so months I've been here, I've been able to make a few new friends and grow up a lot more. I've gotten to know people that I normally wouldn't associate with, and have found friends to be the greatest support here, since I'm so far away from my family. I guess I'll do a quick recap of all the things that have happened to me since the last time I wrote... although nothing really exciting happened... besides the studying and stuff.... it's always nice to go back and look on what has happened.

     I shadowed Dr. Handly in the ER for the first time and it was a wonderful experience, I was very excited to be there, and got to see tons of things. I'm looking forward to working with him on possibly more projects or something like that in the future. But after that experience i realized that I am definitely in the right line of work.. there is nothing else in the world I would rather do.

    I got a job and then I quit it. After working for two months I realized that it just wasn't working out for me. I wanted more time to be able to get to know my classmates and to enjoy being a graduate students. i was missing out on a lot of different events such as lectures and get togethers because I was working. Also the environment wasn't something that I enjoyed, so in the end, I realized that if I'm spending so much for graduate school I should be spending most of my energy and time getting the most out of schooling... right?

   I went to my first Eagles football game. It was really fun... they won. The stadium was packed. Philly fans are known for their rowdiness, and i have to say it wasn't tooo bad. I guess I have seen worse, but it was still nice to be at the stadium and watching the game. Although they aren't officially my team, I have to root for them.... but when they play the Seahawks... we know who I'll be rooting for.
   Besides those things, nothing much has been going on in my life... besides studying and more studying. Speaking of studying, I'm going to start studying for my finals that are coming this week. I hope everyone is well, and had a good Thanksgiving, I miss you guys terribly, and hope to see you soon!

 Mil besos,

  Ngoc :)

The Life of a Student

Hola everyone!

  I guess it's going to be a lot harder to update than I thought. I'm definitely going to try and update atleast once a week... although I feel I might be the only person to really care and read this blog... jajaja. Either way, my second week has come and gone. I have to say having classes 3 days a week makes it soo much easier. However, I must find something else to do to take up my time... so if anyone has a job they are willing to offer me... please give me a call.
    This week I successfully completed my first writing assignment.. it was torture... who knew being out of school for a year was going to make it that difficult to get back in the swing of things. However, I'm glad it's over... now only if I can stay on top of these readings... but there are sooooooo many. Outside of school, I've managed to hangout with my new friends, do a "little" shopping, and play some sports. I've been sticking to my workout plan, which is easy considering my gym is located inside my bldg, all i have to do is go downstairs...jajaja if I can't do that... then I really am lazy. I had my first game with my volleyball team... it was really fun, we won. i do have to say, that it's been a long time since I've played, I miss how much fun it is. Volleyball has always been a fun sport for me, it never brought as much stress for me as basketball... I don't know why. I also continued to play a little tennis... I think I'm getting better, but considering that I didn't even know how to play a few months ago... the fact that I can hit the ball over and in the court should mean something... although I do miss padel... they need to import that from Spain
    It's really difficult to remember everything that's happened... so I'm really sorry if this isn't an interesting post. I will do my best to continue the updates... but it looks like as I get deeper into the school year... it's going to be a great challenge. So if you want to know how I'm doing... give me a call, send me an e-mail, message through facebook, tuenti, or owl... whatever you want. I also love hand written letters:
   I will upload a few photos... I have to say i haven't been as photo happy as normal... i don't know why. I need to get on it. As always, I miss everyone, and hope everyone is doing well, and that we'll talk/see/chat with each other soon. Thousands of hugs and kisses from this new city that is slowly growing on me...

   Buenas noches!
  Ngoc :)

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 :)