3 years into blogging: My graduation and the start of a new stage

A few notes before I start this post:

• I started blogging 3 years ago! Can you believe it? (I most certainly can’t ) As I have told you before, I did not expect to be blogging for so long… but here I am. 🙂 I am sure 18/19 year old Nat wouldn’t imagine how nicely life is treating me right now… I’m happy. ❤

• I’m currently on a Twitter hiatus! This is why you have probably not seen me around for a while. I’m trying to concentrate on my studies and Twitter is literally a black hole I could stay in for hours. *shrugs* 

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Hello, everyone that is still somehow following me! I am still alive after my first few weeks in pharmacy school! That is an accomplishment, right? This post will probably be full of pictures… Are you ready for it? (Yes, I’m writing this post while listening to the new Taylor single. I’m a Swiftie. Keep up!)

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Let’s see… Some huge events in my life that should get their own post, but since I’m short in time, here we are!

• I finally  graduated! Somehow I survived everything… And even though graduations are supposed to be boring with protocol and such, it was so much fun (even though my best friends did not attend *narrows eyes*)

• Literally as soon as I graduated, I went directly to the apartment where I’m staying while I’m studying, so I did not have much time to think. The day after my graduation, I went to my first day of orientations at my new uni. That was both cool and scary.
• That first week, I had my white coat ceremony. Simply getting to wear that coat for the first time as a student pharmacist is a moment I will always cherish. (And the fact that my best friend was there to see it all made it all worth it. ❤ )

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A few notes on my experiences in pharmacy school so far:

• I have not taken any exams (yet), but they’re getting closer, and I have been studying along with my roommates so I can survive. (My first exam’s from biochemistry, so I’m crossing my fingers!)
• My professors are from different parts of the world and I’m loving that… even though understanding their accents was hard at first. (Still working on some of them… I will succeed at understanding them all! You’ll see!
• I love my class. Everyone just wants to help each other pass and have fun along the way. I really hope we become really close. ❤

• As for my experience staying away from home, it has definitely been better than expected. I love my roommates and our dynamic. ❤ (Even though… uh… our bathroom roof (plaster?) fell last week. And that same day there was a blackout. That’s life, I guess *shrugs*)
• As for my reading, I’m around 25% done with Our Dark Duet by Victoria Schwab and I’m loving it. ❤

These: the good, the fun, the bad, the ugly, are experiences that I will never forget. I sincerely love this stage of my life, and the people I’m sharing it with.

Somehow, I’m back. *waves*

 

When was the last time I posted? *checks*

Uh-oh. I can’t believe you’re still following me after my inactivity these past months! Still- I’m back! And I even changed my About page a bit *winks along with the hint*

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The possible strike I mentioned in this post? Yep, it happened. And that’s why I took my last final last week. In JULY. Writing July on my class notes and exams was a surreal experience to say the least 🤗 but we survived… and my last grades were worth it. Even though I didn’t have to finish my degree to start classes in August.

It’s also why I’m graduating(!!!) in August instead of June, when we were still taking classes to catch up. My graduation is also the night before my orientations start at my new uni- so watch me try not to fall asleep the next day. I’ll try and keep you informed. 😂

I didn’t do much but read and watch TV shows during those 2 months I was at home -I even caught up with my Goodreads challenge… only to lose my winning streak when Uni started again. *shrugs* Let’s see if I can at least catch up during the next 3 weeks :3 I guess I should have caught up with my blogging as well, but it was my procrastinating self’s (read: my) fault.

I also decided on an apartment to live in for the next year while I study and met my two roommates. I have high hopes, people! I think it will be an Experience… even though I am honestly scared to death. I’ll really try to keep in touch the next months as I get used to the place and to being in a graduate school, living away from home… and to being called a student pharmacist. (eeeep!)

Stress… interviews and BEST VALENTINE’S DAY EVER

Hello, everyone! It has been a while (I always say this, but it’s true.)

Well, this post will be (kinda) long and divided into several parts. It was a long period of time since I posted, and I do want to catch up with everything that happened (Or at least some of it!)

(I do have awesome news at the end of the post )

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January: The month when I kind of realized I’m graduating.

January passed without major events in my life. Uni started quite late, so I don’t have much to tell about it, except for the fact that…

I. Started. My. Last. Semester. As. An. UNDERGRAD. aka I’m GRADUATING THIS JUNE.

**The actual date for graduation might vary because of strikes and stuff, but… it’s happening 🙂

I still can’t believe this is happening. I can’t believe I applied for graduation! (I won’t be able to believe it even when I graduate!)

Okay, apart from this, January was uneventful. I spent the month quite anxious because I finished my Pharmcas application in December and I was waiting for an answer. Or at least the link for my supplemental application. The link arrived with January, and that was that! I told myself I was not expecting anything, I was just trying for the sake of trying. (I still checked my email everyday even when my phone got push notifications for every email) The end of January arrived along with news that one of my friends got an interview for the school I had applied to (Yes, school. As in ONE pharm school) and, even though I knew for a fact that he had applied at least a month before I did… I started losing hope (the small amount of hope I had allowed myself to feel).

February: “Whoa, is this really happening?”

February, the month of love, and valentines and the full expression of capitalism 🤣  arrived… and I tried to stop thinking about grad school. I am only taking three classes this semester and I had to at least try to make it count! Six days along, I was minding my own business… and I got it. An email for an interview.

**My reaction went along somewhat like this.**

Still. The interview was three days after… and I was not prepared at all.

I went to the mall, bought an outfit, read A LOT about interviews for college and how they went (along with info about my specific program) and I was as ready as I could be! So, fast forward three days later… I was on my way to my (hopefully) future university with my mom and my phone’s GPS.

We got there 2. Hours. Earlier, expecting to be able to park close to the building and wait. That was not possible… So the guard let me enter the building and I got to the office. (They were really nice but I was dreading the long wait). When I entered the office, there were two girls (women? Do I start saying women on this case? I still don’t feel like a woman O.o) . The point is… they looked professional. Ready to be interviewed and being successful in the future. I did NOT feel like that, so I just prayed that my interviewers were nice enough to a person who did not feel as qualified.

The secretaries told a group of Pharmacy students to give me a tour, and I went along with them and asked them the questions I did not dared to ask during the Open House last June. (“Do I really have to buy an iPad?” Yes. “Do I have to wear a professional outfit all the time?” No, scrubs will do.) They were so nice (probably because they needed the points for a class they were taking, but they helped calm my stress so I appreciate it a lot). In the end they simply told me to go with the flow of the interview and that I would be fine. I went back to the office, met with the women who were going to be interviewed, and waited to be called. The secretary checked my transcripts and my data, told me everything was clear, and that was that.

The time of my interview finally arrived. To be honest, those 45 minutes were mostly a blur. I do remember them asking about my motivations (tricky question), about what defined me as a person and what frustrated people about me. (That one was particularly hard to answer.) They said to wait 3-4 weeks for a decision… and that was that. I got out, not entirely confident about what I had said, but really happy that they had been so nice and had listened to everything I said. My mom told me that even if buy any chance they didn’t accept me, I had a good experience. I would go through everything again. I felt comfortable, even after that stressful experience. 🙂

My friend had told me he received an answer days after his interview. I did not expect my situation to be the same. He does have better credentials (and GPA) than I do. I was willing to wait three weeks, after which I would probably start the process again. (And probably taking other exams to up my probabilites)

I woke up in Valentine’s Day particularly happy, for some reason. A lot of people asked me why I was so perky, and I really did not know. I mean… I was as single as the rest of the year. Perhaps it was the possibility of getting chocolate?

I spent the day with my friends, had lots of fun (and candy. Lots of candy.) And my Physics class arrived along with the news that we would take a home test. (That was reason enough to be happy, right?)

And then I got it. THE email. I literally got out of my classroom with my phone, ran and tried to call my parents. They. Did. Not. Answer. I was literally shaking and almost cried. I told my friend… I was out of the classroom for about 15 minutes while I calmed down. I probably won’t ever forget Valentine’s Day. It will be impossible to forget the day when my life changed.

Well… these are the news I have for you. Somehow, I am enough. And I still don’t believe it. (And I probably won’t until I get there.) I will try to keep you informed of all the steps I have to take from now on.

I’m proud to officially announce I’m in the NSU College of Pharmacy, Class of 2021. GO SHARKS!

Bye bye, 2016.

2016, a year for the books, right? I’ve been thinking a lot about what to write… and now that we’re two hours away from saying goodbye (here in Puerto Rico, as I’m writing this), I guess it’s time to think about what happened to me during this… eventful year. Shall we?

This will be sort of a numbered post since I don’t have much time… 😀

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1. First sleepover: Some of you will roll your eyes to the back of your head with this… but this was a milestone for me. Being invited let alone the fact that I was allowed to go? That was huge for me. That was one of the best nights of my life. I’m so glad it happened.
2. PCAT: I took it. I survived. And I’m currently waiting after I submitted an application to a pharmacy school. Is this scary or what? That was also the time of my second sleepover. Will there be a time where I stop counting them?
3. Time to get my GPA up! And it did. It totally did and now I’m finally competitive enough for at least a chance. I’m so happy… even though might not be enough, I’m still up for a fight.
4. Turning 21: It was not as exciting as how many people experience. Probably because I don’t drink? But it was still a milestone. And what made it a happy day for me was that my friends actually remembered and made it special.
5. And as for the sad part, more death in my family. I still have no clue why this all keeps happening… but it did. Again. And the distance between my extended family and I feels kind of unsurmountable right now. Let’s hope for new beginnings next year? 
6. (NOT) finishing my goal amount of books? I accepted some months ago that I wouldn’t make it this year. These past semesters were kind of brutal… I am lucky I could finish SOME books… I’m hoping this perpetual slump could end ANY minute now…
7. Becoming obsessed with k-Dramas. It was bound to happen. *shrugs* I can’t imagine myself without them now.
8. Speaking of obsessions…

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I wanted to say something else, too, before the year ends. I missed lots of things, things I could have blogged about… and I did not. I could say I did my best for my blog, but I didn’t. I am not going to promise to post more. It would be pointless… But I’m still going to try. I deserve it, and you deserve it too. 2017 is so important, you see. I FINALLY graduate during next year! And whatever happens… I want to share this next stage with you all. Like I said, I’m going to try. Let’s see how it goes.

Signing off for the year;

Nat.

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P.S. 2016 IS FINALLY OVER, BITCHES!!!

*gasps* A new post.

Welcome back to my blog! I’ve been deep into the study- and-KDrama-watching cave (If you follow me on Twitter, you should know that I’m basically obsessed with Moonlight Drawn by Clouds. Sorry to all of those who find it a bit lacking? I don’t! *is hopelessly in love with Park Bo Gum*). So that’s why I have not been here… since JULY. I’m here to basically procrastinate before studying for my statistics exam! On the bright side, you get to read about me…! I don’t think that is truly a bright side… but still… It’s so good you’re here!

PS. I’m aware there was a new post alert during the past week… I posted something by mistake and deleted it quite quickly 🙂  

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You might be wondering (probably not): What has Nat been up to these days?

The answer is… about everything and nothing all at once. I might have to divide this post in sub posts… If I don’t this might get messy. 🙂

I took my PCAT.

(I did tell you I was going to try to be an adult these months… I am turning 21 this November, you know) Remember how I said I would study a lot? And exercise a lot?

And you probably reacted like this?

I only got to General Chemistry and worked from there. But my results were quite good! So I still haven’t lost my touch. (Except for Math.)

I should have written a post after taking the PCAT. It was honestly an experience. At first we couldn’t reach the place because our GPS wasn’t working. We got there 15 minutes before my friend’s testing window began. I had 15 more minutes to prepare… and then it was my turn. (We shall NOT talk about the picture they took of me. It was honestly awful).

Those next four hours are now pretty much a blur… but I remember being so anxious because I was running out of time at so many of the sections! TWO of the lectures on my Critical Reading section had to do with literature. That was nice, especially as they had to do with culture and what could be considered as a national literature. I was honestly so interested on that topic!

I basically smiled like this. The proctor must have been quite worried about my mental sanity.

And then Math arrived. Those were pretty much the worst 45 minutes of my life… only overran by my first Pre-calculus 2 test on my freshman year. Oh, boy, was that a disaster. Although I could have done a bit worse? I have no idea.

My friend and I went to eat afterwards… and then arrived to a mass/baptism/wedding. -At first I thought it would be so long and I was so tired already…! But my romantic side came out quite quickly, the wedding was so cute, and seeing them be so excited about marrying? That made me so happy, even if I had no idea who they were. -We then got to my friend’s home and watched movies and Coffee Prince. It was nice. (And I cried with one of those movies. María, I know you’re reading this. I still hate you. :D)

So I’m now working on my application. (oh, well… I started it today. Happy?) I still have to ask two of my professors for letters of reference… and that scares me to no end. I mean, who should I ask? I don’t think any of my professors likes me enough to make a nice one for me. I’ll try, though. Maybe one of them can surprise me. I also have to write an essay! I need to see if my writing skills are up to par with what they are asking for! 🙂

Blackouts and funerals

There was this huge blackout in Puerto Rico. You MUST have heard about it on the news (or at least seen it somehow online?) It lasted about 2 days and a half and people either played Pokémon Go on the streets or watched the stars. They looked amazing! There are beautiful pictures people posted online because there wasn’t any light pollution. I basically used my family’s flashlight to reread The Assassin’s Blade and rest. (I had not rested at all during the PCAT weekend. I was exhausted).

The day after it started, I got the news: My aunt (she was my deceased aunt’s twin sister) had died that morning, and I hadn’t found out because we were all out of battery. So my dad called from Texas, and both my grandma and my aunt’s sister arrived at the same time. That was when I realized something was wrong. I literally started shaking, and my mom couldn’t stop crying. I think that moment will be stuck in my mind for the rest of my life… especially as it was only 4 days since my grandma’s death anniversary. My dad came home for a week, then, after I booked his tickets. It was nice, since he’ll come back again this Christmas. I mean, the circumstances were rough but there was a bright side to all of this.

Stray thoughts…

So… basically, some things have changed, but a lot has stayed the same. I’m taking six classes this semester. (Please remind me of WHY I took this decision?) Some of them are easy, some of them are harder, but all of them take too much time from my hands! Time I could be using for blogging… (Who am I kidding? I would use it to be online, watching TV shows or reading.

I’m also still quite excited about my Instax camera! It feels like I’m creating these tangible memories when I take those pictures. I’m planning on decorating one of the walls of my room and fill it with instant photos. Be sure to follow me on Instagram to see if I follow through with that promise. 🙂

So here I am… listening to the Descendants of the Sun soundtrack and simply writing to procrastinate. I might have some more things to say quite soon, so please come back and check if I have posted my latest rant.

*signs off with a Park Bo Gum gif*

Sleepovers, Scares and Staying at a Hotel

Well, people, it’s been a while…

 

I’m blogging from my study cave. (Yes, you read me right. Studying. In July… but don’t be sad for me, I literally started studying today. I’m okay, and procrastinating healthily while blogging) The time has come to prepare myself for the PCAT… a test that will probably define my whole future, but no big deal! *laughs nervously*

Being an adult is scary. I’m not even kidding, I haven’t been more nervous than the night I applied to take the PCAT. It’s not that bad, though. I don’t exactly have to get up early, which means I can work with my schedule, and I plan on studying with my friends. My vacations haven’t exactly been uneventful. I got really scared for a week or two while I didn’t know if I would have to get surgery… If you follow me on Twitter, you’ll know that it was, thankfully, a false alarm, and I got off with a December appointment and an order to exercise and eat better… (bye bye, pizza weekends!) … Right after I got that order I went to an hotel and basically broke that rule for two whole days, but I was saying goodbye! Don’t judge! 😀

 

(Yes, that’s my hair. Yes, that’s Graceling, AKA my favorite book in the whole world) I posted most of my pictures/videos on Snapchat (fearlesslynat, like the blog, just in case you were wondering :D)

These past days were amazing… And they weren’t the only thing I’ve done this summer! I finally had my first sleepover at María‘s on her birthday, and it was fairly one of the best days ever 🙂

 

 

 

Now that I told you about everything that has happened, more or less, I guess I can also tell you about movies/books/tv shows, right?

A month ago I told you I was watching Les Interpretes, right? It had a kind of disappointing ending, to be honest. It had such a promising beginning, and it had to end like that… *groans*. I wasn’t expecting more of the other one I was watching, which was good, because the ending wasn’t good, either. That’s why I ended up watching Descendants of the Sun… twice. Now I’m watching Beautiful Mind, Doctors and Lucky Romance… which are good… so far. I am up to date with Game of Thrones as well, which means I can read Pat‘s posts without fear of spoilers. Life is good, really.

I’ve also tried to catch up with my reading… but I only read Lady Midnight (I finished it!!) and started Graceling. I’m waiting for my friend to give A Court of Mist and Fury to me… I’m really excited about it because (1) Sarah J. Maas, duh. and (2) IT’S SIGNED! Which is basically a dream come true… although I still want to meet her someday.

Anyway, I think this was a nice update, and hopefully I’ll meet you again soon while I try to distract myself from Biology and *shudders* organic chemistry… *waves*

“I’m Alive!”-Sia

*runs towards all of you, screaming “I am NOT GONE yet!”*

Hello! Long time, no see… (Since Valentine’s Day! Whoa…) *wonders if people are still interested in my posts*

This semester was draining… but good results came from it, so that’s great! *smiles at my brand new GPA*

Summer has now arrived (finally, after finals were postponed a week because of my uni’s strike…*), and with it a sense of happiness and peace I hadn’t felt since forever. Incredibly, I have not finished any books (apart from one I read during finals but that one didn’t count), so if you have any suggestions as to what in the world I can do to get rid of this horrible reading slump, they are mostly welcome. A little more than a month ago I tweeted a poll (see below)

What should I read next?

— natalie. (@AelinsFireheart) April 24, 2016

and I still have to keep my word. I’ll keep you posted on if I like Lady Midnight. I’ve been trying to listen to the audiobook… (trying being the main word. Perhaps it will work when I start working out this summer? Only time will tell)

Since I can’t read much because of the slump, I’ve been watching Korean dramas. My mother basically passed on her addiction to me. I’ve been also watching Les Interprètes, a Chinese drama, which is SO GOOD (and extremely addicting, so please do NOT do as I did and watch it slowly. Do not binge on 14 episodes in one day. It’s not healthy and you’ll run out of episodes soon.) I did not think I would enjoy something like this so much, but I love how it involves both languages in such a natural way!

A lot of things have also happened. My dad came here for 2 weeks… during which I was on my finals so I did not get to spend as much time as I wanted with him (boo…) BUT he did promise he would try to come here more often. I was not able to go to my brother’s graduation (Thanks, Developmental biology) BUT I did get a good grade on the class so it was (kind of) worth it.

In other words, I’m free, like Dobby (for the next 2 months, anyway), even though I plan on studying for the PCAT. *crosses fingers* I also have other plans for this summer… I hope I can do it all… (And keep this blog more updated, hopefully.)

*I guess that would have been a good topic for a blog post… but I did tweet about a lot of my thoughts… xD

P.S. Do you all like my new blog layout? I’m trying some things out. 🙂

 

 

New y- semester, new me!

Greetings, Earthlings (I’ve officially ran out of ways to greet you, guys. I need to brainstorm)

I haven’t seen you all since… my birthday, isn’t it?

The truth is… that not much has happened since then. This Christmas was bound to be kind of hard because of all the things that happened last year, but life goes on! *shrugs*. I did spend my whole break at home watching Netflix (I finished Buffy! That’s something! I’m still behind on House of Cards and Merlin, so shh with the spoilers!) and movies (like Star Wars. I still have to watch the original trilogy, Episodes VI and VII. I need TIME!). I didn’t read much, except for rereading the Shatter Me trilogy and the Throne of Glass books… I did go out with my friends on a hike. It was fun, but my legs hurt like crazy for the next week or so. Exercising this year is a MUST!

(When did WordPress create this collage thing, anyway? It is so cool!)

I guess the thing that changed the most was the fact that I decided to change my study (and general) habits for the better. I know, I know, I always say this. There’s always a start, and this is mine. I won’t take Physics this semester, but I’ll take Developmental Biology… which apparently is kind of hard? I’m hoping I can survive and live to tell the tale, like I always end up doing with you all, my dear followers. Hopefully I’ll get to blog more as I keep getting used to how life is happening.

Anyway, I have to go. Uni starts tomorrow, even though I’m in this huge denial pit.

*hugs*

Nat

Humans adapt; so will I.

One of my favorite quotes (even if it’s from one of my not-so favorite books, Allegiant) is:

“Change, like healing, takes time.” 

While hard events are going on in your life, it is hard to imagine if things will ever be okay again, whether things changed for the better.

One of my Biology professors once told me every living thing has something it is good at, something that comes by instinct. He asked us what we thought our superpower -for lack of a better word -was. (Let’s be honest. It’s a good question. Most animals follow patterns, have a function on the environment. What do humans do on Earth? I’m sure I spent like five minutes trying to answer that question) Finally, he gave us the answer: Humans adapt to their environment, and change everything around them. (Not that it’s always a good thing!)

That’s the answer to my previous question. Things will be okay, because nothing is forever, and we can adapt to those changes. Life during this past month hasn’t been exactly easy, but we’ve been slowly adapting to this new way of life; my brother, my mom and I videochat with my dad every night, and we are cooperating way more with each other chore-wise.

Things have been specially hard on my mom. They have been together for 25 years… This has been a learning process for all of us. We’ve all had to learn something. We’re slowly becoming more independent, and life does go on, even if adapting to those changes is definitely not easy. I’ve decided I’ll do my best… (Especially if I want to get into graduate school close to him and my mom, in the future). I most definitely miss life as it was some months ago, but I still believe in what I wrote a year ago: Some things do not happen because of a reason in particular, but you must do your best with what you have and fight for what you want.

Wow, reading this post you might think: Whoa, Nat is going through a rough patch and there’s no positivity in her life! But that’s not exactly true. There have been some nice things in my life lately. Yesterday, for example, was a particularly good day. I had my ACS initiation and had a good time with my friends.

So, that’s how life goes: There are some good days, and some not so great. But it is like that for everyone. I’ll get used to it in time. And I’ll be here, like I always am, to tell my story. 🙂

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TL;DR: I’ve been trying to get used to life after my dad had to move; it hasn’t been easy, but we’re all adapting to everything. Lately life has been nice, thanks to my friends, and hopefully I’ll still be here, blogging all about it. 🙂

PS: Yes, I got a new haircut. I did tell you about it on my last post but I didn’t show you all. 🙂

A much needed update

My last post was a month ago… so I really shouldn’t need to say that I had to skip the remainder of the weeks on Writing101 (I’m sorry, I really am. I was having so much fun!). Then again, things happened. (this post will explain) So many things did, and I had to take some time to just stop and think about how things are going to work now that my grandma has been gone for almost a month, and that my dad is working at Texas. (I miss him like crazy…it’s his birthday tomorrow, the first one where we won’t be together. It’s been two whole weeks.)

It’ll be a while until we can take a picture like this one again. These next two years will be long as hell. pic.twitter.com/2pHgxWhOxG

— natalie. (@AelinsFireheart) September 26, 2015

I’ve been through an adaptation period, so I might have been really cranky. Posting things during this past month would have meant angry posting -especially about my Physics lab. Ugh-  And that’s definitely not okay! My blog is my positive haven. My Twitter? Entirely a different thing. Some other, positive things have happened:

How. Did. This. Happen? #physics pic.twitter.com/upF27aS1nf

— natalie. (@AelinsFireheart) October 1, 2015

^^ I had really negative expectations about my Physics class… but I’m happy. My professor is seriously crazy, but he’s really passionate about this whole thing. (Kind of awkward, too, but that’s expected. I really like him.)

Well, this is it. A short one, But I owed it to you all.

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P.S: I also owe you a picture of my new haircut, but I really must go and study.:D

xoxo, Nat