Category: usa experience

Freshman year

My freshman year was the most incredible and funniest experience I’ve ever had, coming from another country I was so scared I would be mistaken in coming to the US for college, I was even more scared of not liking the school I would choose, but I’ve never regretted my decision. Penn State is like home to me now, every aspect of it makes me so happy, and I’m so glad i chose this school to spend the next 4 years. I’ve met so many people that I could never imagine my life without them, they became my family and support system here in the US because all of my loved ones live in Ecuador. Life here is definitely different from what I had to picture before arriving, I thought American teenager movies were a perfect way to describe American school life, but it definitely wasn’t. I’m definitely going to miss my people here so much during summer, I’m even sad because I’m leaving to go home, which before I would be so excited because I missed Ecuador so much, of course, I miss my family, but I also don’t want to be away from my college friends for 3 1/2 months approximately.

This year has taught me a lot, from having to make myself get out there and talk to new people to enjoying my alone time without feeling lonely or with the need of socializing. Also, taking care of myself, for example, when I’m sick going to the doctor alone which is something I would never do before, or cooking for myself when I’m hungry and nothing is open, the little things that made me feel like an independent individual helped me to grow in a way I never did before, because back home I had my family for everything, and I would ask for help whenever.

I’m grateful I have the opportunity to study at Penn state and get a quality education, I’m even more grateful to the universe for putting such nice people in my life here, it would not be the same incredible experience without them.

 

Almost there!

2 more weeks left of school and then finals. I couldn’t be happier, I’m so ready for this semester to be over. Like I’ve mentioned in past blogs after spring breaks my motivation to do any schoolwork completely disappeared from my body, I felt so drained mentally and physically for a while, but, lately, I’ve improved in just getting my assignments done in time and be ready for finals. I already started studying for some of the classes I think are the hardest ones. At the same time, I feel like this semester was so much fun, the only reason I would like for it to not be over is my friends, I will miss them so much when I go back to Ecuador. I feel like I will have tons of long-distance relationships once I go back, seeing someone every day for months and then suddenly seeing them only in face time is going to suck. Living so far away from my best friends sucks and 3 months without them is going to leave a scar on me, literally.

 

Updates

Lately, I’ve been doing better with my motivation for school, but I’m so looking forward to summer. I think I already mentioned how I’m excited to see my parents and friends form Ecuador, but now I have another reason to be super excited for summer, I’m seeing BAD BUNNY  in a concert in NY during the last week of summer. When my best friend told me she got tickets I couldn’t believe her, I know he’s not super popular here in Pennsylvania, but he is  huge in Ecuador and Latin America overall. I think he is one of the best artists of all times, just listening to his songs can make a bad day better for me, and I’m not even exaggerating.

I’ve never been in a concert before, so it was difficult to convince my parents to let me go with my best friend to NY alone for a concert, normally they would’ve definitely say no, but this time they actually allowed me to go with the condition of being in constant communication with them, and I understand because I’m far from their protection. I’m also a little nervous about it because I’ve seen his concerts are so wild sometimes, people go crazy because of his songs and sometimes it can get scary. However, Im still very excited to live this new experience with an important person in my life. He is also going to Ecuador but in November and we’ll be in class by then.

 

 

This summer is going to be amazing, although I will miss Penn State a lot, I’m happy I get a long break to spend time with my love ones in Ecuador, before the concert my best friend is visiting me in Ecuador too, so I will the taking her to cool places in my hometown, and Galapagos Islands, which is the place I want to show her the most.

 

 

One more month

From my last blog post, it seemed like I was really struggling with everything regarding schoolwork, well, It’s been a week and nothing has changed. The only thing that is keeping me going is that there is only a month left of classes. April is almost here and I can’t wait for summer! At the same time, I feel like being away for 3 months from Penn State is going to hurt, I will miss my friends so much, and in my case, coming from strict parents that won’t let me go out with my friends as much as I do here, is going to be a struggle for me.

Living here and being independent means not having to ask my parents for permission for anything, they’re so far away there’s nothing they can do or say to prohibit different activities like going out to parties, having sleepovers, among other social events. My dad is Asian and my mom is Hispanic, that combination is BAD when I want to ask them for permission to go somewhere, they think of any small detail or a possible way for me to get hurt when out, and I understand their concerns but sometimes it’s exhausting. When I ask my American friends how their parent’s situation is when they go out they all say the same: “My parents don’t care as long as I communicate” I feel like that’s how it should be always but that’s not my situation. I miss my Ecuador friend and I’m hoping I can get to take advantage of the time I’m there to see their ad many times I want, all of us parted different ways and summer is going to be our only time to see each other in like a year. Because of covid, I didn’t see them before leaving for the US and never had a proper goodbye so hopefully, we can all see each other soon.

Anyways, that is one of my main concerns about going back to Ecuador, am I going to be able to endure 3 months of having to ask for permission every single time and most likely them saying no. I feel like being 19 years old is enough for me to gain more freedom from them, at the same time I understand their concerns, Ecuador is a beautiful country but it can get dangerous sometimes, you never know what one could find in the streets and sometimes even if one is coming back safe and sound from the streets, there has been a lot going on lately.

 

Struggling with motivation for school

Lately, I have been having a hard time staying motivated for school. Studying has been a struggle. Although spring break was nice, having a week off really set me back. I had stuck to my daily routine for the entire beginning of the semester but not doing work for a week ruined my desire to stick to my routine after returning to Penn State. Additionally, the warmer and sunnier weather makes me want to be outside with my friends, like i dont want to be in the library on a 2:00 pm while i could be outside having fun and enjoying the beautiful weather.

 

 

With Thanksgiving break, it was different because we just had 2 more weeks of school after it, but now we had 6 more weeks of school which sucks because all I want to do is hang out with my friends and see my family. I thought I came refreshed and ready to do a lot of work and study hard but it wasn’t the case. My friends also feel the same way so I know It’s not just me feeling drained from school. However, I know I have to keep pushing through and try to finish strong my freshman year. I have a couple midterms left and then finals. I cant wait for finals but I’m also so a little scared of them because i’m actually doing so well on my classes i dont want to drag my grade down for 1 exam, i feel like that is not fair but it is how it is.

In conlusion, I’m having a hard time adjusting with getting back to my normal productive school routine, I know i will get back to normal  eventually but this past 2 weeks I haven’t being doing the most i could, or given my best regarding my classes.

2 more months to go

Unpopular opinion but I missed this. I missed doing work, going to class, seeing my new friends, I missed my college routine. Spring break is over, which means 2 more months to go! I’m so excited to continue this new journey and I think I’m finally adapting to the new student life in such a big university like Penn State. However, 3 months (summer)  is a long time, I miss my family and friends from Ecuador but I feel like I’m going to miss Penn State more when I’m there,  life here is so much more fun.

My best friend Paige is visiting me over the summer in Ecuador and I couldn’t be more excited, we are going to go to the beach, and possibly visit the Galapagos Islands. I’ve been there a couple of times and it’s amazing, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for anyone. There are so many exotic animals and plants, delicious food, and nice people. I hope she has a great time in my country, and I can’t wait to show her my hometown, I think she’s gonna be somewhat scared of the food because it is certainly different than American food, but it is still GOOD.

 

 

 

Anyways, I can’t believe I’m finishing my freshman year, I think that’s so crazy, it feels like it was yesterday that my parents came to drop me off at Penn State. Now I will be a sophomore but I try not to think about it because I start having existential crises because I’m still not sure about what I’m going to do after I graduate, I know I still have time but I feel like time is not even real now, everything is going by so fast and I’m scared to not figure it out soon enough. I’m still on board with my major so I guess that’s progress, I enjoy doing econ although I do think it’s so hard, the math in it confuses me so much sometimes and I start second-guessing myself ion whether this is what I want to do or should do, however, I enjoy the social science, I enjoy the theories and applications of it, which in my opinion is what matters the most, how to apply something in real life, eventually this is what is going to make the degree count at jobs.

In conclusion, these next months are going to be FUN, STRESSFUL, and most importantly INTENSE. But I’m still excited for what is coming, life will keep getting interesting as time passes by so I’m up for every challenge the universe wants to throw at me.

Spring semester here I come!

I’m officially in my second semester at Penn State. It has been crazy since I came here. Coming from Ecuador I never imagined I would be experiencing  such an incredible and different life. I’ve learned so much about myself, in a academic and personal aspect, for example, finding out what works better for me when studying, because I work better in the daylight, so when the sun started setting at 4-5pm I struggled trying to keep being productive and take advantage of my free time doing work. Eventually I’ve been organizing myself much more into what works best for keeping me motivated to study and ho homework. Another struggle was sharing a living space with some I met 4 months ago, but now I learned how to manage myself to make living with someone else easier. But like old saying says, the good always outweighs the bad. I’ve also grown in a personal way, i’m more open to new activities and ideas, I like trying new things and stepping out of my comfort zone has become a new habit for me since I came here. 

The people I’ve met in the last months have been the biggest blessing I’ve ever had, even though they are so different we understand each other very well. My friends back home are very unalike from my friends here and that has impacted the way I view many things. Sometimes i’m scared to loose myself in this new country but I know my essence will always be the same. I’m also a first generation college student so having people I can trust here has made my life so much easier, when I first came here I felt so scared of how it was going to be living alone, but being so independent in the sense that I have to choose what I do with my time, choose who to hangout with, what to eat, and so much more.

For this new semester blogs I will be writing life updates about the new events i’m experiencing here. Like an international students guide? The only problem is I don’t even know what i’m doing, I just live every day and try to do my best to fit in without changing myself. Life is getting more and more exiting every day and as I meet more new people and visit more new places i keep learning from this experiences I will always remember.

 

Motivation and mental health in college

As holidays are around the corner my motivation is starting to die slowly. The many midterms, projects, and finals approaching are making me feel so tired and worn out. I’m so happy this semester is almost over. Lately, I’ve been procrastinating so much by taking 3-hour naps in the middle of the day, something which I have to change because is not a healthy habit, especially in college, if I keep doing this I’m going to drown in my classes. I feel like a lot of people talk about this but not enough, and “adults” might think we as students are just being babies and can’t handle a little work, but in reality is so much more than that makes us feel a certain way.

I was talking about this the other day with my friends and they feel the same way, I feel like professors should think more about students’ mental health and I don’t want to generalize because there are many professors that care, but not too many. These past 3 weeks have been non-stop for me, with so much homework and assignments, and don’t get me wrong I like doing work, it keeps me centered but sometimes is just too much. I feel like many college students can relate to me when I say I’m exhausted, I need a break. This Thanksgiving break, I’m gonna try so hard to keep my mind out of school as much as I can, and be relaxed, although I don’t think is going to be possible because some of my professors left us to break homework, which I think it’s so wrong.

In conclusion, I’m not thriving at the moment, and that’s okay. I feel like this is completely normal, to feel burned out after  4 months of non-stop work. And I’m happy for the opportunity of studying at this university, I think the tiredness is a sign that I’m doing what I’m supposed to do and working hard every day to succeed at Penn State. What keeps me going is the support of my family giving me their good wishes and trusting me into succeeding in life. I miss them so much every day and I’m excited to see them during Christmas break. My birthday is also very soon so I’m excited about that, I’m so happy about it because I’m spending it back in Ecuador with my friends from home and family. Finally, there are good times ahead of me, and im thrilled, hopefully, time goes by faster so I can finally feel like myself again.

November-december-2022

 

Finally, it’s November, and my favorite time has arrived! We’re so close to the end of the years and I’m in shock, how did this time pass so fast? I’m so excited about the holidays, I feel like they are going to be even more special because I’m coming home after a long time.  I have a friend studying in Canada and without us knowing were taking the same plane home, which is awesome because I was a little bit anxious about traveling alone again, I usually don’t mind doing it but for some reason, all of the negative thoughts about being alone in an airplane came to my head. 

My parents are so excited for me to come home, I miss them so much and I know I talk about this in every blog but I can’t say it enough, I’m also so excited about seeing my doggy before I came here I was scared I wasn’t gonna see he anymore because she’s old. I’m also excited to see my grandpa, he has been having a tough time because his son, my uncle, passed away because of covid, so my mom and I planned to surprise him, he doesn’t know I’m coming back and I know he loves me so much he will have a pleasant surprise from me. 

My friends don’t know that I’m coming either, and I plan to not tell anyone until I’m there, i know they must see it coming because the holidays are important and they must think I will be coming back for the celebrations. I can’t express enough how happy and blessed I feel right now, at this point in my life I feel like I’m so lucky for having so precious people in my life. I will miss my college friends though, they’ve been a great help and support in my life here.  

Life update

I did not know that there are several midterm seasons in a semester. Education system in  Ecuador is so much different than here because we just had 1 midterm each partial, but we did not had semesters or more than one midterm per class, which was kind confusing at first but know im getting the hang of it.

This past 2 weeks have been the most stressful weeks of the whole semester for me. However, Im happy I know im giving the best of me and I think im getting adjusted to college life more. I did summer classes here so it has been 5 months since I came to Penn State and I haven’t regretted my decision once, I think this place is full of nice people and a lot of fun things to do. My classes are also going very well so far, I’ve been doing so much work lately but they are subjects that interest me so I enjoy completing my assignments.

At the same time, the weather is getting colder and I love It, in Ecuador we don’t have winter or fall so right now im enjoying a lot the chilly weather, the nature, and the leaves, oh my god they are so beautiful. Before I had never seen leaves changing colors and is so pretty. I’m exited about the winter too, I’ve seen snow before but just for vacation, I haven’t actually lived in a place where there is a lot of snowing, and a lot of people tell me I need to be prepared for the winter season because is so cold, they think im not going to make it here because im not used to it but ill prove them wrong hehe. I do miss the beach a lot, almost every weekend in Ecuador I used to go with my parents to our beach house which was like 2 hours away from home , we would stay there for like 2 days and then come back to reality, it was like our escape from our busy lives. My mom and dad would make barbecues while I went to the beach with my brother’s family that live there. I would get to see my little niece which I miss so much and im so exited to see again once I go back.

Overall there hasn’t been happening a lot of events in my life recently, just going to classes, doing work, enjoying the fall season and missing home more than usual recently.