Life by the Horns

Although this post may seem like another fangirl testimonial to Queer Eye, I wanted to highlight how impactful their work has been, not only to communities but to individual people and their families. It is truly moving how much they care and how much they are changing people’s lives in only a weeks time. The point of this show is to help people find their self confidence and fall in love with life again. Self Development is all about growing as a person, finding joy in yourself, becoming independent, and finding confidence. It is about matching your exterior to your interior and having both of those parts make you happy. These Fabulous Five men are breaking down walls and taking each of their best parts to help individuals embrace all of their own. Make overs are a pivotal part of this show; but more than changing people’s physical appearance, it is a makeover of the mind and lifestyle. They do not generically alter your life to fit their taste, they try to understand who you are and you want to be and then work their magic to help you achieve that. Together they aim to redefine femininity/ masculinity and help others achieve maximum self confidence. They are daring and are unapologetically themselves and in doing so teach the most valuable lesson from this show; it is essential to love yourself for who you are and prioritize your needs in order to put the best version of yourself out to the world.

Queer Eye, just released their 3rd season to Netflix, and yes the seasons are binge worthy, but, the raw emotions from the episodes are incredibly inspiring. I recommend you watch it; you’ll probably find someone who relates to you on some level and hopefully find comfort in it. The cast also provides general tips at the end of some episodes you can incorporate into your own life! So hats off to the Fab Five for showing the world how to love themselves again!

A White Spring Break. For spring break this year, my friends and I decided to go somewhere unexpected, and since my best friend goes to Syracuse University, the most logical place was Canada. At first I was hesitant, because this would’ve been my first time in Canada, and I wasn’t sure I’d be able to handle the cold. This trip was a great adventure, and we were able to explore Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa.

Toronto

I flew into Toronto and thanks to my aunts discount found a very affordable direct flight. I arrived one day before my friends and ubered to our Airbnb. The city felt extremely safe, so I felt confident strolling the streets for places to eat or things to do and meeting the locals.

The TTC provides simple ways to travel within the city. Toronto has family passes for the public transport which is an amazing deal, for $12 CAD, you another adult and up to 3 children can ride any transportation for a whole day.

Some things to check out in Toronto are CN Tower, Canada’s Time Square, the ROM, the Stadiums, The Ice Rink, Tim Horton’s, and of course their night life/ amazing food.

Montreal

My friends and I took Mega Bus to Montreal and it was a 6 hour drive with plenty of pot holes and beautiful snowy views. Montreal was colder than Toronto but had new beautiful features to discover. All the locals speak french and most also speak english, so asking for help and understanding menus was not an issue. Montreal is beautiful and has sections that transport you to a European city.

This city has underground metro stations and busses. Getting around here through public transport was not as easy as Toronto, but on the plus side the ubers are fairly inexpensive.

Some things to check out in Montreal are Notre Dam Basilica, Old City, The observatory, the underground mall (city), and of course Mount Royal.

Ottawa

We traveled to Ottawa via Grey Hound and arrived in a quick 3 hours. The busses were extremely comfortable but when we got off and even colder front was waiting for us. After a 10 minute Uber we arrived in our Airbnb which was in the middle of the city. The city was glazed in snow but had a bright sun warmed us up a bit.

Once you are in downtown it is easy to get around by just walking. They also have busses as pubic transport but walking is much more convenient. Unfortunately some areas were closed off because of the high inches of snow, so it essential to wear appropriate footwear.

Some things to check out in Ottawa are Parliament, The Musee des beaux-arts du Canada, and The Byward Market.

Internships in college are a must. You may not think it’s important to have an internship when your resume is padded with extra curriculars, but the reality is that internships are basically a prerequisite for life. I wish someone had told me my freshman year to take all the opportunities my campus had to offer and apply to as many internships as possible. Internships are not just job opportunities, they allow you to place yourself in what would be your everyday work setting and decide what you like and don’t. I’ve completed one fall semester internship and in that I learned so much I didn’t even realize at the time. I learned how to use programs like Canva, Later, Mailchimp, photography tips, to work on press releases and all the steps that are needed when hosting an event. But most importantly, I learned although PR is fun, it is definitely not my passion. But learning that early on before I graduated and looked for solely PR jobs, is the greatest gift my internship could have given me. This semester I joined a BOLD, which is a student run communications agency. Although this is a club, it’s also an internship. You’re assigned a client and work on them the whole semester to achieve whatever business/ communication goal you set together.
Experience trumps almost any class or course you take, there’s nothing better than hands on work to really understand what a job entails. But most importantly even if you end up hating your internship, you’ll ALWAYS come out learning something valuable.

Pros of Internships:

• Experience
• Connections 
• Self realization 
• Knowledge 
• Job opportunities

Cons of Internships:

• None.

How to Find an Internship:

• School news letter 
• Professors 
• Classmates 
• Handshake 
• Theship (for FIU Communication students)
• Updating your LinkedIn 
• Google 
• Clubs/ Organizations 
• Attending Panels / seminars

A lot of the time when I tell people all the places I’ve been, they I assume my parents have money, and are convinced they’d never be able to go anywhere. Which is funny because that is the furthest thing from reality. The truth is whatever you prioritize, is what is what you achieve; and it’s actually way more affordable than you think to travel. For me, traveling is one of the most exhilarating yet peaceful things to do. Going to a place you’ve never been before and becoming fully enriched in a new culture can become addicting. Sometimes it’s easy to become so engulfed in school, work and your personal life that you forget there is a whole world out there with billions of fascinating people, inspiring architecture/ art, unique foods and beautiful sunsets. Traveling somewhere a thousand miles away from home often makes you realize you’re merely a spec in this planet we call home. It seems a bit nostalgic but I see it as humbling; it teaches you to not sweat the small stuff.

One of the most important things I’ve taken from my travels is the realization that stereotypes on a country or its people was the dumbest invention of all time; the best way to learn about people and life is to explore it and see it for yourself. Will Smith said, “fear is poison”, and that fear of not knowing what’s out there is something I can’t afford to live with. So whether it’s traveling across your state, country, or half way around the world, get out there and I promise you you’ll learn more than you ever have; and those lessons/ memories stick all your life. But full disclaimer, the only way to travel is with an open mind and an adventurous heart.

Tips on Traveling Cheap:

• Set alarms on google flights for places you want to go
• Go the unexpected route; travel the opposite way people are going
• Do your research
• Apply your student discounts 
• Pinterest, Pinterest, Pinterest 
• Airbnb with friends 
• Plan your trip super advanced or extremely short notice 
• Check week bundles for public transportation

Welcome to a little glimpse at my life.

The pressure to constantly have everything in your life planned out and together from an early age is enough to drive anyone insane. The second you turn 20, a new decade of your life begins, where you have to fend for yourself. Every move you make from this age on defines your future. So this blog is a reminder to everyone who feels like they need to have everything together all the time; this is a reminder that it’s okay to be a mess before you become great. Through these posts I’ll share some tips I wish I knew when I was starting high school and college, all of the adventures I take, and the rode to becoming the best version of myself.