all i want for christmas...is to see my family and friends back home

why must i be so bad on updating this thing? the truth is that i am pretty busy. being a grad student with a campus grad assistantship and going to class at night, while maintaining a social life, makes me a person with not a whole lot of free time. which is good in my mind.

a lot of my big final projects were due this past week and that feels nice to be done. it's going to be finals week and i do have some stuff to do but i'm not so worried about it.

"don't worry, be happy" is how i like to think. it's when i freak out, when things get overwhelming and crazy.

this whole quarter i've feel feeling the tension in my back and shoulders. i went on a social justice retreat where we talked about listening and paying attention to our bodies. for defense, our body tells us when we are stressed to warn us. it's important to know these signals. for me, the tension is my shoulders and back.

so i decided to get a massage and then treated my self to a spa on friday. it was really fantastic! and to do something on my own! it felt strange at first to just sit and relax and not to do anything. to sit in silence. it's something i really take for granted. pure silence and relaxation. i'm always trying to fill my time and to keep my brain occupied. but we all need some rest and relaxation.

i've been in seattle for about 3 months now and it feels like a lot has and hasn't happenned. all i can say is that i love it! moving and change is always hard. making new friends, living in a new place, starting a new job and school program. but really, this has been such a transformative and positive experience for me. i'm just a girl from monterey park, california. i'm also into finding the right "institutional fit" for my professional life and also finding the right fit for where i want to live. seattle has been the right choice for me in a lot of ways in the place i want to live. sure, it would be nice if it was warmer but i don't have much to complain about.

i'm really curious to see how it's going to feel to go back home. it seems like i'm one of the few people in my program who is going home for the whole winter break. i really do love my family and friends back home and want to spend as much time as i can with them.