Eastbound!

Time to get excited to head back to NYC! For the first time I am truly happy to go back, usually I am a ton of emotions, but this time I'm just ready for the school year. It may be my last time heading to New York so I am going to make the most of it. This year I am going to do all the funny, touristy and crazy New York things I haven't gotten to yet. Can't wait for this year!

Summer In Photos

Too much flying...

Another perfect day in Malibu

Tourist Day!

Much needed girls' night

Baby Bro graduated!

The Typical Undergraduate Experience

This summer I decided to figure out what it would be like to study and work back home to see if I want to move back to LA after graduation. I enrolled in summer school at UCLA, a beautiful and amazing university. I am studying environmental planning and policy, and I already know it is going to be very different from NYC. I am excited, maybe all get my masters here?

Unconditional

What makes a relationship unconditional? Being family, childhood friends, first loves? Living in two time zones has put a magnifying glass on these connections the last few years as I've mentioned before, and I've come to some interesting realizations. First, the people I thought I would never lose touch with, were usually the first to stop calling and the people I wasn't sure about are some of my closest friends now. Also family dynamics have drastically changed, there's a new found appreciation. As someone who never felt a connection to their family and unsure of how I fit in, now as an adult, I've spent a lot of time trying to re-evaluate these relationships. Second, I have built friendships over interesting connections that I never found to be important before, but now have become priority. Just meeting people that might be going through the same transitions as me has been comforting and valuable. Perhaps not unconditional, but needed at the time, I strongly believe, people come in and out of your life for a reason. A lot has changed over a few years, but having some constants and stability in my relationships have made dealing with the uncertain future less scary. You never know who's going to come into your life and need you just as much as you need them.

Closing Time

Another year in NYC and this time it truly flew by. I finally feel like I found my place in this crazy city. I have made some incredible friends and experienced so much of this city. I have a difficult time living in the moment, but this year I tried to slow down and enjoy the ride. So much has changed, and things are about to change even more. With lots of my friends going in different directions and starting to prepare for graduate school I can't help but go down memory lane. The beginning of my time in New York was terrible, I'm not going to lie, but I learned so much about myself. Friends have come and gone, but my family has been a constant rock. I have also been able to sift through the nonsense and find some life long friendships. New York has made me grow up and figure myself out, quickly, and oddly enough I am quite grateful for that. As I am beginning to plan my next chapter, I don't know if New York will be a part of it, but anyone who has ever lived here knows, this city becomes a part of you. It has changed me for the better...I hope. This year I became comfortable with the idea of stumbling, I learned to embrace the fact that I can't always be perfect. This was a concept I fought for years, I thought that I always had to act as if everything was great, when in fact it was quite the opposite. With some changes and some more supportive people around me, I created a home away from home. I have no idea where I will be living in a year and that scares me, but I am confident that I will be able to handle what ever is thrown my way. I have found confidence in my tears, in my laughter, in my perseverance, in my friends, in my family and in myself. This year has taught me more than I could have ever imagined and I can't wait for what next year brings!

Passover in Boston

Since my family is in Europe for the month I decided to go up to Boston to visit my cousin. For as long as I can remember I thought I wanted to go to BU and study law, I visited a bunch of times thinking that was where I was going to end up. Years later, I am very happy with my decision to come to NYC, but I will always love Boston! I was so excited to be back, Spring in Boston is beautiful! My first night we did passover with some friends, which was really nice. Of course a little Manischewitz never hurts with some caramel and chocolate matzo. We toured around and shopped on Newbury Street, the cutest place ever! We grabbed lunch at Max Brenner, which surprisingly has amazing food and not just dessert. We walked through Boston Common Park, the cherry blossoms had just bloomed and everyone was taking photos, it was such a gorgeous day I can't say I blamed them. And then we went to my favorite place, Little Italy for dinner and Mike's Pastry, with a line around the corner you know it's the best bakery. For my last night, we went out and experienced Boston nightlife, which is very different from NYC, but still just as fun. Although the party scene is not usually my thing, I figured if you can't beat them, join them, right? After having your typical college night, I got on the bus back to New York and attempted to piece my night back together. It was definitely an experience to remember...or not.