The perks of living abroad! (Tales from old and new traditions!)

Hola :)

As you might know from previous post, I am in an English school trying to improve my languages skills… yes I am trying!! lol.  Anyways is very common that once in a while we will talk about cultural differences, or cultural shock, since all of us are from everywhere is a very common topic conversation… Still it surprise me every time how many cultures can be in one class imagine in the city or the world and it’s amazing how different and similar our customs or traditions can be…

During the past months I have met people from Countries that I only have heard about it or have seen in a map and never thought I was going to meet anyone from those places, this is one of the beauties of New York, literal you will find people from everywhere. I think is good,  at least if you are open or willing to meet other cultures hehe, the point is that  it opens up your perspectives and views so much that you realized that sometimes you have lived in your own bubble…  It’s good to have a chance to get to know other bubbles as well hehe…

The conversation always starts with the question “Did you had a cultural Shock when you came to the US or to NY?” and the answer is always yes in different levels, but it’s interesting how that question make us think  and talk about what you miss the most, and ok the obvious answer from most of us is our Family, that is a given… the second one is our traditions. I have always considered my country very americanized, we are used to American TV, music, food, and style of life we even have the dollar as our currency, so my cultural shock wasn’t that bad, I think  it was worst went I went to Italy, but still I miss my culture and what makes us unique… I miss my traditional food, nothing like our Pupusas, or our cheap organic fruit… hello, I was used to pay $1 for three avocados and now it one for 1$ or  five apples for $1 and now I pay one for 1$-ish hahaha anyways what  I am saying is that the little things that you give for granted when you are in your homeland, are the ones that you miss and value the most when you are away.

It’s amazing how we are able to adapt and embrace new cultures and new traditions, of course not everyone likes new things or want to adapt, I can understand that, let me tell you Rome was hard to adapt for me, the food, the products, the city all beautiful and delicious but at the same time I felt so out-of-place, and felt that everything was so different somehow, maybe with more time I would have definitely adjust but I think I had an easy and faster adjustment here in the United States, I still hold on to my own traditions but also I have embraced and created new ones, I think this is part of living abroad, no matter how long you are planning to stay  it will impact you.

Just last month during Easter day for example, in  my country the Holy week is a catholic holiday as  of now my country is still in majority catholic, therefore it’s a week off, intended to celebrate the religious ceremony but nowadays in  reality  its more a vacation time for a lot of people, even if you are religious, people will use the days off to stay with their families or go to the beach and things of that nature, I am catholic so for me it’s a special week and is one of those occasions in the year when I miss my traditions, going to church, the smells, the way mass is celebrate it, and also our traditional food during that week; torrejas, salted fish, fruit made with an especial candy or honey thing, delicious!!

But despite missing all that, I also cherish the new traditions I have built here, like spending Easter day with our New Yorker friend and celebrate an American style Easter day,  now it has been three years in a row  that we have spent it with her and her family, and we have enjoyed it so much, from getting to her house at a suburban neighborhood with all the Easter bunny decorations to all the food we have and the conversations with the family, the pastels colors and the bunny hunting, I even got my first Easter Basket the first year we went, those moment are priceless too, embracing new cultures, creating traditions and having great and fun experiences!!

At the end life it’s made of the moments and experiences no matter the place, what matter is the people, the friends, the food, the smells and the smiles… I miss my family and that will never change no matter where I am or will be, they are my all, but I am thankful for the blessing of being able to build moments that keep me going.

I know I’ll be fine!

Thanks for reading, any comment is welcome ;)

Pictures thanks to We♥ it, the collage I made with google pictures and last one It’s me!! lol

Let’s Develop from the Negatives!!

Hola all!

What a week :(, I think is fair to start this post by mentioned what happened in the Boston marathon, my prayers are with the ones that got hurt by the bombs attack, their families, and with every one in Boston… there are somethings that my mind cannot understand,  I know that there is evil in us and in this world. I understand that we all have bad and good in us, but what it is hard to believe how people can be so evil to the point where our minds cannot make sense, it is beyond my understanding, simply no words to express.

What happened in Boston was horrible and it shows the worst side of a human being and it should not happen again, and I pray and hope that peace should be a priority in our hearts and mind in every circumstance.

As humans I know that when events like this happens it touch our hearts but also our fears and remind us that we only  have one life, and sometimes it makes us feel guilty that there are times when we have a tendency to just exist which I think is different from living… but I think that we are entitled to do that once in a while, I think is part of being humans, we are simple creatures, we are born, supposed to live, reproduce and died but what happen in between those periods make us all simple but yet complex, but it is sad that events like this remind us that we have to take every day as a blessing!

Truth to be told, there are some days when I just want to be a plant, I mean I want to stay in my pajamas, watch some games or TV series and eat whatever I want, and I think that it is fine, as long as it is not my life goal I think I will be ok, some days we need time to just be but then we have to take those moments as our personal time outs, because then we breath and realize once again that what we really want is to start moving on and  living again, facing our realities, our struggles and cherish our happiness!

I know that bad things happens everywhere, I mean I came from a country where bad things can happen every hour of the day and you go out of your home only with the trust in God that you will be back at night or that we will be safe at home, I love my country and it is a beautiful small piece of heaven, but sadly we have evil dominating our streets at times, but even with those challenges I learned that we can not hide, we go out, have fun, take our precautions but we do enjoy life, because if we don’t we will be hiding in our houses and just looking at the time passing by, which goes against our nature and everyone nature…

I say this because yes, every time that a tragedy happens close to our eyes, we not only feel the sadness and the fear but we also think about what we have done or what we haven’t done and it shake our grounds, life it is not granted, we have to enjoy, go for what we want and fight for our dreams but also we have to love and appreciate our close ones and don’t take them for granted either, but we have to keep faith and hope in us, that what we believe as kids it is true, that good will prevail over evil!!

I think our mind works in a specific way and sometimes what it’s close to your eyes probably is what it’s going to hit you more, because that it’s how it works, so yes we are entitled to feel sadness and sorry and yes we know that other people is suffering around the world, in cruel wars or dangerous countries but we only can hope, pray and have faith that we can build a better world somehow and keep trying everyday!!

Thanks for reading my random thoughts and personal opinions you too are entitled to disagree with me and yes it is fine!!! ;)

Let’s enjoy life, let’s keep dreaming and working for our goals, let’s keep going!!

Any comments feel free to share it!

Besitos ♥

Pictures thanks to We♥ it.

Let it Grow!

Hola!!

Let it grow
Let it grow
Like it did so long ago
Maybe it’s just one  tiny seed
But it’s all we really need
It’s time to change the life we  lead
Time to let it grow

It has been a while as usual, but this time I have an excuse, well at least that is what I told to myself ;)… Anyway I will keep it short today, at least I will try, I have said it in previous post, this thing of living in positive thoughts is not easy, I got to the point when it was and it is sometimes a little bit more than hard almost impossible, but in my case my faith is what makes it possible some days and what give me strength in the days when it’s hard.

I have been living in New York for more than two years by now, I love the City, as everyone will describe it, it is  a weird feeling, it is a very difficult City, expensive, loud, and sometimes is harsh but either it will win your heart or not, you either like it or hate it, forget about what you have seen in TV usually is not even close to reality, but in my case I feel comfortable here, I really like it, but it has drained me at times, don’t get me wrong there have been times when I have said forget it, I am leaving… But at the end all that I want is for Alicia Key to be right when she sings that song “If you make it here you can make it everywhere”, very ideally but so far this City has give me some opportunities and challenges that has change my life, my views and has given me the desire to follow my dreams with more determination!

When I started this blog, I said that I was going to write in English not only because it was a way to practice and maybe improve it, but also because it was a way to kind of keep it private, I was not sure what I was going to write about,  but throughout my few but sincere post I have found a space to share not only my thoughts but also my path which at first was a very private dream that now it has become a very loud voice and a very open goal that I have worked and will keep working untill I accomplish it.

I was going to keep it short, yeah right that’s not happening :/. All this bla bla bla is to let you know, what I have been doing during this past months?  (as if you care, which I know you do lol )… Well I have been and I am still looking for that chance, that opportunity, I am still knocking at doors to find who will take my experience, my potential, my passion and commitment to what I do, not easy but I have faith I know my time it’s not God’s time, so I have to be patience and eventually it will happen.

Meanwhile, I needed to be ready and use all the tools and venues to show in a more professional way what I want and what I am capable to do, so I created my professional website,  to let the rest of the world know, that I am a Journalist and to show them what I have done, and hopefully they will see my potential and will hire me!!

It took me time not because it is big or complicated but because my sister is here, and we only have one computer so imagine the situation… yeah it got slow, this sharing my computer is not easy, I know I am selfish lol, it seems that we can not agree sometimes on who has to use it at what times…. It’s so funny that even when you are older you will find yourself fighting with your siblings like you were children, or well maybe it’s just me! (I have to grow up!!!)

Let’s move on to my next big news, (at least for me…) aside from my professional website that it is done, finished, ready to go, well I only need to pay to have my name as address, but that can wait and I will do it soon I hope so :). I am starting a new adventure, as you already know if you have read this blog sometime or if you have given a look at my twitter account, that I like sports, I love football, yes the one that it’s actually played with the feet haaaaa! lol, (I mean soccer) and I have a tendency to tweet a lot about sports and a lot of my previous post were dedicated or had some kind of mentions about sports or players so I said to myself, Monica let’s give an exclusive space to that passion and  boom I created it a new blog!!! Well is actually a work in progress now, not post yet, but soon ;)

I know it might sound like a joke, I write every three months in this one that is my first baby blog, now is a three years old blog and how in the face of the earth I will keep a second one??? Well I will… How? I still don’t know, but one thing I am sure, is that I love to challenge myself, that I have alway set the bar very high and that I have always accomplish everything that I have set my mind on, of course I work hard and sometime harder to do that, but I think is positive, is a good chance to develop that passion, the good news is that I enjoy writing, I know I should have done it more often, but life has its owns ways to drive us to things.

So there you have it, I have a second blog dedicated exclusively to sports :0 haaaa! It has a name “Sports in high Heels.” I thought was very clever, hey I like sports and I love high heels was very simple,  but when I searched in google, I only found one more with that name, it turn out that I might not be that clever in blog names creations hahaha… later on I found  other two with a similar names, “Heel and Sports” and  ”Sports in heels,” this last one it is a big one, but since we are focusing on different things, I don’t think will have any confusion… This new baby blog will be very newsy, all about my views on sports but also it will have my own opinions, right or wrong but mine!!

I’ll share it with you and I leave the links if you want to stop by…

Ok enough for today! If you got to here Thank you!!! Thanks for reading and feel free to let me know what you think?

Besitos!

P.S My new Blog header, I did in photoshop, firts time using it, after many tutorials and forever later I designed it, so proud!!

Pictures thanks to We♥it, Pinteres and last two my own!!

Looking back just to move Foward!!

Hola a todos!! Hello there!!

I heard that you should never look back, just keep moving forward, I do agree with that, we have to keep walking with our head high looking up to the sky, but there are moments when looking back is  not only  good  but also needed, only to learn,  forget, forgive, remember old victories and then move forward with a renew strength and faith that we have succeeded before, and will do it again.

2012 was a challenging year, I guess every year has their own challenges, some more than others, that’s just how life works. I like to think that it was my “Game Changer Year”. I decided to change career, to follow this new path, to stay in a different country to study and prepare the best way years before 2012, and still I think it was a defining year, it tested my resistant, my real desire to fight for my dreams and goals.

People say that a real passion, a real dream is when despite everything against it, you still wakes up every day thinking about it and dreaming about it, and that’s what my new path is for me, it’s something that despite  all difficulties and obstacles I still think is possible to accomplish, even after those moments when I’ve given up, stop believing, fighting for or the moments when I’ve said to my self that’s it, it’s enough, I’m too tired, and when I’ve said ”maybe it’s not meant to be”…

But the truth is that deep down your soul, mind and body you know it is meant to be, because if it wasn’t you wouldn’t wake up every day wishing for that miracle and that moment when all will fit perfectly, and also because if it wasn’t God wouldn’t have put that dream on your heart, so no matter what it is you still think ways to make it happen.

Journalism is my real passion and I have worked for it even before realizing that it is what I want to do for the rest of my life, so when my self-doubt comes to live, I know deep down that I just have to keep going, I know I’m there , I have follow the needed initial steps and  I know the opportunity is there it’s just a matter of time. When you walk by faith and not by sight like I do most of the time, the How? the When? are answers that belongs to God, I just need to keep doing my part, keep a constant preparation, a constant search for improvements and take all possible chances to gain experience and master my skills, the rest He will make it happen!

When I said I was putting action into words, that’s what I did. I’ve worked for this over the years even without being conscious about it, during this learning process, I realized that most of the skills I’ve developed and the ones that comes natural to me, are all relate to my new path, guess the passion was in me all this time, life got in the way but God took me back to the right place to follow my dreams.

I graduated from a very intensive Certified Broadcast Journalism Program from the New YorK Film Academy at the end of 2011,  I am so so so proud of this, because it was the perfect step at the perfect time.

So last year I was looking for that perfect job, this time I was aware that it was going to take time, but we all know that things are not easy in any place right now, so I knew it was going to be hard, but true to be told, never thought it was going to be that hard, or that I was going to be that close and far away at the same time. I got a second interview at a big Network which is pretty close in my book, and a trial after an interview for a cable channel, close too but when you don’t get that final call, you feel so far way.

Looking back, I see the positive side, they called in the first place, among thousands of applicants they called me, they considered me, that has to be a good sign, I’m in the right road.  I do think that all efforts will give you a reward so I’m trying to live one goal at a day, I had  some additional challenges as an International student, but I know nothing is impossible or everything is possible.

It’s all about the victories,  I’ve been blessed to volunteer at a nonprofit organization a small Radio & TV streaming, which has been a learning experience up to this time. I Also had the chance to worked as a Cultural Journalist intern at a NY interactive mapping website, an experience that I enjoyed so much, was not what I was used to do or thought to do, which was perfect, was a daily  school. Like my fellow Italians will say piano piano, baby steps! I feel like I’m telling you my resume, well if you want to hire me, just contact me ;) always be in the search!! Haha

2012 was the chance to experience growing in the real world of Journalism,  yes I thought this post was going to be me telling you about my great, stable and long-term Job, but hey I’m planning my next step to get there. I looked back and I see all the blessings, the personal grow, the family that is always there to support me no matter what, the friends that keep pushing me, listen to me and also laughing with me about all this crazy journey.

I will keep moving forward and toward my dreams. Meanwhile, I’m still trying to write good English and trying to have a more subtle latin accent  and sound  less like “Gloria” from Modern Family lol!! So funny…

Thanks for reading this never-ending post, I know it was too long and kind of personal but this is why I like this space. It allows me to just go on and on and on hahaha

Feel free to share or leave any comment, if you are reading this, you totally deserve to write whatever you want, you made it through here. Although not insults please I try to keep it PG13 :)

Pictures  with mu face are Mine lol, and   rest thanks to we♥it, pinterest and the video is from ABC uploaded in YouTube by hannah21mdjc.

It’s Gonna Be a Bright (bright), Bright (bright) Sun-Shiny Year!!!

Hola  Everyone!!

I can see clearly now, the rain is gone,
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

I promised to myself that before the year was over, I was going to write again…. So I’m making it happen!!

2012 is going away it’s a matter of hours, and I’m thankful with God for all the blessings, the accomplishments and the challenges, meaning the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly lol… But I’m happy to start a brand new year, new chances, new beginnings, new opportunities, time to clean the house and start all over if its necessary.

Big News!! My sister is here in New York with me wohooo!!! After more than two years, I couldn’t be more thankful, I miss my mother and brother and his little Angels but I know God keep us together even in the distance, I love you Mami, se que Dios nos reunira pronto, eres mi mayor bendicion!!

I’ve been MIA for so long, this time I don’t have excuses at all, let’s put it this way, this year was full of blessings but it was what I call a learning year, it has been hard, rough and challenge in so many levels, but I can only hope that all this learning is the preparation for what it’s coming!! A bright Sun-Shiny New Year!!

2013 I’m here, I am ready to see my miracles, I know It will happen and I will make things happen, I know you are full of Good, Better and Great blessings!!!

I think I can make it now, the pain is gone
All of the bad feelings have disappeared
Here is the rainbow I’ve been praying for
It’s gonna be a bright (bright), bright (bright)
Sun-Shiny day.

My last post was in April 2012, it has rain so much since then and the sun came up every time for that I will always be thankful!! Living in a positive attitude was more a mission impossible this year, if I have to confess I didn’t accomplished it sometimes, but overall I won’t be so hard on me, I tried, and for most part of the year I did it. But most important I walked by faith and not by sight, something I’m planning to keep doing, so I still believe that positive living will bring positive things!!

I’m back, I only can hope that this time I will stick with my original planf from three years ago, to write often, this blog was and it is a blessing and I’ve enjoyed it so much, so even I haven’t done it the way I wanted to, I don’t plan to give up on it.

Have a Happy New Year!!! Be safe, life is a treasure and we are allowed to celebrate it by living and having the best time that we can!!! Wish you all the blessing in 2013!!!

If you want to, keep visiting me, I have much much to say… as always!!  :)

Besitos ♥!!

Pictures thanks to We♥ it

End of an Era???… Apparently yes…

Hola!!

This might be like when Harry Porter ended!!!… It might be the end of an Era…

According to the Spanish media, and many sport journalists, we went from the announcement that Pep Guardiola and Barcelona’s FC president Rosell will host a joint press conference to inform Guardiola’s decision to stay or not as a coach for the team, to a most probably the announcement that he will leave the Club, reasons so far it seems that he is to tired and wants to take a sabbatical year… could be.. being the coach of one of the best Football Soccer clubs in the World is not easy and probably it is exhausting!!

I guess the answer to one of my previous post questions will be answered in just some hours… so yes, as of now it looks like it will be the end of an Era a very successful one!!

So if that is confirmed, who could be the next Barcelona coach?? I wouldn’t want to be him :/, the pressure to overpass what Guardiola did, is huge.. but someone has to take the team and with the players they have,  I don’t think would be much difficult, but for sure it’s going to be an interesting process!

Some of the interesting names that are making noise are Marcelo Bielsa, an ex Barcelona player like Pep, Luis Enrique, Lurent Blanc among others.. who do you think can take it??

So now that apparently Guardiola is leaving, that could mean that Gerard Pique might stay in the club??

We will see how things unfold, this novela chapter has just started!!!

I am leaving you with a song that could represent the situation :-) …Oliver Boyd and the Remembralls – End of an Era

Thanks for reading!  Let me what you think, if you want to hehehe…

Picture (front picure of Friday’s paper) from Diario Sport.es, via @rrmisas, posted in Twitter by @Alfremartinez and RT by @2010MisterChip, Youtube video Uploaded by SiriusIsTheBest on Jul 22, 2011