Bring me back!

I'm back from a month of vacation, well rested and dreaming about the next time I can go back to Europe. When I scheduled my tickets, I thought a month seemed like a long time, but as always, it was so full that the time flew by and after two weeks, I was already evaluating how I might be able to extend my stay. But here I am, back in ol' NC and I want to share some of the highlights from my vacation to remember living after grad school. To edit the list, because I could go on forever, since my mini-trips worked themselves out like this, I limited myself to highlighting the B's from it all. Buon viaggio!

From one of my manual shift driving lessons with Anna & Ermelindo.

• Breath taking views. In case you didn't know, G lives in Tuscany, where they forget what beauty looks like because it's everywhere around them. I missed the greenest greens of the hills when it was rainy but got to see the green change into gold. On the bus route to the city or out on the country roads, like where I practiced driving (shifting gears is TONS more work), these hills are better than the movies.

• Bologna. I decided I wanted to take a trip alone. Solo travel is a really exciting way to see a new place. 

Bologna's Two Towers. The one in the foreground is actually leaning!

But it doesn't hurt when the city is gorgeous and the food is fantastic! I even got to catch up with my friend Megan from my Fulbright cohort who gave me all the best tips about what to do and where to eat (SUPER imperative) and made a new North Carolina friend at the hostel where I was staying. How does that song go again...?

• Buds. It's always wonderful visiting friends, especially since you don't get to see that often. My time in Italy is full of reunions of this type, whether it's over a dinner with lively conversation, on a stroll through the streets, or sitting side-by-side on the couch, I've learned that it's really my people make the place home. This time I was also visited by one of my very best friends, Filippo. It had been two years since I had seen him last. For offering a bed in his kitchen, I was happy to return the favor.

•  Bold patriotism. Out of curiosity, G and I went to the US Cemetery in Florence the day I flew in. We had talked about it several times, and I'm glad we went then. There couldn't have been more than 4 people there with us and we were really able to soak in the space and pay respect for the lives given. But I returned about a week later with Filippo for the Memorial Day service. The ceremony was done in both English and Italian, there were veterans and active service members from both countries, and even the US Ambassador came from Rome. For such an important day, it was uplifting to see so many people, Americans and Italians alike, honoring the service members to which we owe so much.  

Zia Sam with Sofia--I'm in love.

• Basketball: After I shared the Cameron Crazie experience with G in Durham, he wanted me to see what it's like to be an Italian fan in the curva. I arrived at the beginning of the playoffs and Mens Sana, Siena's team, was ranked #2. We went to the first game together and I returned with some friends for the third. I think an average Crazie would feel pretty comfortable in the middle of the biggest fans--as long as they learned the songs. All four quarters are non-stop cheers, on your feet, for your team with big flags and a drum to keep time. You can see a couple videos here. Mens Sana made it through that series and the quarter finals, and are currently playing their hearts out in the finals against the team from Milan, owned by the fashion mummy designer Giorgio Armani. Did I mention that Mens Sana is going bankrupt after the season? Only in Italy. Forza Mens Sana!

•  BABIES! I saw three newborns in a month and it was heaven! Sean, Sofia, and Samuele. They were all between 3-8 weeks when I visited so it was glorious.

• Budapest. 

This city was one of the most wonderful places I have ever been. It was beautiful, full of history, and a place where you can eat and drink well for sure! If you like art nouveau architecture as much as we do, you certainly won't get bored simply walking around this city! Although we are told it wasn't hot, I was thrilled to finally pull out my shorts and G didn't mind the fountains much.

Plus we met friends, old and new, which always makes traveling the best! Not to mention I knocked off another goal from my bucket list!

• Baths. Budapest is known for its Turkish baths. We went to two and they certainly didn't disappoint.I was surprised how refreshing the 30°C/86°F water was after a day in the sun. But I also redeemed my Christmas present from G and we went to some in Tuscany. Considering how rarely I get to go to a place like that, I certainly had my fill of rejuvenating waters.

• Belly full of food. Culture, art, love, whatever. Don't listen to any of that. The reason you go to Italy is for the food. On this trip--who am I kidding?! Every trip I eat my weight in cheese, olive oil, and the artichokes. But really. Artichokes.

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Professional Sponge

Now that I’m no longer a student (again), I’m on a campaign: Operation Employable.

I believe that my internet presence, including this blog, plays a central role in my professional identity, so why not share my movements towards starting a career here?

I’ve learned a lot in my personal development since I started working on it as a part of my identity. Some of this growth has come from attending lectures, reading voraciously, or talking to professionals. I’m constantly sponging up information and I’m certain that there’s someone interested, whether you’re interested in your own development or you’d really like to give me a job. Yes, you!

But in all seriousness, I have come across some insights I’d like to share and some others that I want to explore.

So I wanted to start the Operation Employable series by sharing the ways that I’ve started collecting and making sense of all this information.

Being a writer of sorts, I used a gift my generous mom left me as we set up my apartment in Duke: a journal. Being a person that loves technology as much as I do, I still have a thing for old-school journals. I currently have three journals, but only one is dedicated solely to career development. My handwriting is a modified cursive and I find that the movement my hand makes generates ideas. Sometimes I sketch out plans or flow charts. I always bring it to a lecture or a coffee chat, so I can write notes but still stay an active listener. While it’s not as easy as turning to a search bar to find old notes, I date and title every event and jot down inspiring quotes or great advice in it.

See, I can be professional!

When I’m not writing, I’m often reading and non-fiction development is a hot genre for me these days. I keep up with what I’m reading and other recommendations with my Goodreads account. If you haven’t heard of Goodreads, it’s a social networking site for avid readers that sends great recommendations and opens up conversation for bookworms. You can organize the books however you like on virtual shelves and I have one just for my development books that way I don’t forget titles when I’m ready for a new read.

I also read a lot of articles I enjoy on the interwebs and if there's one I think I can get something out of later, I save it. I’ve gotten some friendly chiding for it, but I created a board on Pinterest devoted to business related topics of videos or articles that are interesting. Sometimes I review them before an interview or keep them handy to send to others when I inevitably talk about how cool such-and-such is that I read about the other day....

So far these are working for me, but I'm always looking for different ideas. I’m wondering if there’s anything else that I’m missing that might be helpful to collect ideas. Do you have some different methods I might use? Do you have some recommendations I should add to my reading list?

Master's: Complete

I'm alive and have returned to the blogging. I actually never stopped, but the venue was different because I was in grad school, y'all. And guess what? I graduated...!

This past weekend was full of celebrations and Pomp & Circumstance. It's remarkable how I got to Fuqua and eventually settled into its rhythms, but they pull out the stops and surprise me on my way out, complete with ice sculptures and chocolate cherubs. Speaking of surprises, the most wonderful one came in the form of my dear friend Deanne who I met in Italy, flying all the way from Canada, after coordinating with my mother, to attend my graduation.

So even though I've been very absent on this blog, I'd like to reopen the pathway now that there's no more finance or accounting to study. Now that I can return to the hours of a non-student, as the studying schedule was much harsher this time around. Now that I can pursue all kinds of activities, goals, thoughts, and desires that had to be put on hold (not excluding my 25 Before 25, which is desperately in need of a new name now that I'm knocking on 26).

To reinaugurate this blog, I'd like to do a lessons learned post for my 10 month stint as a graduate student in Durham:

• Doing a power pose before big presentations helps, but only in the secrecy of your home or a bathroom stall. Otherwise it's just embarrassing.
• They might not be graded, but soft skills matter.
• You must have empathy and patience to begin to understand another. I have a lot of road to cover on this one.
• Test grades aren't always the best judgment of learning.
• You don't know your limits until you've met them.
• Learning is a process that is determined by the amount of effort you put into it. It has no limits of time or subject.
• Do the right thing always.
• I am not a self-sustaining entity. It takes a community to get through all kinds of situations. Community takes time and effort to grow.
• Love it or hate it, Cameron Indoor is a special place.
• Failure is an opportunity for exploration and innovation.
• You can't always find the time, but making a good, home cooked meal heals, grows, and inspires. Totally worth it.
• It's all relative.

I don't quite know what's coming up next yet (besides a month in Italy where I sit writing this very post while looking over the Tuscan hills), but rest assured you'll be taken along for the ride.

From Angel to...

As an undergraduate at Meredith Angel (with only things like women's rights to avenge), I completed my psychology thesis research in the identity development of young adults, or emerging adults, if you will. This term- now widely used among others like Generation Y, the Millenials- was coined by the researcher J.J. Arnett to define those between 18-25 who are finding-- no stumbling their way from their teenage years into adulthood. This is a period for the privileged middle and upper class of the world, mostly Westerners, to figure out if they are keeping those core values given from their parents or dropping them for any of the endless other choices. I always had a bit of a beef with the age definition because I know plenty of people who are still defining themselves throughout their 20s and into their 30s, and as I approach my 25th birthday (it's merely 2.5 months away) I can't imagine having enough figured enough out to be an adult.

Now, by this point, we all know that my 25 before 25 is not going to be finished. I've worked really hard on these goals, and even completed some big ones, so they'll be upgraded to a 30 before 30. No problem. But also, there are some changes as I continue to work on as I strive to work out some of the uncertainties about who I am and where I'm going both metaphorically and actually. In fact, a huge part of keeping up this blog has been to record and to announce my grand life changes, has it not?

So for a variety of reasons, my Fulbright year helped me realize that I don't want to get into academics. Was I a bit wishy-washy under that kind of freedom and an unclear vision? Sure. But partially I'd like some job mobility, and after some great years of uncertainty, I'm looking forward to any security life can afford. I don't see research or university life rendering these things for me. We may discuss the reasons why to all of these things, but let's just skip that for now and say we're all right. The world is crumbling. Society is changing for the better. Whatever, back to me. (It is my blog after all.)

In exploring the skills and the experiences I had acquired and whatever I could possibly do with them on somewhat my terms, a dear friend Allison suggested I look into consulting over a yummy autumn meal. From there I applied to two great business schools and decided on one as mentioned earlier. This time next year, I'll be graduating from Duke University's Fuqua Business School with a Master's in Management Studies. I'm learning business foundations in 10 months. Think of it like an MBA, Jr. for stinkers like me without the experience to get an MBA.

I'm awfully excited about it. I'm also a bit nervous. In a year (!!!), I'll already be a graduate. And let's be real: I never anything about business studies outside of my half semester of economics as a senior in high school (Many thanks, Mr. David Seidel!). Thankfully, Fuqua's MMS program has set me on a path of pre-program studying, learning how to use Excel's financial functions, calculating future values on investments and profit margins, and other stuff that might bore you to tears if you are one of my typical blog readers. You guys come for the European adventures, I know. I promise, I'll be back there... eventually.

But for now, I'm *surprise!* enjoying soaking in this new knowledge and discovering a foreign side of me. A side that can employ my data analysis skills and creative critical thinking in an unfamiliar atmosphere. Once again I feel like I can offer something to society. I find that I am not reinventing myself, but working on a foundation that's already been prepared with much effort. For some of you, this new career choice may seem like an about-face change, a rejection of who I was. Instead, I delightfully continue to be surprised by another facet to who I am and what I have to offer. What I do as a job simply does not define who I am.

If nothing else, it is a pleasant reminder that I should never be simply complacent, that I can always discover a better version of myself. Passion and opportunities are everywhere, if only we commit to making them our own.

Also, calm down all of you anti-Duke fans. I'm not going to play basketball. I wasn't dealt those cards.

La vie en rose.

It's already ... April! Geeze, I just can't keep up. But after my amazing trip to Europe in February I was welcomed back with a mallet to the forehead, a job offer, and wedding season. Needless to say, it's been pretty busy around these parts. My forehead is fine beyond the unsightly scar that's getting fixed up. I'm on spring break from my position as an assistant in a kindergarten class. It's quite a way to pay the bills, but the laughs are a'plenty. And thankfully I love weddings. My little brother Jason tied the knot with his love (and my new sis-in-law!) in an intimate family affair. 

Then last weekend was the fiesta of the YEAR when my dearest college friend Lauren donned her stunning dress to get hitched with Tim-Bo! SO. MUCH. FUN.

But really I wanna talk about February with my love since I'm finally getting around to looking at the pictures (and posting them on Facebook, naturally). We visited with so many friends while I was in Italy but took a little retreat just the two of us to Paris of all places during Valentine's Day of all times. Back in August when we decided to visit La Ville-Lumière that really wasn't the plan, but it sure was convenient. Anyone who knows anything about long distance relationships will tell you that a little bit of effort goes a long way! Staying in an apartment ended up being so much cheaper than any other options and our home base was in the best part of town: Le Marais. I wanted to go to every little cafe', art gallery, and vintage shop on the street, but without that much time or money (Paris isn't the cheapest city there ever was...), it makes for great window shopping. The first morning we stopped in the Rodin Museum to examine art and think our own thoughts.

Then we visited Napoleon, or really his tomb. Walking into Les Invalides, I couldn't see the bottom of the hole, for far too long, where his 7-times entombed sarcophagus was. You can't fathom how huge it is from this picture, but not being able to see to the floor, my stomach dropped. 

Why? Because this shorty is scared of heights. But we had a nice visit and then headed to the heart of it all: the Eiffel Tower. 

The line was super long so G went to investigate. He had been there before and went to explore. Upon his return, G explained that we can cut our wait time tremendously... by taking the stairs. The Eiffel Tower is 1063 feet (324 meters) tall--which meant nothing to me until I stood under it. Thinking to my 25 before 25, I recognized an opportunity to conquer my fear of heights. I mean, what better way? It was cold and windy and I was moving slow up to the first level. After some hot chocolate, we started up to the second level. As soon as I got there, I felt free! I was practically doing cartwheels (gross exaggeration) and definitely freaking out G. I made it up the 674 steps! But if I'm going to be honest, the elevator up to the tip top was the worst part. It moves so fast and the whole thing is glass. The view is impressive but G and I spent the ride up clutching each other in silence.

Valentine's Day was dreary and rainy. G brightened it up with breakfast and flowers, then we spent all day at the Louvre. The rooms were massive. 

My favorite was definitely the Winged Victory of Samothrace, and Canova's Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss, but La Giocanda wasn't too bad too, I guess. Ha!

And we fell in love with all the Egyptian stuff. (It surely played into my bid to get Egypt on our travel list.)

My favorite sites were Sainte-Chappelle, the Pantheon, and Musée d'Orsay. Seeing those breathtaking windows on the one sunny day was lucky.

Foucault's Pendulum and the French heroes' graves was overwhelming. I mean, Marie Curie...! (Ignoring the radiation I imagined coming through her tomb, of course.) 

Manet's Olympia and the ENTIRE Impressionist section were real highlights at the Gare. Introducing G to art nouveau furniture was a big win, too, but the old train station museum is full of awesome things!


We really just loved walking around. When we could handle the cold (long johns on, naturally) we explored the streets and feasted on the sights that Hemingway, Stein, Picasso, and Fitzgerald lived. Shakespeare and Co., under the shadow of Notre Dame, was a sweet visit. Plus the French onion soup and fondue I convinced G to share in the Latin Quarter topped off the experience.

 

In all honesty, the Parisians really do dress better and I felt like I could see different styles from one quartier to the next. I had only good experiences with the Parisians which was a pleasant surprise as a child who lived through the Freedom Fries movement. I picked up the tiniest bit of French, all of which I've lost again except how to ask for the check. Their food was phenomenal. I practically lived off of cheese and baguettes the whole five days. And looking back, nearly missing our flight back to Italy for a brunch at Hotel du Nord and a stroll by the Saint-Martin was worth every blister. 

We did a lot more exploring but the synthesis is: Paris is not just a must see, but an experience.