Guam Legislature

My classmate and I have been working on an assignment for our political science class and our professor assigned that we were to make a bill and have one of the senators look at it and get feedback. To be honest, it felt impossible to do because (1) we don't know how to write a bill, (2) we don't know what problem we are going to address and (3) how to get in contact with a senator given that they are already busy. But we did it, surprisingly.

Our bill was about carpooling and how we think we should designate some lanes on Guam for carpooling so that emergency vehicles could have a faster access to wherever they are going, etc. We already knew that this was impossible for Guam but we just wanted feedback as to how the senator feels about it if it's a good idea or not and all that. And today, even in our procrastination, we were able to meet with Regine Biscoe Lee. She wasn't totally against our bill and mentioned that there would be a lot of work put into it if this was something that were to be considered in the legislature.

Overall, the feeling was great. Mostly because we got the work done. And I don't know, I know senators are the same regular people but sometimes I feel like I'm meeting someone famous when I'm around those people. Hopefully, my partner and I pass the class and the semester!

Thankgiving

Last year I wasn't able to spend Thanksgiving with my family because I wasn't on the island. This year, I'll be working during Thanksgiving and it makes me a little sad. Even my parents are more understanding about it than I am. I love the holiday season. I feel like the holiday would be complete if there were snow though. But I'm just grateful that I'm home this year and that I'll be spending a little of Thanksgiving with my family.
I honestly don't remember much from the Dominican Republic and how we spent Thanksgiving. I know the locals there don't celebrate that holiday so the American girls were supposed to have something but it didn't work out so we couldn't even have a little dinner together. I think we were working and that kept us busy. But we did end up doing something the next night, like a little snack party and we got to say what we were thankful for and it was nice even though it wasn't much.
Anyways, I don't know if we're going to be doing something at work because I do work that night. I'm thinking that they might have something for us after the shift or that we will get to eat from the buffet (even though we already do that already hehe) and eat together (instead of eating at the back).
After Thanksgiving will be Christmas and I'm so excited! And December is also my birth month and I'm excited to see what's in store for me (good or bad).

Resignation

As I mentioned in one of my recent blogs is that I was working two jobs; one being a full-time job, another being a part-time job and I go to school full-time. So I finally had the courage to resign from my full-time job, Westin. When I had given my resignation, my boss was giving different options so that I could stay. "I'll work with your schedule, I'll give you more days off, etc." To be honest, I wanted the job to make more money but after this semester I saw how difficult it is to balance everything and really thought that the money wasn't worth it anymore.

It's nice to have it but I really should focus on school. When I had left off the island for the year, it pushed my education back another four years because I had to switch over to the new catalog. My main focus is trying to finish up education and that should've been my mentality in the beginning. But it's ok. I had a good experience working in the food and beverage industry.

I also plan on turning in my resignation to Calvin Klein before the holidays. I'm just really glad thatI'm gonna have more time to focus on my studies before the semester ends. My day at Westin is on the 30th and I'm gonna miss it, not the job but the people. Some of them aren't happy with the decision I made but they understand that it's something that needs to be done.

Long Distance

When I was living in the Dominican Republic, there were many girls that I met during my time there. Not just the locals there but also other girls in the United States, such as New Jersey, Connecticut, New York, Chicago, etc. It makes me sad that we are so far away especially the fact that I'm from Guam (not a bad thing, I love my home!) because they're able to visit each other but it would take me a while to go visit them because it is so expensive to leave this island. We have group chats together but with the time difference, it is hard to get to each other right away sometimes.
It is also sad to see how we were so close and now that we're back at our homes and going on with our lives. But whenever I see their posts on social media, it makes me happy because it's nice to see how everything's going well for them. I do have plans to go out and visit them, once I get the money. They have also made plans to come and visit Guam in 2020 which is really exciting because some of these girls have never heard about Guam or know where it is.
I also miss the locals from the Dominican Republic. They made my stay there so fun. I left last year on January 14, 2017, and came back on December 11, 2017. I think its crazy that I have been home for almost a year already because it feels like I have been home longer than that or sometimes it feels like I didn't leave. I can't wait to be back out there someday. :)

Sister is back home

My sister got married back in July and started her new life with her husband but she has been back home for the past two weeks because she was having trouble with her apartment and decided to move out. She already has another place set up but she's just waiting for the occupants to move out so her and husband can move in. And to be honest, it's been nice to have her home even though I know she should have her alone time with husband. She's someone I'm close to so having her back home has been pretty fun.
Also, I have been very busy with school and working two jobs, sometimes I feel bad for not spending too much time with my parents and that sometimes they're alone but I'm glad that there's someone to keep them company. I wish it could be me but the semester is almost coming to an end and I'm so excited that I will have more free time to relax and be with my family. But I'm glad that my parents and I are able to help my sister out at this time.
I know that she wants to be out of our house already because there isn't an privacy for them and for me and for my parents. The house has been so messy this past couple of weeks, I'm surprised my parents don't go crazy for it being that way (because they are clean freaks hehe). Well, they should be out by next week and hopefully, everything goes smoothly in this new place of theirs. But I'm always around to visit her and my other sister unannounced so its really like we never separated.

Traveling

It's coming close to the holiday season and it just reminds me of the trips I took last year. After living in the Dominican Republic, I had traveled to the mainland. I went to New York, New Jersey, California then to Nevada and after all that, I made my way home. That was my first time being able to visit those place except for California. I loved being out there especially in the cold, I prefer cold weather over hot weather.
I remember when I made my first stop in New York, which was only about 3-4 days, I was so excited to be there. The thought of actually being in there never crossed my mind and when I was given the opportunity to stay with a friend there that I met from the Dominican Republic, I couldn't say no. We got to visit Rockefeller, Radio City, Times Square and some other places in the city. I was hoping it would snow, being that it would be my first time to experience it but it only started to snow when I left the state. Then I made my way to California to meet my family living out there then drove our way to Nevada and spent another few days there.
This is one thing I love about traveling. Just experiencing a different atmosphere, experiencing how one lives in a certain area and the different things I get to see and visit. I'm hoping to go back by next year but who knows? I have been to many other places too that have been more exciting and breathtaking than the mainland (no offense haha) such as, Brazil, Poland, Spain, and Rome. All this stress from school and work makes me just want to pack up my stuff and travel again.

Wisdom teeth

I am planning to get braces but there a lot of other things that have to be done before I actually get them, like getting my wisdom teeth pulled out. I had my consultation and I have to get them out soon because they are growing near a nerve in my mouth and it can be dangerous. But the idea of having someone cut open some part of my mouth scares me. I don't even like going to the dentist. Even though I was reassured by the doctor it'll be a fast procedure and that I wouldn't feel a thing, it's still a scary thought and the pain afterward is something that I am not looking forward to. 

Anyways, I am pretty excited to get braces even though I know I am going to get tired of them eventually.  Not all of my teeth crooked but there are some that need to be straightened out. I think this will help boost my confidence because there are sometimes when I am insecure about my smile.

And I know they are going to be so expensive. I have been to three different orthodontists on the island and they have all given me about the same price range, but to be honest I think this for a good cost.

Calvin Klein

On Friday and Sundays, I work at my other job in the morning. I have been working there for a while, but since I started school and another job, I feel like I haven't worked there in a while. So this weekend was my first back in two weeks and I felt kind of rusty because I didn't know what was going on in the store. Sometimes the associates are required to work the register and I was there. 

At Calvin Klein, we have to sign people up for the membership but we don't force it on the customer. If they don't want to sign up for the free membership then we just leave it at that. Each associate is supposed to score an 80% or better but I think I scored a 60%-70%. Another we do is compute the discounts for the customer and in the store we have sales like, 60% plus an addition 20%. Some customers think that it equals to 80%.. I mean it does, but it doesn't work like that. So some customers become really confused because the price doesn't come out the way they thought it would. 

So how it actually works is that you would take the 60% first from the original price and then from that discount price would subtract the 20%. Basically its like two discounts. Being back this weekend was a nice because I got to see some of the my coworkers who I'm close to.

Fall semester so far...

This is my second semester back after being away for a year. Last semester was pretty okay, not that I'm saying college classes are easy. But this semester is kicking me in the butt. I am taking four classes and working two jobs, one where I work a little below 40 hours a week. So lately I have been pretty stressed trying to keep up with everything. It was crazier when the semester started but now, my time management has gotten better. I usually make more time for school, for example, I'd bring my homework to work or I use whatever free time I have to catch up on my assignments. This is one big lesson I had to learn this semester, is how to manage my time wisely. 

But if things get really crazier and I want to pull my hair out, I usually just step away from the school and the work and just go out to unwind. It doesn't really matter what I do, anything that relaxes me. Going out and hanging out with my friends, or sometimes just driving around or window shopping relaxes me. 

I never imagined myself working two jobs and going to school. And I know that my education is important but my health is too and so I find it okay, to just take a step back from the busy life and escape for a little bit.

 

Communications Class

This semester I am taking CO210: Fundamentals of Communications and I just had my first speech presentation today. We had to talk about our most memorable moment and I decided to talk about when I first left for the Dominican Republic. Doing this assignment was very nerve-wracking because I do not like to speak in front of a crowd. But I did not have a choice, I had to do it even though I wish did not have to.
When I got up there, I could not breathe and I was so nervous. It was only a 2-3 minute speech, but to be honest, it felt like it went on forever. I was the fourth person to go and my classmates who went before me made it look pretty easy. I practiced my speech a couple times the night before, but I already knew that what I wanted to say was not going to be said. And I was right, everything I wanted to say was jumbled up in my head.
But I did it, even though it did not go as I wanted it to, I was able to make the 2-minute mark. This class is really important, mostly because I am planning on becoming a teacher and this will help me become a more confident speaker in front of people, and in the future, my class. I am sure that when our next speeches come up, I will gain a little more confidence each time I have to present.