Life is Wonderful…In My Very Own Apartment!!!

It is.  So much so that it took me a full month to blog another entryyy.  Gahh! I’ve missed y’all* too. And now fall is upon us--I have experienced so many more New York sites and souds (most of which are documented in pictures on my phone—and will be uploaded) but most of all, yes, I have an apartment! (Does a dance and twirls around) It is located in charming Astoria, Queens, and is an enormous weight lifted off of my shoulders.  (But now neck is tense…need a massage…oh, thank you Living Social for giving me a $120 massage for $30!)

                I am going to break down the important points into a list so y’all won’t get bogged down with my verbosity, and then I might be verbose again.  Forgive the outline/note looking form...

1)      Found an apartment in Queens and have three great house mates

2)      Dad is amazing and came to help move me in and repainted and fixed a bunch of things in need of repair. Very grateful. (It’s my Daddy’s birthday today! Happy birthday Andrey G!)

3)      Work is going well, though the adjustment to a full time job is challenging. (Took my first business trip to Philly a few weeks ago and it was great!)

4)      Have met some very cool people

5)      Have seen more parts of the city

a.       Columbia U (First Things Erasmus Lecture)

b.      Chelsea area (Love & Responsibility NYC)

c.       5^th Ave

d.      Upper East side (church & wanderings & potential apt)

6)      Very excited to have friends come and visit

7)      Very excited to further explore more of Manhattan

8)      Very excited to step into a more normal routine (except that whole lack of sleep thing…)

9)      Very excited to find a church & volunteer somewhere—maybe doing something Pro-Life.

This is bare bones…I have sooo many more things I want to write!!! But a start nonetheless...Rome wasn't built in a day! I am exhausted and going sleep on my own comfy bed!! (That's right, my own bed!) :D  I’ll see you before November 25^th (har har…) Until then, take care, and be well.*

Me with my first street
vendor donut!
Way better than Dunkin.

St. Vincent Ferrer Church

*Shout out to Sarah Ryan and Michelle Reeves with the y’all, I love my southern sisters J

*Charles Hartman says this, and I love it.  Don’t just do well, be well. Hmmm….



The beautiful Upper East Side

Svet's Taking a Bite Outta the Big Apple (And the Neighboring Burroughs)

Hello friends, neighbors, acquaintances, guy I met on the street? Welcome all who do me the honor of reading my ruminations/insights/life lessons and other brouhaha, especially during this exciting new time in my life!

So I did it!  I'm graduated. Phew.  I had a superbusycrazy summer; I did a six week program in DC with National Right to Life (during which this blog was birthed ::pun::), then I travelled to Madrid for World Youth Day with two lovley friends (my first trip to Europe!!) and got to see the Pope. And then I came home and ran to New York to find a dwelling place (proved to be a little more difficult than I had hoped...) and now I'm here.  I haven't yet had time to really process the summer because I've been getting adjusted to city life and a full time job, but I'm doing it just as soon as I find a place...and that's part of the reason why...

I'm restarting the blogging efforts; (for some curious reason blogging does require a lot of effort...I'm quite awful about getting into routines--evidently the reward of having a rhythm to life isn't enough :/...sigh...) But I do feel blogging to be a necessity in my new life stage of "twentysomething" trying to make it in the reeeeal world. And oh the agony and the ecstasy of it! Not knowing if I'll survive the next day in the concrete jungle...attempting to accumulate the wherewithal to be a savvy apartment hunter and wear the right shoes to work so as to not murder my feet...these tasks require serious effort and some serious smarts, I'm learning. (So maybe there's some slight dramatization here, but I like being dramatic. I think it makes life a wee bit more exciting. Also, maybe I have excess energy? That I could expend working out...maybe.) Anywho, I'm looking forward to getting this thing off the ground again. I'm still working on winning an apartment (it does seem like a sort of gamble here in NYC ::rolls eyes in exhaustion::) But as a friend said, she feels in her bones that I'm going to find one soon. I like that imagery! That's powerful stuff. I'm going to have a talk with my bones and tell them to start feeling that too. Okay bones?!?

But besides the slightly annoying apartment situation, (which I'm deep breathing over and praying about, and so is just about every other person I know) I am absolutely loving the big 'ol apple. Yes that's right, I'm in New York City, the epicenter of...fashion/art/theater/banking/Idon'tknowotherbusinessstuff--one of the greatest cities, period. I can't wait to explore and discover it; to see and smell it! (Actually the odor of NYC is something you become acquainted with rather quickly, unfortunately. But the upside: it's not like that everywhere. ThankyouGod.) Alrighty. I'm trying to keep it short and to the point for now--I explained my mission and where I'm at at the present moment. More to follow. Cheers. :)

Maybe this is my future apartment? Top floor? Or maybe the brownstone below it...(brickstone, #lolvivianaaa) Wait, I don't even Tweet...

I've been taking pics on my phone, lucky for me the camera quality is excellent. And I'm seeing all of these sites that are just making me gasp. And wish I had a friend next to me to share them with ("All By Myself" plays in background.) But worry not—that’s why I’m sharing heerrre.

What I'm Up to in D.C.

Greetings all,

As many of you may know, I've begun National Right to Life Committee's summer academy in Washington, D.C. This is a six-week program on all things life issues; abortion, euthanasia, and stem cell research.  The intent of the program is to equip young people with in depth knowledge of pro-life issues to become more effective in discussing the issues and changing culture!

As of now, I am in my third week and am on an information overload! Class consists of lectures and practicum sessions five days a week, 10am - 6pm...so it's a boot camp of sorts! In week one, we covered euthanasia and physician assisted suicide, in week two we studied the dangers of healthcare rationing, examined healthcare systems around the world, and learned why America can afford higher healthcare costs.  This week we are examining the intricacies of Obamacare and today our group (ten ladies) went to the Leadership Institute to hear a few lectures on effective campus and grassroots organizing.  The practicums we have every day are either mock lobbying sessions or a speech on the day's topic.  The program directors act as legislators that need to be informed on the issue, while in speeches they critique our content and form.  Good stuff.

Class takes up a ton of time and energy, but I've still had a blast exploring D.C. with the ladies in the program.  Thus far, highlights include celebrating the Fourth in D.C and watching the fireworks above the Washington Monument, (I felt pretty darn American!) touring the monuments (my favorites were the Korean War Memorial & WWII Memorial) and exploring the area around my George Washington dorm.  I've also had a bunch of visitors--my good friend Viviana came to visit over the Fourth and my uncle was here last week so I got to meet up with him and his two kids for an evening and take pictures in front of all of the beautiful buildings...including that big white one ;)

That's all for now folks, but I'm going to post more detailed info on what I'm learning in class. 
Take care until then!
xoxo

PS-- When I'm at NRLC's office, my cell phone doesn't get reception, so I apologize if I don't answer calls or texts promptly.  The best time to reach me is before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m.

Celebrating the 4th in D.C.