ESPAÑA

I´ve been in Spain for about a week and a half and have had WAY too many technical difficultades to even talk about so the blog is slow to start and update. Spain is amazing I may never come home, here is an entry I wrote on May 23. More to come later, besitos de españa!!!
PS amsterdam next weekend!!!!!

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Spain. Spain, Spain, Spain. No matter how many times I repeat it to myself, it still hasn't set in that I'm acutally here. Ever since 6th grade when I knew what studying abroad was, I knew that one day I would make it to Spain.

The days leading up to my trip were extremely stressful--my last final was Friday May 14 and I left May 19, and in between these dates I had to go to and celebrate graduation, pack for my two-month European voyage, and simultaneously move out of my house (RIP Tichenor/The Block) and put my life into storage. Being the extreme procrastinator that I am, I had not finished packing until it was literally time to leave. My friend Liz drove me to Newark airport, all the while telling me about her time abroad in Spain last summer and pumping me up for my journey ahead. After I checked my bag, it finally set in that yes Amanda, you are leaving the continent for two months.

The flight was about 7 hours, not awful but not a great flight either. I have trouble sleeping on planes but there were movies/tv shows on demand which helped. Landing in Madrid Thursday morning still hadn't driven into my head that I was indeed in Spain.

I was greeted by our group directors, two pretty women in their late 20s that seemed to the the epitome of the flowy, carefree style that is Espana. After meeting some of the other students in my group, we were bused to our four star hotel in Madrid.

In the past, I had head bad things about Madrid, that it was too overcrowded and that it was a dirty place. Madrid was beautiful! It reminded me so much of Manhattan, it even had a large open park that had been reffered to as the Central Park of Madrid. Driving through the city we gawked at the adorable tavernas, bars, shops, etc until we arrived at our hotel, a pretty swanky place in (as far as I know) the heart of Madrid. We immediately tossed our luggage in our rooms and headed out to explore the city. Later a group of about 12 of us went out to dinner at a random restaurant on a corner of a plaza. Eating outside to enjoy both the sights and the weather, I happened to turn around and see my friend Patrick from high school walking with his mother. Needless to say I was in shock, everyday I realize more and more what a small world we really do live in.

Dining out is such a different experience in Spain. No one seems to have any concept of time: it's a struggle to even get the waiters attention for the check rather than in America where people seem to be rushed in and out of restaurants. People sit and chat and linger over sangria long after the meal is over. Neither of these things are bad, just extremely differnt cultures that need to be embraced and adapted to.
I was in shock my first night to see that the sun literally does not set until at least 10:30 pm, which helped my quickly adjust to the Spanish custom of not going out to dinner until 9 (at the very earliest) and going out at night around midnight or so.

Springtime!

Wow. It seems like I have neglected this little blog of mine for quite some time. I want to say I've been busier than ever and it really feels like I have, only I haven't been any busier with work and school than I normally am. Its the weather! No one wants to stay inside blogging when there's vitamin D to be absorbed and friends drinking Corona Lights in your backyard on a Wednesday afternoon! There are BeerBQs to be had and homemade hangover pancakes to be made for guests in the morning! There is nothing I look forward to in my life in NJ as much as beautiful beautiful spring. Its the only thing that makes the miserable winter so worth it. The first decently warm, sunny day happens and everyone embraces it: girls don dresses and boys break out the shorts. Recently the spring has been extreme to say the least, we've had 85 degree beach days (yes the boys and I took the day off to hit the Jersey Shore(!)) and 50 degree miserable rainy days.
Despite the weather I have had some responsibilities. My internship is going so well its hard to put in words. I scaled back from 3 to 2 days a week; 18 credits and an internship 3 days a week is too much for me even though I always seem to think I can do it all. I have really started to learn a lot more than I anticipated. It is a very hands-on experience, I dress models and send out mailers and run garments all over SoHo.
This past Friday I hand packaged pieces to be sent to Rachel Bilson, Jessica Alba, Leighton Meester, Jessica Szhor, Kate Bosworth, Alexa Chung, and Carrey Mulligan. I have almost fallen off ladders trying to reorganize the paperwork in the stockroom and stuffed more envelopes than can fill up a mail truck. I survived my first New York fashion week, it was an amazing experience. I have met some really nice people and I’m sad to see this internship coming to a close soon. I can only be excited for what my Fall internship will bring me.

NJ Transit

The other day I was on sitting on the train waiting to leave Penn Station listening to Led Zeppelin on my iPod when an old lady sat down next to me. I didn't really think much of it and continued to zone out the window. I had already been seated for a while so I, being perpetually in a rush in the city and therefore being overheated, had already taken off my coat, jacket, scarf etc. This older woman took it upon herself to ask if I had a coat (motherly instincts I'm guessing?), even though there was clearly winter outerwear on the seat next to me. When I told her that I yes, I have one, she nodded approvingly. Weirdo, I thought. She then proceeded to make a phone call in Spanish. I overheard (okay, listened intently) to her saying when she would arrive in South Orange, my stop. So after she hung up I gathered the courage to try to strike up a conversation with her in Spanish.

I found out she was from Venezuela and I explained to her how I came to speak Spanish and she was surprised that my family was not of any Spanish descent. She complimented my accent and we got to talking about my upcoming plans to study in Valencia. She was very excited for me and wished me well in my endeavors.

While it may not seem like a significant conversation, it was a small landmark in my mind in terms of the progress I have made in learning a foreign language. This is the first semester in 7 years that I have not taken a Spanish class, and ever since I moved to New Jersey I have felt that my proficiency in the language had been slipping. Talking to native speakers also makes me very nervous when I speak Spanish.

You never know who you’ll come across on NJ Transit.

Temperley London

I did it! I have officially survived my first day as an intern in the high-end fashion world. A friend of mine friend predicted that I would be like Whitney from The City; and another texted me asking how the internship was going and I told her I felt like LC on The Hills…minus the computer.

However glamorous that sounds, it did not start out well. First off, my train buddy Lindsey’s phone died in the middle of the night and she didn’t wake up in time to get to the city with me, so I start my journey alone and magazine-and-iPod-less. I meet someone from San Diego on the train (small world), and proceed to venture to the ACE subway and get off at Canal St. This, my friends, is where things go awry. I’m so turned around when I exit the subway station and have no sense of direction as to where to walk to. So I try to wander around and find W Broadway—ding! So I follow it about 4 or 5 blocks when I finally realize that I don’t recognize any of my surroundings. I resort to asking for directions and luckily the woman had a map and pointed me in the right direction.

Temperley London is located in SoHo among art galleries and stores like Kate Spade. The second floor showroom and offices are surrounded by 16 foot ceilings and huge photographs of models in the offices. The sales floor is beautifully lit and decorated with chandeliers, quirky-yet-chic art and racks upon racks upon racks of gorgeous clothes. Even the bathrooms are beyond glamorous with red walls, and an antique white sink and matching clawfoot tub. What kind of store has this? One that serves clients Moet & Chandon diamond encrusted champagne, that’s who.

I have my own desk and Virginia put me straight to work. I quickly became familiar with the design catalogue and how to check sample sale lists and pack away the samples. I did this for Spring/Summer 09, PreWinter 09, and Autumn/Winter 09, with a sneak peak at Cruise 2010. (It’s all gorgeous, by the way). I also found out that my boss (?) Virginia was used to be an intern there too, which is inspiring. It was a good day and I felt like I had made a good impression on everyone, at least I hope so.

Of course once I arrived at Penn Station to go back to South Orange, I got on the wrong train: for some reason the Dover train was an express, ugh. So after deboarding just in time, I sprint back to NJ Transit to learn that the next train back to SO was not for another half hour. After miserably waiting for that train knowing I would now be late to my night class, I arrived back in South Orange to find a lovely little parking ticket waiting on my car.

So while everything else in my day went wrong, I still had a great experience as a new intern—the only intern, might I add. Even though it was not the most exciting day ever, I’m just glad I didn’t have to start out with anything over my head. Virginia said that she would set me up my own e-mail account soon and that I should have a computer by Friday! Take that LC.

internships

So last Friday I had an interview at Temperley London, and I found out later that afternoon that I had gotten the internship! I was shopping at the mall at the time I found out and literally almost started to cry I was so happy. Not only was I ecstatic that I had gotten the position, it made me feel like when I wanted something I could actually accomplish it. It seems like things are starting to fall into place this semester.


On a much more somber note, Friday’s interview was overshadowed by the fact that our dear friend lost his mother earlier this week to cancer and her services were this weekend. On literally the two coldest days of the year, I drove into Manhattan to the wake on Friday night and the funeral Saturday morning. I had never driven in the city before and it was actually quite an exhilarating experience! I loved it.
Mrs. Bolin’s wake was lovely; surrounded by family and friends in an upscale funeral home on 81st and Madison. The funeral however was so incredibly sad—it’s so hard to see one of your good friends lose something so dear to them. It was only a matter of weeks ago that I was at another friend’s father’s funeral; he had also lost his battle with cancer. Everyone said their farewells to Patricia Bolin in a pretty little church on 89th and Madison, and afterward we went next door for the reception on the Bolin’s apartment building rooftop—which had an incredibly beautiful view of Manhattan. The reception quickly turned into a serious party; Mrs. Bolin’s iPod was blasting Queen and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Corona bottles in one corner in my life. I had the opportunity to get to know the Bolin family better and they are all as equally friendly and hilarious and full of life as their son. Mr. Bolin is one of the most generous and loving characters you can ever hope to meet. It is hard to see a family like the Bolins lose someone so special. My sincerest condolences go out to the Bolin family.

welcome to the real world

As a second-semester Junior at Seton Hall, I am starting to realize that this is the time in your life when you start to make things happen for yourself. Whether that be internships, studying abroad, or taking classes more seriously, now is the time that we start to carve out the path for the rest of our lives.

My first two and a half years at Seton Hall were full of late nights, attending class in a haze and an extreme lack of focus for academia. Not to say that I didn't apply myself or do fairly well--it just seemed to be that fun was my first priority.

However now that I am coming to the realization that I can no longer stay up until 3 am and waltz into class the next morning, I have started to take school (and myself) a little more seriously. The second I returned to Jersey after winter break I went into action mode--applying for 14+ internships, meetings at the career center, taking 18 credits, etc. And I have to admit, taking care of business feels good. I feel more mature (somewhat) and I feel that I can get things accomplished when I need to, something that I had always felt unsure about at SHU.

This morning I had my first interview, albeit via phone, and it was a learning experience. I know I wasn't perfect but I have a feeling I didn't fail miserably... I hope. I have an interview in the city on Friday and my anxiety levels are already skyrocketing.

Whether I obtain an internship immediately or not, I have great hopes for this semester. So I hope that the none of you who read this will follow me on my journey as a young woman trying to crack into the real world, whatever that may be.