Last Summer, First San Diego Weekend

August 22nd. 

Summer isn't exactly over yet. Although I have moved in to my dorm at San Diego State (more on that later), we still have all this weekend to enjoy the summer. And let me tell you, Aztecs sure do know how to have fun.

On the 20th, I said all my final goodbyes. I went out with a couple middle school friends, spent the afternoon at the zoo with some church kids, attended night service at my church and said goodbye to all the ladies, and then went home to say goodbye to my two best guy friends.

I did not cry at all.

If you knew me, that'd be an accomplishment. Mostly because during graduation, all I did was cry about how much I was going to miss my friends and teachers.

But this time, no tears were necessary. I knew I was going to be okay. I've got real solid, loyal friends and an amazing church community and a family who supports me through everything. Why cry?

On the 21st, my parents and sisters and I left the house really early in the morning in order to get to San Diego by 7:30am for move-in day. I was lucky because we were early, which meant there was minimal craziness. It only took us one trip to take all of my stuff in my dorm, and only about an hour and a half to get my dorm organized and decorated. Although I was practically done moving in by 10am, I was able to spend time with my family until around 2pm, when my dad really wanted to go home in order to avoid major traffic.

The van was overflowing

getting comfy in my room

Saying goodbye to my family wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. I was okay when I hugged them all goodbye, but when they actually got in the car and left, that was when it hit me like a truck. It wasn't sad; it was just kind of scary. The first thing I thought was, "What a big school for such a small girl."

After they left, I explored campus. I've been here twice, but I still don't know where anything is. Even after I explored, I still barely know where anything is. Luckily enough, I have a friend here from high school, who walked around with me. Mostly from my dorm to his, but we're about twenty minutes apart by walking, so we were able to see a big part of the campus on the way.

At 7pm, the floors in every building have a mandatory meeting with the Residential Advisors (RA) and Academic Mentors (AM). I thought it was going to be a boring "do this and not that" kind of meeting, but it was fairly fun. We played an ice breaker, and yes, we went over the rules, but they summarized it enough to keep us all paying attention. Everyone in my floor is a nursing major, except for one business major guy. It's really nice because we all have similar schedules and similar teachers for our science classes and labs, so we'll all be able to help each other out in time of need (like, every day).

Around 9pm, there was a freshman welcoming event called Aztec Nights. The school is holding Aztec Night every weekend for a month, and it consists of different activities to help freshmen find friends and meet new people. Last night, it was titled Temple de Sol. I couldn't really see much (#shortpeopleproblems), but the main event had cheerleaders and football players and the chanting of the fight song and fire being twirled around. It reminded me of a ceremony of a new beginning.

I went with a new friend I met from my suite. We both live in a single dorm, but we're right next to each other. She's really sweet and nice, and I was lucky that she came to our suite last minute because I don't really relate to the other girls in my suite that quite well yet. We went to Aztec Night together with our whole floor, but once we got there, everyone just kind of did their own thing. We were lost for a while, wondering what to do other than pay attention to the cheerleaders at the front who we could not even see. So my friend from high school sent me a text to meet up, and that is when the adventure of the night began.

During my first night at San Diego State, I did not expect anything. I mean, I just imagined myself sitting in my dorm, Skyping my best friend. Man, was I wrong.

After meeting up with my friend in high school and my new friend, I met a bunch of other people. At first, it was just the three of us, and then I saw a friend from middle school, who introduced me to her roommate. They had their own thing going on, though, so they didn't really join us.

When I went back to my two friends, the group became bigger. At first, I was worried because I thought the girl from my dorm was lost, but she was actually just surrounded by really, really tall guys that my friend from high school brought.

It went from the three of us to nine of us. They had a big carnival type event going on for us until midnight, and although I only went on one of the bouncy thingies, it was really fun. Good company, good night.

my friend from high school in a sumo suit

After midnight, one of the guys from the group got invited to a party, so he was going to take us, but we started walking the opposite way and got even further away from the destination. Since we were all a bunch of lazy college students, we crashed at my friend from high school's dorm instead. They have a really nice looking apartment-style suite that's good for kick backs. All we really did was eat Cheez-its, talk, and listen to music. It was a good way to end the night.

My suite-mate and I got back at our suite around 2am. It was a little scary walking back because there were still some parties going on, and we saw some people walking like they were drunk (they probably were) and some just really, badly reeked of different substances. There were a lot of parties going on, especially in frat row. San Diego State does have a rep of being a party school, so I guess it made sense.

Once we got to our room, we both just kind of laughed about the fact that we were planning to stay in our rooms all night, yet we ended up being the last ones back in our building. It was quite an experience I don't think I'll ever forget.

There's still all of today and Sunday to enjoy the last bits of summer. After that, the true stress and responsibilities of college begins. Although my summer has treated me really well, I cannot wait for what college has in store for me.

My Dorm Room:

Much sun,

Annika :)

Nearing the End

August 19th.

I have not posted in three weeks, and all for a good reason.
Although I manage to update Facebook and Instagram (@annikadaph) with the convenience of my cellphone, I have not had the time to actually sit in front of my laptop and just simply write.

After my weekend in Los Angeles, I have been busy with mainly three things:
1) Phlebotomy Externship,
2) My older sister's bridal shower, and
3) Spending last moments with my friends.

Starting with my phlebotomy externship, I worked at a Women's Center as a phlebotomist-in-training. At first, I thought, "This shouldn't be hard at all. Eight and a half hours of watching another phlebotomist stick other people will be a piece of cake."

However, once I got to the site, my supervisor wasn't even a phlebotomist! She was a medical assistant. And I didn't just watch her - I had to do it!!! The very first patient on my very first day, and I had to take their blood and make sure not to mess up! At least I got my own work station...

Man, was it nerve-wracking.

For the most part, the externship was boring. I would sit there and plan my older sister's bridal shower whenever I did not have a patient to take blood from. My supervisor was very nice and informative; however, she would teach me "short-cuts" that are used in "real-life phlebotomy" that I know my school teacher Ms. Watson would be very angry at me for. At times, it got confusing because my supervisor would want me to execute a draw in a way that wasn't proper and would get angry at me for not listening to her. It was okay, though; I knew that by executing a draw the way they thought us in school was the best and safest way to do it.

As for my sister's bridal shower, things got quite stressful. Let's just say that I have never been to a bridal shower, I'm a teenager, and I had barely any time to plan this at all. The thing I was thankful for the most was that my little sister also helped out and two of our other friends at church did the decorations!

 My mom also wanted to be highly involved, especially with the food and organization of the gift bags, so a lot of things were taken off my plate.

The shower was a success! My older sister was able to see and celebrate with her friends and I'm pretty sure she teared up a couple times (in this case, it's a very good thing). She's getting married in about 6 weeks, so it's quite an exciting time for my family!

One thing I must say, though: I hope I never have to plan another one again. My older sister can do my little sister's because I am so done with the responsibilities of a maid-of-honor!

... let's just hope my best friend decides to choose another person, too. ^_^

jr bridesmaid and flower girl

my sister and me!

Aside from phlebotomy and the bridal shower, I have tried to hang out with my friends as much as possible (which is not much because everyone is busy at work). During the past three weeks, many of my friends are slowly getting ready to leave or have actually left - across the country, just a couple states away, or a couple hours away. Either way, the butterflies in my tummy have slowly been getting more obvious as more and more of my friends leave.

So far, I have been successful in seeing all my friends that mean the most to me. I have gone out on lunches, dinners, coffee dates, and picnics with the friends I truly wanted to see before I go off to San Diego. There are only four girls I have not (and will probably not) seen because our schedules conflict. But it is all okay - we still have winter break to see each other!

As for my bucket list, I am a little bummed that I did not get to do everything I wanted to do, like fishing, going to the museum, the OC Fair, the Sawdust festival, the Shakespearean plays and the movie nights. Since summer isn't exactly over yet, I already have planned to go to the zoo tomorrow with some church friends, and go camping at the beach and have a bonfire over the weekend. I am 100% sure that I will be able to those on my last weekend before the stress of college begins!

I also did not exactly finish one of my summer goals: lose 15 pounds. However, on the bright side, I lost 8 pounds and my Body Mass Index decreased by 2.6! That is enough for me to celebrate and keep on going until I reach my healthy goal.

It is not quite the end of my summer yet, so I'll be posting another article before I start posting college-related things (moving in, roomies, academics, SDSU life)! Boy, am I excited!

Since I am writing this quite late at night, I still have all of tomorrow to say goodbye to a couple friends from my middle school, church, and of course, my best friends (I'm seriously not ready for that one). I'm not really saying goodbye to family until Friday morning, so let's save that for later, too. We're not very sentimental, though, so I'm pretty sure all we'll say is, "See ya next month!"

Summer has treated me very, very well. How was yours?




Much sun,

Annika. :)

A Los Angeles Weekend

July 26th.

My weekend was spent in Los Angeles - the city of opportunity. The city where everything is possible; where stars and dreams are made. The city of bad drivers and aggressive characters. The city of cheap, but cute clothing, jewelry and accessories. Where traffic is a daily thing, and city buses cut you off. Where people walk so fast, they trample over you. Where you can see every possible ethnicity in one block and every culture is celebrated.

Oh, how I love Los Angeles.

I have always dreamed of living there, especially when my ultimate dream was becoming an actress. The city is so alive, and people are always on the go. It's not as crazy as New York, but it's close enough. My mother doesn't really like the place because of how crowded and rude some people can be, but that's just L.A. It's normal.

On Friday, my mom and I went to L.A. mostly to see The Phantom of the Opera at the Pantages Theatre. However, we drove there around noon to stroll around Downtown L.A. (the main part of L.A. where hipsters like to hang out at). The parking is absolutely nuts, and meters are so expensive. Who carries $4 worth of quarters, just so they can park for 2 hours? Absolutely nuts.

But still, it was well worth it. My mother walked like a mad-woman when we were downtown because of the fast-paced and loud environment - she couldn't wait to get out! Whereas I took my precious time, absorbing the liveliness of the city and all the different sounds that makes Los Angeles such an exciting place.

at Jewelry District

 After spending two hours of our time in Downtown L.A. (yes, okay, my mother is one of those people who brings $4 worth of quarters with them for a parking meter), we went to the hair salon where my mom has been going to for the past fifteen years.

I cannot tell you just how much my mom and I got lost in this area. Her GPS wasn't working, and mine was acting up. My mom kept on driving the complete opposite direction from where we were supposed to be going... and it was just a complete disaster.

But lo and behold, we made it to the salon. All I wanted was a haircut, but the hairdresser also colored it ash brown and cut a little more than I asked. No arguments, though. Her assistant was this really cute Korean dude, and it was funny watching him try to comb my hair with a little tiny comb and a whole container of detangler. Curly, thick hair problems, am I right?

It takes a village to do my hair. Seriously. After I took this picture, another lady helped out with detangling my hair, and when they had to dry my hair, three of the blow dryers were used and one even overheated and died.

Props to them, though, because my hair turned out well and I love it!

After the salon, my mom and I headed to Pantages.

SO. MANY. PEOPLE.

Not like I was expecting less because The Phantom of the Opera Tour is absolutely sold out. I got my mom and I tickets back in April for center Mezzanine front seats at the Pantages. I spent my first paycheck from work on this. Totally worth it.

All I can say is that the theatre is beautiful, and the play was phenomenal. I want to see it in New York someday - the true Broadway mecca. I loved Pantages so much that I'm already planning on seeing another show there. Hopefully I'll be able to see another one before 2015 ends!

One day in L.A. wasn't enough, so the next day, my whole family went. We all drove there for the Opening Ceremony of the Special Olympics World Games.

Best. Experience. Ever.

Before the opening ceremony, my family and I hung out at the parking garage because it was way too hot outside and we felt like sitting on the truck while eating fancy sandwiches and drinking Gatorade. Once we were all sick of the parking garage, we decided to kill two birds in one stone: go to the California Science Center before heading to L.A. Coliseum for the Opening Ceremony.

thank you Snapchat

Of course, we had to get some ice cream before going to the event.

The line was SUPER long, and it was awesome to see so many people at the Special Olympics World Games! There were 177 countries participating, and over 7,000 athletes. I would say that there were about 60,000 people at the stadium yesterday. 

When my family and I finally got through the line, my mother decided to use the restroom, while the rest of us kids waited outside. In front of us was the Egyptian ambassador who stayed at the same exact spot for about ten minutes because people kept stopping him to take a picture with him. My siblings and I were joking that we should stop him and take a selfie with him, but we thought it would be too awkward, so we saved ourselves from embarrassment and took pictures with each other instead.

My mom got us tickets because she was a sponsor through Kaiser Permanente. We had front row seats, almost towards the center. My mom, little sister, and my brother got the best seats, while the rest of us had a huge black sound system covering the center stage. Darn. Still, we had a really good view of all of the athletes.  

It was such an amazing experience. I don't know how else to describe it. The entertainment was amazing - Jimmy Kimmel opened up, Cody Simpson performed, and then there was Becky G, Eva Longoria, Nicole Scherzinger, Avril Lavigne, and so many other amazing artists. I even got to see my favorite character from Glee: BECKY JACKSON (Lauren Potter). She is the cutest, most enthusiastic girl ever. I don't know how anyone can NOT like her. Come on, her motto in Glee is: "WHAT'S UP, BITCHES?" *excuse my language* with her fierce attitude and confidence. And her laugh is contagious every time she "burned" someone with an insult. Oh, Becky. 

Of course, the best of them all was also there: STEVIE WONDER. Oh my goodness, when I found out he was performing, I had a fangirl moment, and kept on singing "Isn't She Lovely" until my sister got annoyed. 

Still, it wasn't the entertainment that made the opening ceremony the best experience I have ever had in Los Angeles. It was the athletes. It was so heartwarming to see so many kids and adults with intellectual disabilities from all over the world have the best moment of their lives in a competition where each and everyone of them can show their true athletic ability and is loved and accepted by millions of people. 

A lot of people treat them differently just because they may have down syndrome or autism or something similar, but when you see them, they look "normal." They look just like us. When the countries were being announced, and my sister and I looked at the participants walking, we couldn't even tell the difference between the ambassadors and the athletes. We didn't know which one is which because they all just look the same. Yet they are treated so differently in many places of the world.

The Special Olympics movement and Reach Up L.A. revolution is something we should all be a part of. It is so amazing to see those athletes with such big smiles on their faces and compete their hearts out. I seriously love their athlete's oath: "Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt." 

This oath doesn't even have to only be for the Special Olympics World Games' athletes. It can apply to all of us, and that's what I love the most about it. 

So, if you guys can, follow the World Games for the next eight days! It is truly, truly amazing! Good luck to all the athletes out there. Cheering for USA and the Philippines. :D

First Lady Michelle Obama

the stands & fans

Lighting of the torch

  

Let the games begin!

Explore Los Angeles whenever you all have the time to do so. :) 

Much sun,

Annika.