I love it when a new week begins! So many new opportunities and fun activities open up for me to get excited about. With these new opportunities comes new challenges that need to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Sometimes I feel like dropping everything or push something back for alter when I am in a better position to complete it. I always try to eliminate the feelings of stress that come with new weeks at school.

I always love seeing my friends in class, they are the ones who offer the best advice or sometimes just a smile to get me through the afternoon.

I am thankful for these people who take time out of their day to greet me and ask me how things are going.

I always keep this in mind while doing my best to take time for myself which is how I practice mindfulness. I do this by listening to music, reading and going to bed early.

I always love going to class since it is a distraction from other concerns that swirl around in my head every passing day.

I love learning new things even though the new assignments do cause me some stress, I welcome new challenges and chances to work with my favorite people.

To whoever ends up reading this, I wish you a great week and the best of luck in your projects or opportunities.

Sometimes I feel as though people are out there to evaluate my worth. They never try to get to know me or see what I am most capable of. I can’t answer questions proving my abilities or intelligence.

I can only show you what I can do, the rest of it I can tell you about. I can tell you about my experiences and tell you stories.

It seems as though people knock me down to a level where I feel defeated and not as smart as I used to feel.

When I feel this way, I feel sad, alone and wonder if I will ever get back to the level I once was, whether it is superior happiness or capability. People I know do this, though I won’t name names.

I am always looking at ways to prove myself so people do not succeed at seeing me at the level they brought me to for their own satisfaction. I know they want me to see myself at my weakest, but I won’t let them because I want them to know I am stronger than that.

This is why I write because it helps me express my feelings in a creative way, I no longer have to hurt myself, others or my belongings. I can get the negative feelings out of my head before they have a chance to take control of me and my situation.

I am glad you have taken the time to read this because this is real stuff and I promise I will get to writing more positive things later on. For now, thank you very much.

Today, it is raining making everything wet and frozen. I look out the window and see everything covered in small droplets of ice making the trees look like ghosts. Everything is budding and blossoming through the frozen rain.

The rain is heard against the house and windows slashing against the windows and accumulating on the trees in the form of circular droplets. The droplets are dripping off the budding leaves as more replace them.

Thunder occasionally sounds making the morning lazy, cold and wet.

Spring has sprung for sure with icy rain and budding leaves. Everything is in transition at this time and it looks wonderful to see everything changing and improving for the future.

The rain on the roof acts as a symphony for everything changing and becoming reborn in the season of spring. No other season has this type of event.

It is unique to spring season only. It is quite special to have a season where there is light coming out of the darkness of winter.

Small flakes of ice still cover the ground among the small plants, it is a perfect picture of early spring.

The bit of ice looks like spilled sugar, reflecting the sweetness soon to fill the garden in the next month.

This rain is a necessary event for all involved because the trees get a drink and the buds feel the first kiss and spike of ice. Everyone and everything benefits from the rainy day.

To me, traveling is a privilege for those who can afford it and those who welcome it. I believe it takes a certain person to be able to handle the rigors and transitions that come with travelling. I am fortunately one of those people.

So far during my college career, I have been to a total of three countries, which are Ecuador, Spain and Ireland. I enjoyed all three countries and they are listed in no particular order. I loved the diversity that came with Ecuador, the history and Emerald Isles that came with Ireland, and the architecture and art that came with Spain.

I enjoyed the countries because not only were they something different, they were somehow welcoming to me in their own right. The people in each location always had something to offer about their history, country or themselves. To me, that was the greatest reward.

I also built friendships in those countries that were unique in their own right. Most of the people I met as tour guides or a friend of a friend.

Either way, I enjoyed their lessons and presence. I really wish that now I can have the chance to visit them again sometime. I am friends with one of them on social media, but there is not enough room for all of them.

Traveling has brought me great happiness now and many more opportunities through photography and publishing. I have already had a photo in the Center for Global Education’s photo contest.

My photo was displayed until March 18th. I thought that was an incredible feet for me, since I really wanted to get a photo in the contest. Recently, I have had the chance to have my photo published in a small magazine as well. I feel these opportunities are necessary for me to find the job I want. I welcome each opportunity to learn and grow through new experiences and opportunities.

Yesterday, I decided to go for a walk  in the woods. I wanted to take the time to see everything and not be the one always in a hurry. Granted, I was by myself, that is the way I like it though, no one to bother me.

When I entered the woods, my mind was blown as to all the different things I saw. I heard the silence of the woods, the animals bounding and scolding my presence.

I moved slowly, much slower than I usually walk. I was not accustomed to my pace, but I didn’t mind. The whole point of me going out to walk was to see the sheer beauty of the world around me.

The world around me was strikingly green, I loved seeing the moss attached to trees and the squirrels who called the trees home. I watched them as they watched me, they regarded me heavily, one walked down the trunk of a tree all while keeping its eye on me. I watched it in sheer delight, admiring its smallness and cunning.

I continued on through a tree line that made me stop and look up, the trees were the closest to skyscrapers I have ever been to. I marveled at their size and thickness, I loved watching the trees and the sounds they made while blowing. I also saw squirrels in the trees as they smashed on the leaves and leaped from branch to branch.

I also noticed the large rocks on the ground, experience told me they were granite, one of them was large and bright pink. They reminded me of the Geometry courses I took while in college, just because of their overall look.

I moved on through the thick forest, over branch and pricker to get nowhere in particular, just for the thrill of discovery.

Along the way, chipmunks greeted me alongside the trail as if they were happy I was visiting their home.

After a while, I came upon a steep hill with small rocks on the ground and a tree that looked like it could be from Alice in Wonderland. I stopped to admire its eccentricity, it sure did not appear like it belonged in such a casual woods. I looked it over top to bottom, all the while smiling because I had discovered something so unique.

Once over the hill, I discovered I was near the lake where I spooked up a small group of white tailed deer, who had been hanging out not far from the water’s edge.

At this point in the journey, I decided to turn back since it was already nearing late afternoon and I had not eaten any lunch.

Near the end of the journey, I spooked up several wild turkeys which proved to be almost a hundred by the way they bustled through the trees. They seemed alarmed by my presence because when I got closer, they moved twice as fast. I thought of this as one of the best parts of my walk.