I’ve sort of become an Emerson freak recently. He may even be my favorite poet/writer of the Transcendentalists (I don’t have many favorite writers). But in particular, his essay “Self Reliance” has given me great strength and motivation to plan some amazing initiatives for 2010 and execute “preliminary requirements” to those initiatives before the end of the year.

As I roast in the middle of finals and my brain feels the heat of the academic flame, I pull this quote from Emerson’s essay to describe my mantra for 2010:

“Great men have always done so, and confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age, betraying their perception that the absolutely trustworthy was seated at their heart, working through their hands, predominating in all their being. And we are now men, and must accept in the highest mind the same transcendent destiny; and not minors and invalids in a protected corner, not cowards fleeing before a revolution, but guides, redeemers, and benefactors, obeying the Almighty effort, and advancing on Chaos and the Dark.”- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self Reliance

I’m very clear about what I expect from myself in 2010, and I must admit that I have put the standards high. But only you know your true potential, so I don’t doubt my ability or grace to balance my goals and have a completed check list by December 31, 2010. Nevertheless, as 2009 comes to an end, I am excited about finishing a successful semester, completing my senior thesis (I’ll be editing it more in the Spring for publication), traveling across Europe, learning Spanish, and finally getting to see Egypt (December 19th is so close!!!!!)

I plan to do another post to release any last sentiments about 2009 before I board my flight to Cairo. I don’t want to be connected to the technology world while I’m traveling and plan to use Egypt as a meditative space for transitioning to 2010 and all of the responsibilities that come with it.

It’s 2:38am, I’m going to bed.

Hope you’re completing your “end of the year prep” like I am.

Much love,

Ari

(I figured that I’d bless you with an iPhoto on my NEW MACBOOK PRO!!!!!!!!!! it’s so sexy lol)

As many of you have figured out within the last few weeks, I cut my hair. Chopped, gone, and perhaps now in some garbage incinerator floating up to the sky. I have cut my hair before, around my 18^th birthday (that’s about two years ago, yes I am young!), I told my hairdresser that I was tired of my shoulder brushing mane and to cut me the edgyist style she could think of. And I rocked it, HARD, in fact the majority of my friends in New York remembered me with my short hair cut, so when I came back to New York this summer after a year of being abroad with my hair back to my shoulders, a lot of my friends were like “huh? Arielle?”

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It has been an interesting semester, hasn’t it? I began January by flying to Madrid to be in NYU in Madrid’s program, living in Spain’s capitol, and feeling for the second time what it’s like to be a study abroad American student in Europe. And then I returned and I saw my country swear in the first African-American president in our history and stood on the front lawn of the capital experiencing something that I hope to tell not just my children, or my grandchildren, but my great-grandchildren and I hope the stories continue to go on generation by generation. It was that amazing tone that seemed to set my semester to something incredible, to a level that I couldn’t even imagine at the time. And then my father was sworn in to be a superior court judge that same week, something he has worked for endlessly during his career. The sentiments continued to build because dreams were becoming a part of everyday life all around me. It was no longer a stretch of the imagination to say “my president is Black!” or that perhaps America was moving toward a new era that we’ve all been waiting for…change, the same word that an amazing campaign was built on, change and hope. I returned to Madrid a few days later to work on the moment God had given me. In truth, the honeymoon phase had passed and now I was in a city, with a language that I was not fluent in, and city folks that truly weren’t that friendly. As someone who refuses to stay in any bubbles set for myself, I could feel myself becoming upset that the interaction I expected with native-Spanish speakers and Madrid’s citizens was not coming to pass. Instead, I was there with my American friends in and out of class, speaking our common language of English, having a great party life, and feeling my Spanish reach a plateau where it wasn’t getting better or worse…it just “was”.

With this feeling of just existing and not progressing, I waited, I meditated, and I prayed for guidance. Then after something like a fairytale, I booked a weekend trip with my friend Tammy to Sevilla to get away in hopes of clearing my mind from my surroundings and focusing harder on what I was supposed to receive from my study abroad experience. After meeting so many international students from all over Europe and South America, and even some from the U.S., all studying in Sevilla at actual Spanish universities with native Spanish students, I knew immediately that HEY THAT’S WHAT I CAME HERE FOR!!!!

So I did the unthinkable and left my program in Madrid to move to Sevilla and enroll in a local university called the Universidad de Pablo Olavide, by far the most adventurous thing I’ve done in my life. Moving to a place, I’ve only seen once and completely risking my academic semester, but I had one of those “feelings” that it was right even though it logically could not be explained. But four months later, I can tell you that my Spanish literally has me feeling that I am reaching the top of the ladder to fluency, if not being two steps from already achieving it, I made a life friend (love ya Tammy), and I got the opportunity to experience Spain and its inhabitants on a completely different level. Between my trips to Granada, Barcelona/Catalunya, Ibiza, Palma Mallorca, Valencia, and Cordoba all within Spain and then to Greece and the Greek islands, it is clear that God had a plan and something to show me. That extent of traveling would not have been possible on my NYU in Madrid schedule and the Spanish I had to use to communicate and most importantly hear the stories and histories of the locals would have never been at the proper level. But still Madrid was a blessing, Sevilla was a blessing, and every person I met contributed to my life in a unique way. I thank God for making all of this possible including the family and friends that supported me through this. To my Mom, Grandmother, and Auntie that were always there to hear me vent on a phone call, I can’t tell you how much it meant to have people to talk to when you’re so far away from home. To my Aunt Candace and Uncle Bruce that literally financed this trip and gave me the spiritual talk that I needed before I left their house in Michigan/gave me great advice while I was abroad, my travels and attitude toward this trip would have never been the same without you. To my sister who managed to keep me laughing through this whole process between her emails, comments on my blog and our phone conversations, I LOVE YOU! And love to my brother Bryson and Asha for coming all the way across the Atlantic to see your little sister! It was great to see you guys and some familiar faces in Spain. And to my Dad who gave me some great words of advice for returning to New York and my last days in Spain, it was exactly what I needed to hear to prepare me for my last year of school.

Although I thought I’d be moving to live in Cordoba for the next 2 months to intern for the Plataforma Andaluza de Apoyo al Lobby Europeo de Mujeres (Andalucian Platform of Support to the European Lobby of Women), I ended up moving back home to Jersey and currently thinking about my next steps. My senior year of college starts in less than 3 months and I’m sure that God has a ton more things to show me before that accomplishment. I wanted to put together some picture memories for you all from all my trips, experiences, and last days of being in Sevilla. Thanks for all the continued support while I was abroad. I love you all!!!!!

Arielle

It’s been approximately four days and I have NEVER spoken so much spanish in my life. My Senora (aka the sweet old woman I am living with) speaks no English, so my five housemates and I have all our evening conversations in Spanish and barely speak any English. It is truly the best thing I could’ve asked for and I have learned so many new words and expressions in the last week that are simply amazing. Additionally, no one in Madrid speaks English or desires to lol, so whether I am asking for directions, in the grocery store trying to find something, getting in a cab, ordering my food at a restaurant, talking with locals about Madrid, EVERYTHING is conducted in Spanish. Admittedly it is frustrating  at times when I can’t think of a word, but after just four days I can DEFINITELY say that I will be fluent after five months of living here and traveling around South America for two months this summer. We haven’t truly gone too many places and I am trying not to look like a tourist by taking too many pictures, so unfortunately I only have a few to show you for your viewing. (Madrid is notorious for pickpockets, cell phone grabbers, and purse dealers). When I begin to travel around Spain over the next month and various parts of Europe I’ll be sure to snap a few so you can see what I’ve been up to though.

Travel list for this semester:

1. South of France & Paris

2. Greece

3. Morocco

4. Egypt

5. Germany

6. Sicily, Naples, & Capri

7. ALL OVER SPAIN (Canary Islands included!)

Las tias y yo (The girls and I…tia is slang for girl or chica en Spain even though it technically means aunt!)

After every experience surfaces the inevitable question upon your return to your homeland, “How was (blank)?” Well, how was London…hmmm I had to ask myself. What exactly did I think, feel, and if I had to do it again, would I go back? London was interesting…that seems to be the response I have given everyone who asked. I like to call it a beautiful launching pad for exploring more about yourself and the world. The language is convenient for english speakers, the universities and their resources (at least at SOAS) are great, and the people (well most of them) are actually pretty nice. I really enjoyed myself in London, honestly. I enjoyed being away from New York, away from my friends (even though I love them), and having the ability to be in solitude when I felt like it and yet still build wonderful relationships with the friends that I met. London was everything I  needed but the travel experiences it gave me actually was more. Although I only visited Wales, Portugal, and Italy, each site gave me a new story and a new sense of growing wisdom about my life. It gave me a sense of humility about my position in the world and truly made me realize how amazing God is in general and for giving me this opportunity to travel. I think that all of this came together during my last few days in London. I must admit, I was not ready to go home especially since we met ALL THE COOL YOUNG BRITS 3 days before we left. But we still made some pretty cool friends at my “uni” (university) since I was primarily attending the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) instead of just NYU’s London campus with the rest of the American students. There is so much that can be learned as a young person in college and I can’t even imagine how much I am going to grow over the next six months between my spring abroad experience in Madrid, Spain and in South America during the summer. As a result of all my experiences in London/my fall travels and their positive impact on my life, I have become addicted to traveling and placing myself in new contexts. Funny, because just when I thought it was over, I realized that getting on the plane home and eventually returning to Europe in January was solely the beginning.

“The mind I love must have wild places, a tangled orchard where dark damsons drop in the heavy grass, an overgrown little wood, the chance of a snake or two, a pool that nobody’s fathomed the depth of, and paths threaded with flowers planted by the mind.” – Katherine Mansfield

As requested, below are some pics of my dorm in London. I cleaned up just for you guys, so feel special!!! lol The funny thing is that my dorm looks BEYOND luxurious from the outside.

Here is a picture of our building from our outside foyer and from down the street on Pentonville Road.

Admittedly, it does fulfill its OUTSIDE luxury with the weekly cleaning services they provide and the 24 hour security, BUT inside….LOLOLOLOLOL good one. I’d call it the life of a dorming college student at its best! On a serious note though, you’d rarely hear me complain about my living arrangements because number one I’m blessed to even be in London and number two I’m never home anyway!!!