Christmas Eve babbles!

Jesus Christ, I've left the blog dead pretty much since I left for grad school.

Indeed it has been a crazy five months; journalism school is busy, stressful, nerve-wrecking, yet it's been a mostly enjoyable experience. I'm just glad I'm still here enjoying the ride and not regretting my decision.

That being said, I am also very glad to have come back home for the holidays. This was a much-needed break, and I missed Prague, I missed home, I missed home food, and I missed a whole lot of things.

Here's a few things that happened in the last five months, in lists (not a listicle!):

1) Arrived in New York in the most dramatic way possible. Never again. I also learned that going to the ER via ambulance costs a shit-ton, unless the airport calls 911, in which case it's free. Health care is... interesting in the US.

2) Learned how to use a DSLR (and take better photos) and make short audio clips. I feel like a more versatile person now. (That being said, my photos are still very average.)

3) Learned how to write articles better. Which was difficult at first because everyone kept saying I sounded too dry.

4) Nothing is more flattering(?) and simultaneously soul-crushing than hearing the words "You have the potential to do better" - on one hand, I guess people think highly of you, but on the other hand... "better"? How do you know if I can do better? What if this is all I've got and you're overestimating me? I worked really hard on this but it's sub-par? Is this a passive-aggressive way of saying I suck?

5) Found that New York is so much bigger and more diverse than I'd have imagined (and I love it.)

6) The amount of work you get assigned in the J-school seems to depend on the professors you're assigned to. Some people have already done so much, while others had it a bit more easily. I'd say I'm on the latter (even though I have also pulled all-nighters and cried and threw things on the wall in frustration.) I have mixed feelings about this: on one hand, I envy the ones who went through all sorts of hell because they'll emerge at the end as some sort of steroid-fueled super journalists who can handle any shit thrown at them. On the other hand, I appreciated having my sanity (relatively) intact.

Grad school: when having less work makes you just as nervous as having more work.

7) Partied a lot, more than I ever did in my life (in my standards. The amount I've partied is still laughably low for a 23-year-old person.)

8) Had my Halloween costume photographed on the New York Observer! http://observer.com/2013/11/oh-my-ghoul-witches-and-weirdos-flock-to-halloween-parade/#slide3 I'm not a person who gets the spotlight often, so it was fascinating to have people recognize me and shout "It's Princess Bubblegum!"

9) Got my driver's license. (though this happened last week.) I had a bit of trouble getting the hang of driving in the summer, but when i tried again after I came back I was pretty good at it. It might be because if I failed now, I pretty much don't have a good time to try again. Ah, desperation.

It's Christmas eve, and no snow in sight. Seems like it will be sunny today though, which is nice since Prague winters get cloudy and foggy a lot.

Merry Christmas everybody!