Justlikeapeach was created as a result of the anticipation and excitement for the new year, 2010! One can consider this blog to be a new resolution (and to even go as far as to assume that since it is a resolution, it may not succeed). 2009 was a year of anxiety, discovery, travel and chaos. The following is one of my recent diary entries, to give you a better taste of this past year:
Last January, I found myself hauling two large luggages, one little one, a backpack, and a purse up two flights of steep stairs. It was my first day of 6 months in the UK. Canada was far far away. I remember sitting on the blue dirty matress of my new room (which I might add reeked of cigarette smoke). I was alone, without Internet, and without a phone.I thought to myself,
“What have I gotten myself into?”
“Sooo, what now?”
A lot has happened since then.
2009 has proven to be an adventure! A challenging adventure at that!!! Upon retrospection it appears to be a blur of London town streets, chasing after buses, masala, Hatfield rabbits, arduous grocery bag travels, Barcelona art, airports, Parisian cafes, webcamming for an average of 7 hours until dawn, photography, google mapping, instant coffee, a comforting boyfriend, my psychology thesis, culture shock, ASDA, a new start and an end to friendships, discovering, facebook, postcards, anxiety and stress.
It is a bit alarming to think that overall I do not look fondly upon 2009. Perhaps it is because it challenged my beliefs. It challenged my perceptions of myself, of strangers and of people I knew. It was painful to see myself being left behind by friends when I needed them most. It is still painful to realize that friendships can be easily broken over miniscule details.
I have realized who my true friends have been during this challenging year. Although I may have lost many friends, I have learned to value those that have stood by me when I was a crying disaster, an axiety ridden stress ball, a hopeless being.
And so, I enter 2010 with a newly learned perspective. 2009 may have been a constant stuggle; however, I found myself. As a result I understand the person that I am better and I know not to give importance to invaluable constructs.
I have no idea where I am going.
But!
I am optimistic!” .
I believe some clearer introductions are in order. So here goes!
I am a 4th year psychology student. Last year I went on a 6 month exchange to the UK. These are some of my photos from my travels:
Make sure you click on the pics because the full picture view is a little cut out!
(Im sorry about the lack of captions, my HTLM is not too good but the locations are in London, Paris, Barcelona, Hatfield (the town where I lived), St. Albans and Stonehedge. They include Abbey Road, Trafalgar Square in January and June, London Bridge, Familia Sangrada, A view from the London Eye, The Louvre, St. Paul's Cathedral, Sacre Coeur, St. Alban's Church, Notre Dame, and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.)
Abroad, I found myself in a crisis as I constantly found myself in a search for the meaning of my self. I am now back home from exchange and with the new 2010 year I wanted to take chances and assume a healthier lifestyle. Justlikeapeachis is all about audacity, trying to change the normal routine of life, engaging in new activities, and taking chances. They are the pursuit of happiness. It is an ode to surrounding myself with positive experiences, places and people.
The second inspiration of this blog, and consequently of the blog's title comes from a quote from Alice Walker:
I am an expression of the divine, just like a peach is, just like a fish is. I have a right to be this way...I can't apologize for that, nor can I change it, nor do I want to... We will never have to be other than who we are in order to be successful...We realize that we are as ourselves unlimited and our experiences valid. It is for the rest of the world to recognize this, if they choose.
The anxiety that I have allowed to eat away at part of my spirit has been grounded upon comparison. It has told me "Compare yourself to others! Go on, just a little". Even worse the anxiety allowed me to then compulsively find negative judgement after seeking comparison. What a bleak outlook I set out for myself! It is a habitual pattern, as well as a cyclic one. Anxiety --> comparison --> negative perceptions of self --> anxiety.
Alice Walker's quote is the woman I want to embody. She says, I am perfect, I am not sorry for who I am. I am proud. I am strong.
And so this blog is a way of documenting my journey to achieving self-acualization (fufillment) and always knowing that I am just like a peach!
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