The World of “Supposed to”s

I hate the words “supposed to”. Why is it people feel like there are roles that they’re SUPPOSED to fill in life? Oh, you’re SUPPOSED to do that. You’re SUPPOSED to say these words. You’re SUPPOSED to like these certain things. When did living your life suddenly conform into a puzzle of “SUPPOSED to’s”?

When you come to college, it feels like all there is is buildings constructed of brick expectations, filled with insecure mass-produced people. Left and right, people are changing who they were days ago because, suddenly, they’re in college. Their equilibriums go out of whack because, oh, in college you’re SUPPOSED to be exactly who you weren’t yesterday. Every weekend I hear someone saying that they’re going out or they’re getting drunk because that’s what you’re SUPPOSED to do in college. What about doing whatever the heck you want simply because you WANT to? Not because you’re SUPPOSED to. Is it really worth completely changing yourself just because society and movies are saying that, yes, this is exactly how you should be living as a college student and if you aren’t, there must be something wrong with you? Do things because you WANT to, not because you think they’re what you’re SUPPOSED to be doing.

Things I’ve been told I’m SUPPOSED to do because of my age, but don’t really want to listen to:

• I’m SUPPOSED to drink and get drunk whenever possible
• I’m SUPPOSED to want to break the rules
• I’m SUPPOSED to want to travel all over the world while I’m young
• I’m SUPPOSED to want to wait to get married because wanting to get married young just isn’t right nowadays
• I’m SUPPOSED to spend my money on things like concerts and festivals
• I’m SUPPOSED to want to live in an apartment and work in the city instead of somewhere in the suburbs

Do what you’re going to do, but not because you think it’s what you’re SUPPOSED to do. Do it because it’s what you want to do, because you have to get it out of your system once or twice, because it’s something you’ll genuinely enjoy years down the road. Not because it’s what you’ve seen millions do before you. And don’t ever let anyone make you feel bad for doing what you WANT because it’s what makes you you.

Friday Night at the Met

One of the best parts about living in New York City is being able to be in Manhattan in the blink of an eye. While I certainly don’t see myself living in the city after graduation, I do love all of the cultural opportunities it offers for those nights when you just don’t know what to do! This past Friday, my friends and I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see a few exhibits and spend an evening off campus. Because the Met is so big, we only got to a couple of the galleries before it was closing time! It’s impossible to do the whole place in a day so I’m glad we have access to it for whenever we want.

Totally Tartan

Last week was my birthday! To celebrate, my parents came to campus and took me and a friend out to dinner on Arthur Ave in the Bronx. If you’ve never been, you HAVE to go. Arthur Ave is the original New York City Little Italy and let me just say, the culture is amazing. The food, the music, the fresh mozzarella, the raviolis, everything. All you really need is a Mama Rosa sandwich from Tino’s to make any day brighter. Anyway, to celebrate my birthday we all went out to dinner at Emilia’s Restaurant and had such a great time!

I ended up wearing pants since it was a bit breezier that night and I just didn’t want to deal with a dress blowing in the breeze. These pants though, you guys, are amazing!

Weekend Reflections

Happy Sunday dearies!

My posts on here have been very sporadic and I apologize about that, but being a college student takes up 110% of my time! I promise to keep updating, but it won’t be nearly as often as I’d like so make sure you keep an eye out.

That being said, I hope everyone is adjusting to the new year and to the new semester if you’re in the same boat I am. These past couple of days have been a mixture of exhausting (Inauguration Day, ugh) and empowering (The international Women’s Marches, woohoo ladies!). I’m so blessed to live in an area of the country where most points of view on anything and everything are respected and protected fiercely because I know that this is not always the case elsewhere. I have friends here at school that attended the Inauguration,and the Women’s Marches, and the Pro-Life Marches, and everything in between, and it’s a true privilege to be able to listen to all of their opinions and better understand the thoughts that build their different characters. The most incredible part of this weekend was watching everyday citizens, albeit MILLIONS of them, go out and fight for what they believe in. The bread and butter of our American government system is exactly that. This weekend millions of citizens exercised their right to protest the very government that grants them that right and it was an empowering sight to see. Our country may be going through some very big changes, but the heart of our democracy never left and continues to thrive every single day. This weekend couldn’t have been a better representation of that.

Regards,

Kathryn

Building Your Core-drobe

It’s been a few busy weeks because of midterm exams and papers, but I’m back!

 

 

This past summer I felt overwhelmed at the amount of crap (for lack of a better word) I had to shove into my car to bring home from college. We’re talking too-small pants, a sheep Halloween costume, multiple empty Fordham drawstring bags, and everything in between. Just the amount of clothing was ridiculous. I decided to do a purge of my closet and focus on saving only the things that I loved and could be versatile for a core wardrobe, a core-drobe, if you will.

Hamilton’s America

I love Hamilton. No, I LOVE Hamilton. My roommate gets mad when I continually play it and yes, I can rap all of Lafayette and Jefferson’s parts. While I wasn’t originally interested, now it’s safe to say that I’m hooked forever (thanks, Mom). So, when I had the opportunity to see the second day of the World Premiere of Hamilton’s America (see it on PBS on Oct. 21 at 9 pm!), to say that was exciting is an understatement. It was earth-shattering on a trillion levels.

Arrival of Autumn

It’s finally fall in NYC! After a few years of short, colorless autumns, it seems as though Mother Nature saw the first day of fall on her calendar this year and sprung into action. All weekend was sunny and breezy and required some sort of sleeves and it was the BEST feeling ever! Saturday was our homecoming football game and the weather was simply perfect (not to mention the perfect final score, Go Rams!) All that’s left is the changing of the leaves and fall will be in full swing.

First Feelings of Fall

There’s nothing better than waking up to the most beautiful weather imaginable after days and days of suffocating humidity. NYC was graced with a sunny 75 that was cozy in the sun and almost chilly enough for a light jacket in the shade. What more could you ask for, really? I took the temperature in stride and wore both long sleeves and long(ish) pants. Fun fact: I found this shirt at a thrift store for $3!

Tips for Living with your Best Friend

Since day one of Kindergarten, I have had the incredible pleasure of having someone who is always there for me, who never speaks behind my back, who always shares her snacks. My best friend Sabrina has been by my side longer than I can remember and I can’t imagine what life would be like without her.
Our first semesters of college we both went our separate ways, but it didn’t feel like a huge parting since I knew we’d be together before we even noticed the other was gone! Well, second semester rolled along and Sabrina ended up transferring to Fordham (yay, go rams!) and suddenly, sophomore year is here and we’re sharing a dorm room on the fifth floor of what I can only describe as a castle. It’s beautiful.

Ferragosto Festival in the BX

Happy Ferragosto Festival, everyone! I’m sure you’re all familiar with Little Italy in Manhattan, but did you know that the original Little Italy is actually in the Bronx on Arthur Avenue (which is, conveniently, a hop skip and jump away from campus)? Little fun fact of the day for you. Every year, Arthur Ave hosts the Ferragosto Festival, a big Italian celebration marking the end of the harvest season. Naturally, there’s tons of delicious food (zeppoli’s, I’m talking about you!), traditional performances, and even an Italian comedian.