in homage of my teen-hood
soy la misma newsletter
It is Spring 2011, I'm in the eighth grade hanging out with my besties during recess and we're walking slow circles around the track made out of gravel. As we do so, we jam to music from my shiny, purple iPod nano. Prince Royce's Spanish ballads hit a nerve in our teenage bodies, our young little hearts pump right on beat. I'd say our energy in that moment completely matches the energy Raven fanatically gives to the Boyz 'N Motion (from That's So Raven) or when Meilin Lee and her besties obsess over 4*Town (from Turning Red). My obsession over Prince Royce and his music followed me through high school. In 2013, he released 'Soy El Mismo' which stands for 'I am the same'. In short, this song talks about being the same person from years ago that would write love songs, show his love, and express that he is still the same even with fame, money, etc. When I think about this single (which is obviously in my top 3 of his) and this newsletter, I'm telling myself, "Just an FYI you do know who you are. You're the same girl that was once 7, 14, and 18 years old." Regardless of what has happened in life, I am the same girl who lives in curiosity, who is a hopeless romantic, who is fantasizing about the life she can have. I see this teenage life of mine with so much emotion and curiosity. My younger mind would never be so negative or filled with sad responses to 'what-if's, but instead I'd be romanticizing them and/or believing good things would work out. I think I also see this title, 'soy la misma' as a way to cope with my healing journey. Sometimes it is scary to feel that with age and negative experiences, we become a person we no longer recognize. While I can accept that age provides wisdom, I will accept that the bad moments and wrong choices-- honestly, even good ones at the time-- do not define who I am. So, perhaps, I am writing this newsletter as a love letter to myself. At twenty-six, I've learned that I am on my own path, I can re-direct my career, I can plan for kids/marriage when I want (even though it can be hard with societal pressure)! But, at twenty-six, I want to reassure myself that I do know who I am, I just need more patience and self-love.
In other news, here's what's currently going on in my life:
What I'm watching:
The White Lotus, Season 2 (but I literally have only watched when my mother has been watching it, so I haven't really seen all of it)
Recent Youtube episodes of some of my favorite channels: Cut, Jubilee, Mav, Miranda Goes Outside
What I'm listening:
Flowers - Miley Cyrus (obviously, who isn't!?!)
I've been into my Latino oldies but goodies playlist from Julieta Venegas, Juanes, and Tego Calderon!
What I'm obsessing over right now:
Cricut Joy projects
My new mini label purple printer
My new classroom!!!! More to come on this topic...
What brought a smile to my face:
- Spending a weekend in the Twin Cities with my boyfriend! We took an evening out of our lives to enjoy the Ice Maze in Eagan, Minn., and took the hiker club trail at Fort Snelling State park. A 3 hour drive to do fun things is always worth it!