Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Blogging..

So everytime I promise to post most frequently, I never do. Haha I am working on this, it is my area of development...

More soon to come...

Thursday, March 25, 2010

New Apartment and New Puppy!!

So once again God has been providing in amazing ways.

I found a great and spacious 3 bedroom apt in Upper Manhattan (tip of Harlem) for a great price. After an immense amount of haggling and tons of time, we got approved for the apt!!!! By we I mean me, Ruba, Tiffany (my friend from church), and Stacie who will be crashing until June then leaving NYC. It is so awesome and I am a 15 min subway ride into work!!! Thank God!!! Life is good.

While being in my new apt for a couple of days, the adoption of my rescue puppy went through and I am now a proud parent of Wolfgang (I call him Wolfie). I named him after my favorite composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. His wife Constanza used to call him Wolfie and I always loved it. He is part Beagle and part Toy Fox Terrier. He is so precious and such a god puppy. I've had him for about a week and I already have taught him to sit, lay and shake paw. He's 12 weeks old and ahhhh such a joy. Such a good puppy. I feel pretty blessed. He is super smart too, which is amazing because I don't know if I can handle a dumb dog.

Lastly, I finally decided on the Master's program I want to do. A MS in Organizational Development. It is a Master's of Science in Psychology in the area of Organizational Development. Looking at a program now, that if accepted, will start in June and finish in December of 2011. A Master's degree by the age of 26? Yes Please!

Life is exciting, busy and vivacious. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Life Post Lebanon...

I haven't updated my blog since I took my journey to Lebanon. Doing really well aren't I? Well to sum up that experience, well there are really no words to describe how amazing, not only the country is, but the people are. A few words, if I really had to find some, to sum up my trip there are: Amazing, Exhilarating, Belonging, Joy, Love, and Passion. I want to return to Lebanon every year and spend time with the country that is not only a part of me, but that in which I am in Love with.

So my plans after coming back from Lebanon were to apply to Grad School there and move in January 2010. Yeah you read that right, last month. Well while enveloped in the entire application process, my friend Leo told me Apple was hiring and that I should apply with him. I said, "Umm no, Ive applied to Apple since 2004 in CA and I never once got a call back." He kept on me and convinced me that I had nothing to lose. I thought to myself, whatever I have Lebanon, so why not? I applied to Apple and then went back to my application process for Grad School not concerned with making a decision between the two because I knew Apple wasn't an option.

While on a vacation to visit my family in CA, I got a call, actually a job offer. I got offered the job at Apple. No God!! Why do you have to make this so difficult for me right now?? (Sidenote: If you know me well, you know that I have always fantasized about my dream job working for Apple Corporate and traveling the world talking about a product I love and believe in.) And here was my opportunity. The rest is history.....

So here I am now, I just celebrated my 25th birthday (ugh 25 sounded sooo old when I was 16 and now I'm actually 25!) in NYC and 4 days later on Valentines Day celebrated my 1 year anniversary living in NYC. I made it! One year? Seriously, I can't believe I have been here for a year. Once making it in NYC you can truly make it anywhere. Let me tell you why. NYC is amazing and it's full of passion and life, but it kicks your butt. You get worn out and are constantly tired. I feel like God must feel like that about us. So worn out and tired by our stupid decisions all the time that always gets us into trouble and he has to try frantically to get our attention so we can realize that stuff outside Love and Relationships don't really matter that much. Yet He is so in Love with us that it is worth it. He will take the emotional and physical abuse. Tired and worn from trying to get our attention, but love us nonetheless. That's how I feel about NYC. I'm going 100 miles per hour. Wake up get on the hour subway ride to work. The subway smells different everyday, so days less foul than others. Then walk to work. Stand on my feet for 9 hours at work helping customers and educating them about amazing products. Then get back on the subway for an hour, when all I really want is my bed, and deal with the craziness inside. Then walk to my apt and walk up the million fights of stairs to my apt. I can't even tell you the plethora of stairs I tackle a day! Throw in snow blizzards and cold weather and that adds the cherry on top. NYC exhausts me, but I love it so much that it's worth it.

That's where I am at now. Working full time for Apple, for a company I believe in and absolutely love, living with amazing roommates who motivate me and inspire me everyday, have amazing friends that I've met at my job that are like my family, I feel God present in so many places and people in the city, I have an amazing community of people at NYCI that join me in living out and fighting for the Revolution and Love that Jesus started so long ago and I am in the most vivacious city in the world.

So there it is my current situation. I no longer look at the future, or live in the past. I live in the beautiful moments I have in the present and I find so much joy in every single minute I have.

Book of the month I just finished that you HAVE to read: The Shack by WM Paul
Young. It is such an amazing book. It keeps you on your toes. The end of each chapter doesn't allow to stop there, you have to read just ONE more chapter to see what happens cause you HAVE to know! I finished it in 3 days. Check it out, I promise it will change your heart, engage you and inspire you in the least!!!


I will be updating this regularly now, so stay tuned.....

Monday, September 14, 2009

Life and Travels...

I realized I have not updated my blog in almost 5 months!!! I have been soaking life in here, in NYC, one can easily lose sight of many things. NYC is a vivacious city that has a never ending heartbeat.

The last couple of months have been a journey. God has really been using this time to shape me and to strengthen my character. For two months this summer I worked at Westpoint Military Base representing LIS. LIS is the translation company I work for in the area of arabic translation. I learned so much about myself, about others, the US Army, and I learned more and more about God. It was difficult, it was not an easy journey. However, I know I am the type of learner that needs things in my face to understand it, internalize it and implement it in my life. Without going into details, I learned to be more reserved with allowing "friends" into my life. The world can be a dark place and many people have everything BUT your best interest in mind. Learning who I can trust and who I can't was a big lesson. Thus, I am stronger through it and my true friends surfaced amid the clouds of confusion. In bittersweet news, I lost both my grandmas within a span of one month. One month prior to that I lost my uncle to cancer. So in 3 months I lost 3 members of my family. Two of them I lost to cancer and the other one to dementia. It has been hard to deal with because my grandma who died of cancer was my second mother. She was everything amazing in life. I am honored to have known a woman as selfless as her. A woman that loved no matter who tried to bring her down, she loved anyways. So the last 3 months have been overwhelming and I have been trying to stay afloat. I tell you though nothing screams "live everyday like your last" until you are at a funeral looking at the cold dead body of the once lively and passionate person that you loved.

Grad School. Well I got accepted to Grad School. The New School accepted me into their MS Urban Policy and Management Program. Fantastic private school and program, however it is $60k for the MS for two years. So after the deaths in my family, I decided to take some time to heal. Take some time to wait on God and see what he opens for me. I felt a heavy burden about the New School so I am waiting of God to see what else he presents. I applied to Hunter College as well, I find out in November if I am accepted or not to start Spring 2010. It would be a MS in Urban Affairs with a concentration in Policy and Non Profits. It would cost a lot less and I would be able to obtain my Masters in an intense year program. So we shall see...

In current affairs, I am off to Turkey and Lebanon tomorrow. I am thrilled!!! I will be exploring Turkey, solo, and visiting Lebanon for the first time. I can hardly wait. It is a much needed vacation. I love to travel and explore this incredible world God has cultivated. I am looking forward to growing more in my character and becoming more and more the woman I am intended to be....

I will be updating this more often, so stay tuned....

Tuesday, April 7, 2009

Update For my Loved ones!

"Dont let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you teach. The way you live. In your love. In spirit. In your faith and purity." (1st Tim 4:12)


This quote has become my reality here in NYC. Really living a life that is going to be revolutionary, passionate and loving towards the kingdom of God and his people. I realized I have not written in a long time, but I have been inundated with my job the last couple of weeks. The Times Square Arts Center has been taking much of my time. Typically my day would start around 9am and end around midnight. For about two weeks straight this was my reality. So naturally the time I had to myself all I indulged in was slumber! Let me explain a little of what I do at the Times Square Arts Center. Allow me to paint a picture. During the day I sit in a tiny office overlooking Times Square. I swear the window is bigger than the office space itself. During the afternoon I network with Universities, Artist, Record Labels, and any other client who is interested in performing at our theater. During the evening I work whatever show is happening. I make sure things run smoothly and provide support to servers and such. It has been remarkable. I have networked so much and met so many different people. I love the diversity I come across everyday in NY. I love to see the way God is working in this vivacious city.

Most recently I organized a fundraiser for a non-profit organization that is near and dear to me. 1well.

You can check out the organization at www.1well.org. It is an organization that stands for basic human rights which include: water, food, education, sanitation and housing for all Gods creation. They also have small projects people can take ownership of and fundraise for. I think it is phenomenal when you put the power into the hands of the people. Often times people can not fathom the type of influence and power they have to change the world. Normally people think that making a small difference will not affect the big picture, but it does in God's eyes. If we take a step back and look and the revolutionary people in history that have changed the world it's amazing. What if those individuals thought "Oh I can't make a difference" then the world would not be what it is today. God is specific is reaching out and letting us know that all we do, big or small, should be for the glory of this kingdom. "And because the end of age does not result in the destruction of the earth, but rather in it's renewal, we can be confident that our labor is not empty of significance" (Mike Erre, Death by Church).

Anyhow I hosted this fundraiser by selling tickets for a comedy show at the Times Square Arts Center for $20 bucks a ticket. Here is the flyer I created and marketed.

$15 of the $20 went to the project I was taking on in Nokna Village, India. I raised $1,005 dollars that is going to build a water well in the village that will benefit 60 families who now do not have to walk 2-4 hours a day for clean water. It was successful and God provided in tremendous ways. Because I did not know too many people in NYC and the event was that successful, it was all God not me.

In other fantastic news I found an amazing church here in NYC. Its called New York Church International. www.nyci.org. It is fantastic. We meet at a popular venue on Sundays, The Director's Guild Theater.

It is crazy because they usually have screenings and such on Sundays but they cancelled all of them to let our church meet. God is so awesome!! Also, I found a lifegroup within NYCI here that I absolutely adore. To me church means community everyday, not just a building and not just on Sundays. It is everyday life. This church exemplifies that notion and I am excited to join in the work God is already doing here. We meet every other Friday in Columbus Circle area (which I love out here, its soooo awesome). I have bonded with them right away. We went to a Broadway play together last week which was a ball. We saw the play South Pacific! It was a fantastic Broadway show.

The first Broadway show since I have been living in NY. I have seen many Broadway shows, me and my sister always watch them together. Aside from the awesome broadway show, my lifegroup is amazing and the pastor of the church Deryck Barson is passionate, revolutionary and on fire for Jesus. I am relieved that I found a community I can grow with here in NYC. I knew God would provide but I was getting impatient. So now I am relived and more at peace.

A lot of decisions need to be made soon. I have peace in my heart about it, but i am anxious to see where my life will go. "I am not too concerned with what I am going to do. I am more interested in who I am becoming. I want to be a lover of God and people" (Shane Claiborne, Irresistible Revolution). So here is what is going on. I was working at the Times Square Arts Center about 11 hours a day, like I mentioned before, day and night. Now they said they dont have it in the budget to pay me during the day. So some background, when I started this job I knew it was only a stepping stone, this is not what god has intended for me, I know this. So I feel like it is going to be ending soon. Then the non profit I am working and fundraising for, 1well, they want me to move to DC and work for them this summer. It would be an internship, since the organization started in May 2008, and the details and if there is a budget for it is still up in the air.

That's one, the next thing is I got offered a couple of awesome jobs in the summer. Because I am translating in Arabic out here they offered me two seperate jobs that are 20 days long. One is may 28-june 16 and the next one is juy 20-august 4 something like that. Each of those would pay a nice sum of money with all expenses paid: food, hotel, flight and a daily wage that is substantial. I would be going to a military base and helping soliders communicate and engage with middle eastern people. And on top of that Quantum Learning offered me a 12 day job in Maryland on July 6-16 (I have been working wit Quantum since 2007). So I can make good money doing what I love in those three projects. But I am torn because I wanna do non profit work but also go to Grad School. In addition,I am waiting to hear back from Hunter College to see if I got into Grad School for the program MS in Urban Development with a concentration in Non-Profit Management. I really want to get grad school done this year. I am not committed to anything and I want to grow as much as I can. So many decisions to be made soon and I really only want to be on the path God intends for me.

Any thoughts?

I could use prayer for discernment on the decisions coming up. I miss you all and cant wait to see you soon!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

Another Job....

"Your life will have the most meaning when you give it away for something bigger than yourself." Mike Erre

It's pretty late here in NY. I am not tired at all right now for some reason. I am siting in the nook area of our apt. I'm sitting at a tan colored scrawny little table from IKEA with four chairs, by the window watching it snow outside. NY seems so peaceful when it snows. There is a beautiful fluffy white blanket of snow outside. This is officially my first snow while a NY resident. Of course I have seen snow before, but never as a resident of another state. It is awesome. I am reflecting a lot and I am learning so much. Patience is one thing I must say I am mastering out here. Everything is a waiting game. A little bit of an oxymoron because NY is so fast paced but being patient in the direction my life evolves in is important. Waiting on God. God has been diligent in providing me with opportunities but I realize it is on his time. While I wait for doors to open I am avidly putting myself out there. I must say I am filled with joy and peace. In addition, happiness is another feeling I am really embracing. I am truly happy with my decisions in my life right now. I am making them all for the RIGHT reasons. Making the decisions for myself, God and humanity as a whole. I am not trying to impress any one individual, rather in my actions I think if Jesus was here today would he make these decisions? My main objective is to make a difference and be full of love whether it be on a small or large scale. I can not express how much contentment I feel in following my heart to fulfill that objective.

In other news, on thursday I got hired for another job. It sounds like a huge load, but I am so used to being busy so I love having a jam packed schedule where I can be useful and out making a difference. This job is a translation job. I will be working for a company called LIS translations. In this position I will travel to different locations, compliments of the subway (i love not having to drive!) and basically will be acting as a liaison between the students and teachers. I will be translating from arabic to english and english to arabic for the students and teachers. I am really excited about it. I start on Tuesday March 3rd. It will be a fun journey.

Finding what fits in my life has taken time as well. This is a fantastic time in my life because life is not happening to me, I am happening to life. I am dictating the relationships, the jobs, the involvement, and really the people in my life. I love it. It has been difficult finding a church that I like however. My church back home Rockharbor was an amazing place where I was very involved and I really felt God moving. I am very weary about churches because I want to make sure the church is existing for all the right purposes. I am reading a book with a plethora of information by someone I have so much respect for, Mike Erre. The books is called "Death by Church."

It is a great book and I am enjoying it so much. So this brings me to my point, I went to Times Square Church and I brought a friend from work with me. This person hadn't been to church in awhile so I think it was a great opportunity to rekindle things for him, as it was no mistake we both ended up going to service. The message was good, but I felt that there were a few things I did not agree with that took place. Nothing bad, but I have a certain standard if I am going to be attending a church. It is important to find a church you connect with and feel God in, not all churches will suffice. So I am continuing my searching. I listen to the Rockharbor podcasts and thats what keeps me going as well as my readings.

Things are going well and I am content, happy, full of love, alive, passionate and at peace. I do not want to fake a facade however that everything is perfect. Nothing is perfect. To be completely honest it gets very lonely at times. Loneliness of being of being away from my family (especially my sister who is my other half), being away from all that has shaped me into the person I am today. But I must say we are never alone, God is always present waiting to comfort us. In this I find peace. In this I have grown stronger. In this I am constantly full of love. Nothing can take that away from me. On the bright side I am meeting amazing friends and growing and learning so much.

Carpe Diem!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I found a Job and some other Adventures...

So for the past week I have been searching aimlessly for a job. Not just any job, but a job that will allow me flexibility, money to pay my bills and a job that will allow me to still have time to volunteer during the day. I am proud to announce that I did find that job!! The stats on the job are pretty cool as well. They had 800 applicants and they hired 10 people, yay I was one of the 10. I take pride in this because I had many rejections on job offers, so this put a boost in my faith again. =D I work different shows for them. It is a venue in Times Square where comedy shows take place, poetry nights, showcases, banquets, etc. Its called the Times Square Arts Center.

I work the shows and/or events. I am also doing marketing for them, talking with different organizations letting them know about the venue and tickets and such. So its exciting. It's very flexible scheduling so it allows me space to travel back to Cali, and do what I want until I hear back from Grad School. I am giving myself until I hear back from Grad School to make my next move, until then I am enjoying the vivacious city of NY.

In addition to looking for a job I have enjoyed my roommates!! Here is a pic of my roommates, on our roomie night out!!

They have been a great support system, and we all get along soo well. They inspire me and they all have such good hearts. I am so lucky to have them as a part of my life at this point!!! Roommates make or break situations I feel. There is nothing worse than coming home after a long day and having crappy roommates. I come home to awesome roomies so thats a GEM!

Also I went to New Jersey last weekend to hang out with my cousins!!! One of my cousins Nadia live in Jersey with her husband, and her sister Nada lives in Cali and she came out for a week. Nadia was having surgery, and everything turned out well thank God, so it was nice to just spend cousin time bonding. Here are me and my awesome cousins:

Another thing I did in the City was visit the place I have been wanting to visit for soooo long, the United Nations Headquarters. My goal is to one day work there, so I am prepping myself, and it was amazing to visit. I went with my friend Sam and we took a tour of the UN building. We got to see the Assembly room where a representative from each of the 192 countries meet. Here's a picture of it (I was surprised they let us take pictures inside):

And here is a picture of NYC from the United Nations Building.... breath taking!!!

I love my life right now. It has been such a great opportunity to get to know new people, explore an amazing city, and see God providing and opening doors for me. I miss everyone back home terribly, especially my lifegroup, my family and my close friends (you know who you are). All the pictures are courtesy of my Blackberry, I dont want to look too touristy......

Miss you all.....thanks for joining me on this amazing adventure.