Author: jbotello

Finals are coming up and it is an extremely stressful time. I am not planning on going anywhere near the library because it is going to be crazy next week because everyone will try to cram for their tests. Also, I am trying to get well because I also do not want to be sick during finals because it will throw me off even more and keep me from focusing. I look forward to finals because right afterward I get to go home to California for an entire month. That also means relaxing in warm weather and giving everyone presents for Christmas. I also look forward to finals because that means the semester is finally over and I get to start fresh with all new classes that I am interested in during the Spring.

Today, I woke up and there was snow all over the Boston common. I got so excited and instantly got into the Christmas mood. Because it is the 1st of December, it is definitely perfectly fine to blast Christmas music at all hours now. My friends and I have been sitting in our common room all day listening to Christmas music and doing homework. We also helped each other to put up Christmas decorations around our dorms. Also, we bought candy canes and chocolates for our dorms to get everyone in the Christmas spirit. It has been a great day and I can’t wait for this entire month because Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

Ever since I got back from Thanksgiving Break, I have come down with a cold. I have been sick for a week so far. I haven’t been able to leave my room because of it. However, my sickness has helped me to catch up on my favorite TV shows and movies as well as my homework. It has been an uncomfortable but much needed time to refuel and rest which my body has been in need of. Because of stress, I have been in much need of sleep and rest. It also has helped to drink hot tea and eat Ricola cough drops.

I am very close to my family and friends and try to fly home as often as possible even though home is over 3,000 miles away. Because of this, I have become some sort of self-proclaimed flight critic. My favorite airline at the moment is Jet Blue because it has cheaper prices but provides incredible service. They also always have great deals if you sign up for their e-mails and you can book flights for discounted prices. I also enjoy how they provide everyone with free DirectTV throughout the flight, free assorted beverages, and free snacks. Also, if you happen to be on a red eye flight, you receive free sleep masks and ear plugs to sleep throughout the flight. Most of all, I really like how they provide free gps maps on everyone’s TVs so you know exactly where you are flying over at that moment and how much time is left until you land.

My friend Tabitha is Greek Orthodox and she regularly keeps from eating meat because of her religion. This holiday season, she told me that in preparation for Christmas Orthodox Greeks refrain from eating meat and dairy until Christmas. I found that really interesting and intriguing so I decided to try it out with her for a few weeks so she would have someone to do it with. The whole idea of not eating animal products was not new to me. My oldest brother, Ernesto, is vegan and whenever I visit him at Boston University and we eat out, we eat at vegan-friendly restaurants. Though it has only been a week so far, I already feel a lot healthier even though it has been hard to stay away from eating meat and even milk, cheese, and butter. This expereince has also helped me realize that a lot of products surprisingly have meat and dairy in unexpected forms.

The other day, I went out to dinner with my friend who goes to Berklee College of Music. We decided to eat at Boston Market because it was near his apartment and also because it would be my first time eating Boston Market in Boston. The food was incredibly delicious and it reminded me of dinner you eat during the holidays that warms your stomach. It also tasted very homemade and it helped me with my homesickness. I recommend eating here if you ever get tired of eating cafeteria food and miss the taste of home cooked meals. This, for me, is very often. Curiously enough, this is the only Boston Market I have seen in Boston since having arrived here. Happy eating!

During my stay in California over thanksgiving Break, my best friends and I made a trip to Balboa Park. Balboa Park is a huge park in San Diego (think Central Park) with different interesting museums, fountains, gardens, art galleries, theatres, and parks scattered throughout it. We all walked around the main plaza and admired the architecture, fountains, and overall beauty of it all. We also took a group picture in front of a “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” themed Christmas tree in honor of the production of that musical starting this month. It was a great night with friends and if you are ever in California I strongly recommend visiting this beautiful place.

Over Thanksgiving break, I flew home to my hometown of San Diego, California. Though my entire trip was very eventful and fun, one of the days that was most unforgettable was Black Friday. On Thanksgiving, my entire family came to my house and we had a great time. Because we had so many activities and games planned throughout the night, we did not eat dinner until 8:30 pm. Because of this, my friends who had celebrated Thanksgiving earlier that afternoon visited my house and spent time with my family for a few hours. At around 11 pm, my brother, best friends, boyfriend, and I left my house for the midnight opening of the Urban Outfitters in our town. The group picture I have added is of us waiting outside of Urban Outfitters at 11:30 pm. There was an incredibly long line outside of the store because it was in the middle of the downtown area of my city. After we shopped there, we drove to a mall near my house and spent a few hours there shopping for clothes for ourselves and for Christmas gifts for our loved ones. By the time we left the mall and were planning to go home, it was 4:45 am. As we were getting into my boyfriend’s car and were preparing to go home, one of my friends remembers that there is another Urban Outfitters in our town that would not be holding their Black Friday sale until 6 am. Spontaneously, we all decide to drive all the way to the other store and, luckily, there are only about three people in front of us in line. The second picture is of me sleeping as we are waiting for that store to open its doors. In the end, though we did not get home until 8 am on Friday morning, we had a great time together and got some great deals while shopping. I think that the whole experience was worth messing up my sleep schedule.

A few weeks ago, Dan invited me and some other friends from our dorm to the Celtics vs. Wizards game at TD Garden. This was the first professional NBA basketball game that I had ever attended and I was extremely excited to go. We all took the T together to North Station because it was extremely cold outside and was too windy to walk there in time. Though there were some annoying young children sitting behind us who were acting crazily, I had a great time with my friends. The game was very exciting and both teams were scoring so many points that it went into overtime. Also, because it was my first game, I forked out a lot of money to eat a tiny hot dog. This was not because I was hungry, but because who doesn’t want to eat a hotdog at their first NBA game? In the end the Celtics beat the Wizards (100-94). Everyone was so excited and the crowd was going crazy as we were walking out of TD garden. Much to our surprise, it had been snowing during the game! So not only did I go to my first NBA game that night, I also experienced my first real snowfall. After the game, my friends and I played in the snow, made snow angels, and had a snowball fight. The pictures I added are of me with my friend, Tabitha, at the game, and also a picture of me right when I saw the snow outside The Garden.