Goodbye college, hello real world?

So I haven’t been in the blogosphere since my European adventure last year, but I’ve closed the chapter of college and have slowly entered into the world of adulthood. Figuring that I love to write and found a new appreciation for blogging  last year, I thought this moment in my life would be a perfect place to start a new journaling journey.

In the past month, I've experienced so much change. I sadly said goodbye to college, class, practice till midnight, good friends, summer break, and very little expenses and instead, welcomed a a full-time job (Monday-Friday), living on my own in an entirely new city/ area I never imagined I’d end up in, very few close friends around me and paying for EVERYTHING. I have been blessed with an amazing job in the PR industry that I love (at a fabulous hotel) and can completely support myself.  

 Since the day I walked across the stage to receive my diploma, the "real world" has been a phrase repeated way too many times to count. On top of all the congratulations, people smirked and laughed about this next chapter in life as if it was all downhill from there. I get it- bills, full-time job, etc. but why does the real world have to seem so bad? Yes, it's been hard since I officially started renting my own studio, paying my bills, working all day, and trying to figure out this entirely new lifestyle and where I belong in the middle of Beverly Hills, but I feel like everyone is trying to damper my spirits, my youth, my discovery. I'm happy to say that the real world may seem daunting for some but for me, it's been an entirely new, enlightening experience. It's weird living by myself but I have had a lot of time to think, reflect, and most importantly, grow as an individual. And even though I'm still figuring my life out, I've been blessed with dance classes, support from friends and family, a great job, a charming new home, a new church,  new friends, endless little independent restaurants, cafes and shops around me (which are my favorite!) , culture and time for myself.

So I can no longer say I'm a "college student" (so weird!), but I'm still only 21 years old and figuring out this real world for myself. It's how we choose to embrace the world; because after all, it was given to us to enjoy. 

Much love xoxo