The best years of your life

I was talking to a friend a few minutes ago about university and life as a college student. Complaining about the amount of workload we have (and how we procrastinate every single day) and how we envy high school students and how easy it all was just a few months ago. I walk by my old high school sometimes and as I see new students I think to myself, "You have no idea how lucky you are to still be in high school".

We also talked about how people usually say that the college years are the best years of our lives. It's my third month, I know, but... I'm not feeling it. Probably because people who say that are people who spend their college life in a dorm room. I don't. I've met people that I like, but I won't be able to consider them friends or just go out with them like I do with my group of friends for a very long time.

I probably could feel this way if I was the party girl type. I'm not. I prefer staying in and reading or going out to a friend's house with other friends rather than going out to some club or some place of the sort. I don't have the "academic spirit". Not yet, at least. I never got drunk and I honestly doubt that it's going to happen anytime soon. Not that I want to get drunk and puke all over the street and be classy like that. But it seems like that's the way people enjoy their college years and the best years of their lives.

I'm not feeling it.

Bye bye, high school

No more classes, no more tests, no more exams. Excellent three years for the most part. And now high school is aaaall over.

... What do I do now?

Bisou, bisou *
*Photograph found here.

Doubts

I'm less than 24 hours away of completing my last high school exam. I'm eighteen days away from knowing the results of said exams and nineteen days away from filling in a piece of paper with choices that are going to change my life and lead it to an unknown path.

Such a short time and I'm having doubts. I'm having doubts because I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, if I should study Social Communication like I'm planning to. It kills me that I can't express myself like I want to in my own language. It kills me that my own teachers think that Portuguese isn't my native tongue and thinking English is. In other circumstances, that would have been an enormous compliment, but not when I heard it. Not when I'm facing three years of writing in Portuguese. Not when I have to find a job in Journalism and, not knowing what the future brings, having to write in Portuguese for the rest of my life.

I can't be having doubts now. Especially when I don't see any other alternative.

But I do have doubts.

Bisou, bisou *

Yearbooks, ridiculous exams, smiles and TeenVogue

Today has been one of the best days ever. Little things make me happy and they're worth everything.

I love when I have a project set up for weeks and I finally get it done. For a "special" project class we have in school, my group and I decided to do a yearbook. We did it in less than two weeks and we've been waiting to get the results ever since. I finally picked up the books today and they're wonderful, I'm so glad with the way they turned out.

Next, I had my English exam. Oh. My. God. *Janice accent* I have never done an exam as easy as that one. It felt good not have to study for an exam and feeling that I can have 20/20. I should probably get started on History, though... whoops.

Right after that, dentist. Don't stress it, TSR girls, you'll have a very happy video tomorrow. Sorry about the latest two. But everything's finally into place and I can smile again and feel pretty again. It's priceless. Well, it wasn't, but you know.

I'm psychic. No, really. I opened my e-mail when I got home and I had one from TeenVogue and I realized I still hadn't received the June/July issue. I decided to check the mail. Bingo. Amanda Seyfried, I love you.

One of the most famous Portuguese authors died today, José Saramago. Yes, that's why that name's trending on Twitter. And one of his books is actually one of the subjects we have to study for our Portuguese exam (which was on Wednesday and which went well, thank you for asking. And yes, that subject did, in fact, come up in the exam). It was weird knowing that he died. Oh, well. RIP.

It's my Dad's birthday tomorrow! So less time to study. Boo. Oh, and I've been obsessed with the World Cup along with Ash. Doesn't help studying either. And The Netherlands play tomorrow again, woooo! Having two nationalities is awesome. Oh, and I also had a Starbucks today. Yum.

Bisou, bisou *

*Photograph found here.

I'm witnessing time-passing at its best. Until my Summer holidays, this is what still has to happen:

1. Portuguese presentation on Tuesday;

2. Psychology test next Thursday;

3. John Mayer concert on May 21st <3;

4. History and English test the next week;

5. Miley Cyrus concert on May 29th <3;

6. Portuguese test the week after that;

7. Seven to eleven days of intense studying;

8. Portuguese exam on the 16th, English exam on the 19th, History exam on the 21st;

9. One week with my friends at the beach;

10. Find out the exam results on July 8th;

11. Apply for Universities the day after that.

Then I'm done. After all this, high school is over and I'm on holidays. Ready to - hopefully - go to Italy. I'll be in Uni *crosses fingers* two months after that. I won't be able to see the majority of the people I saw every day for three years. I'm extremely glad I decided to be brave and start high school with a clean slate, in a different school where almost everyone in my old school went to. Clean slates are an amazing feeling, and doing that for yourself, even if it's hard at first, is totally worth it.

And now for Uni, I'm not going to be the shy girl. I'm going to have fun and meet people right at the beginning so I wouldn't be the weird girl in the corner who doesn't talk to anyone. Not that I ever was like that. Not all the time, anyway, only in the beginning. Anyway, MAKING NEW FRIENDS is the key. I can't wait, but I still wish I was six again.

Bisou, bisou *

* Photograph found here.

Stress, stress, stress

(Photo found here)

I'm finally feeling that stress caused by school. I feel it even more this year since it's my last.

I should be studying History right now, and History tests really get on my nerves because it's almost a way to test your memory. You just spill your memory out and when one hour and a half is up you can't remember a thing you wrote. And this year is even more stressing because we have a new teacher, we have no idea what her tests are like, I have eighty pages to study until Friday and I'm freaking out because I'll be doing an exam in eight months.

Plus, I'm starting NaNoWriMo in four days (even though I'm still not very clear as to what I'll be writing). I have to finish a book I need to read for school because I don't want it sitting on top of my bedside table and I want to start a Maureen Johnson book. I haven't even watched Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill or The Hills this week.

And I'm writing this blog. This isn't normal.

- Ana

The end of one more year

I just finished my two exams and my junior year and I'm off to my senior year in late September.

I have so many wishes for next year:

1. Have a kickass party when I turn 18;
2. Learn how to drive and have my drivers' license;
3. Finish school with a 16 grade (in a scale from 1 to 20) and graduate;
4. Get accepted in the Uni I want;
5. Spend a whole month next summer, preferably during the football World Cup, on a roadtrip with friends.

God, I'd love to do number 5. Eighteen, fresh out of high school and driving around the country (or more countries), stopping in a typical café to watch every football game, cheering with Portuguese scarves and flags on my hands before crying my eyes out when the goodbyes come rushing before Uni starts. Only five specific people are needed for this.

Next year the title will be "The end of one more milestone" due to graduation. I can't believe I'm less than one year away to turn eighteen, it's surreal. One year I'm running around my school in 5th grade shouting "We're BFFs!" followed a few days later with "I'm not your BFF anymore!" and the other I'm graduating high school. Sigh.

- Lo