Prom Part One

Good Day Introverts, Reserved Ones and All Visitors,

Today’s entry is a topic that I had been saying that I would talk about for a long time.  Today I want to talk to you about that one event that seems so far away when you enter high school as a freshman.  Its that illustrious day that’s portrayed on television sets everywhere as the “best day ever!”  Yeah, that day that seems so surreal, that you say to yourself as you get ready, “Am I really here?  Am I really about to graduate?”  Today I want to talk to you about my experience at prom.  I have given you snippets of information about how it was in general and for me, but I have never dedicated an entire post to prom.  So here it goes.  The official last day of school during my senior year happened to be the same day as prom, May 17th.  The last two weeks of high school were very exhausting  and monotonous.  I spent the last two weeks of school completing standardized tests in order to get college credit.  During this time, I was also finishing up one of many very rigorous projects that also went towards my college credit.  So I was really focused on getting all of these strenuous tasks finished.  I was so looking forward to the end that when it came, I almost forgot to celebrate and be glad about it, but believe me, I was.  That day I stayed in school until about 10:45 a.m. finishing up my last tests and turning in my last piles of books.  No one was really emotional because we had prom that night and other senior events coming up including the senior baccalaureate service , parent appreciation day, graduation rehearsals and grad night.  Regardless of how shy and introvertish I was, I knew that I definitely did not want to miss prom.  After I finished my last test, my mom picked me up and we went home.  I had a few chores to do, but before that I sat down for the one moment that a girl may or may not get the day of prom.  I sat down and fathomed what was actually happening, I had finished my tests, completed my last day of high school, and in a few hours I was headed to prom.  Wow.  I only had a few minutes to do this because I still had to get ready.  After my chores were done, I went off to the hair dresser and got a nice formal hairstyle, next I went to my local JCP store’s make up section to get my make up done.  The make up artist chatted with me as she did my make up.  There, my aunt from a few cities away met us and bought me this pretty shade of red lipstick.  Next we rushed home to complete the next part of the prom process.  Thinking back on it, it’s so funny how stressful preparing for prom can be for a girl, but it’s a fun kind of stressful that pays off in the end.  I felt neutral, not very nervous, and not very excited, but all in all I was content with the situation.  Soon, the doorbell began to ring repeatedly as family members came to the house to see me off.  My  sister and aunt came up to my room to assist my mom with getting me ready as if I needed three people to dress me, lol! Since it was prom, however, it was perfectly normal and I was truly grateful for their help and more importantly their support.  I chose a spicy red dress that had a haltered top and ruffled bottom.  It came above just above my knees and had a beautiful floral theme of blossoming roses.  As soon as I tried it on, I felt that this was totally me.  I accented my dress with gold accessories.  When the doorbell rang a final time, it was my prom date and his family.  I waited upstairs with my mom, and aunt as someone opened the door.  I didn’t see who it was because I was upstairs.  After tons and tons of pictures,  and one video call from his sister who saw us prepare to leave via cell phone, we were off.  The sunset was so pretty that day as we rode downtown.  We chatted lightly as his mom and dad discussed the directions on the GPS system and other random topics.  He was a quiet person also and I had known him for a long time so it wasn't nerve racking or anything.  As we rode downtown to the location where the prom was to be held, we passed two proms from two other schools from the same county as ours.  When we pulled up to the doors of the fairly new hotel, my prom date’s father rolled down the truck’s window and a chauffeur greeted us.  We didn't see anyone else so we didn't know whether or not we were in the right place.  After my prom date’s father asked about whether or not we were in the right place, the chauffeur said yes and we went in.  It was before 9:00 which was the time the prom was set to start so we had to wait outside of the door in the hotel‘s upper lobby.  We were among the first students to arrive.  We checked in and stood outside of the door for a while until I saw a former classmate of mind coming toward us….

To be Continued

The Beauty of Extracurricular Activities

Welcome Introverts, Reserved Ones and All Visitors as All are Welcome,

Today I want to talk to you about the great benefits of joining clubs/groups/organizations that specifically suit your interests.  Joining groups and activities that are relevant to what you’re interested in is so much fun, let me just say.  You get to be around people who like the same things that you like and enjoy each others company.  The good thing about joining special interest groups for introverts and reserved individuals is that they open up great conversations that you can effectively contribute to and feel confident doing so.  You’ll be surprised about how included you feel and how much you talk! You’ll most likely make new friends and have lasting friendships.  This happened to me this year.  Actually it was a two year process.  In the beginning of my eleventh grade year, I joined my school’s Christian Club.  It was only a few of us at first.  There were never really a lot of people in the club.  The Christian Club fluctuated and grew over the two year period; some people graduated, some joined other after-school activities, new people came etc.  Despite the many subtle changes that occurred, the group was always small and intimate.  I loved Christian Club; in fact, it was my favorite extracurricular activity.  We met on Wednesdays and talked about what we learned in Church that Sunday, how to handle things that the average teen goes through from a Christian perspective, and other matters of faith and everyday life.  We also planned and completed community service activities.  I enjoyed all of this.  Specifically, when I recall my high school Christian Club days, I remember the Jericho Walk.  We split it into two parts.  The first time we walked around the school three times, and the second time we walked around the school four times like the Israelites walked around the Jericho wall during the Battle of Jericho.   During this time, we sang uplifting songs and worshiped God together.  I’m not really one to sing, especially in the hallways at school but this was so much fun.  We prayed also.  It was great.  I talked to those around me and felt that I could be my full self.  In my mental diary of high school memories, I remember this as my favorite day of school.  Just think about it; a shy girl walking around the hallways of her school, high school that is, singing songs, smiling and talking.  That’s the beauty of joining extracurricular activities that revolve around things that you’re interested in.  You are allowed to be your full self and met people with kindred hearts, spirits and min
ds.  It’s great! You should try it.

Orientation Day

Good Day Introverts, Reserved ones and All Visitors,

Today I want to talk about a new experience that I just had, college orientation. Several of us incoming university freshman came around nine o’ clock on Saturday morning to get to know one another. At first it was awkward as are many new beginnings for everyone. I got there early in hopes of getting my student ID, but instead the university made everyone wait until the end of the event. When I first got there, I had to wait outside the door because it was so early. The iota of students that were present were standing in circles. Then we had to sit at nearby tables. When the doors finally opened, everyone filed in around the many tables that were in the large room. There were about eleven chairs at each table. At my table there were two groups of three that knew each other from high school. In the center of the front of the table sat a smiling, bubbly, facilitator. He kept the conversation going by asking several questions about everyone’s majors and home towns. Every time one facilitator left, another came in his/her place. After that the event officially started. It was packed with icebreakers and relevant discussion about what to expect once we move in. Icebreakers included a game of ultimate rock paper scissors in which the entire room participated (it’s a much shorter process than it seems), and a discussion line. The discussion line was first. During this icebreaker, we had to get into two lines and talk to the person directly in front of us for a certain amount of time, then move to the left and talk to that person. Surprisingly, this was fun. The good thing about this exercise is that we were given topics. It was interesting to learn about people whom I’ve never met and hold conversations with them. Socializing was actually fun. During ultimate rock, paper, scissors, we had to pick a partner, play a round of rock, paper, scissors, and whoever won from that round was the team leader and everyone else acted as an entourage and had to cheer that person on. It was fun actually, and I wasn’t the only reserved person there. Afterward, my mom told me that I seemed more confident about going to my university, and to tell the truth I am. I guess it was so much fun because I had been and am so looking forward to meeting new people and developing new, healthy relationships. I was speechless at first like I often am, but the icebreakers actually worked. What a genius idea, I mean I’ve done several ice breakers before, but these were different. They helped me come out of my shell even if it was only for a few minutes, it was still very significant to me. I thank God for giving me courage that day and every day that I was able to effectively express myself. There’s still a lot of things that I have to work on, but this showed me that I have it in me. We all have it in us, the ability to face the fears that try to tightly enclose us. It’s there.

　

　

Without Fear,

Unashamed Introvertish Girl

The Beauty of a New Beginning

Good Day Introverts, Reserved Ones, and All Visitors

Today I want to talk about the beauty of a new beginning. There are limitless possibilities to new beginnings. In most cases, for those of us who are reserved and sometimes even for those of us who are not reserved, new beginnings can seem very scary and intimidating, but in many cases, especially for introverts and the reserved, new beginnings are just what we need. New beginnings happen on large scales and small scales. New beginnings can be moving to a new city, transferring to a new school, getting a new job, joining a new extracurricular activity and many other new experiences. Instead of thinking of a new beginning as a major change into very unfamiliar territory and mass uneasiness , its helpful to think of new beginnings as new opportunities to reach higher heights. It’s a chance to make friends and form bonds that you may not have had before. Think of all the things that you wanted to accomplish in your past situation (town, school, job, extra-curricular activity) and make it a goal to accomplish them in this new experience. New people mean new experiences and new experiences, good, bad and uncomfortable mean new growth. So instead of thinking of new experiences as something to be scared of, think of all of the new opportunities and doors that now have the potential to be opened only if you let them. At the end of my eleventh grade year, the sponsor of the school dance squad which I had been on since tenth grade asked me to be the captain, THE CAPTAIN of the squad. I was already reserved, introvertish, and soft spoken so this was something major. On top of that, it was basically a whole new squad than the year before. I barely said anything in the practices in the years before, so this was major. I prayed about it and felt approval from God that it was only right. So guess what, I was captain of the squad this past year. It was a GREAT challenge. I don’t think I ever talked that loud before in school or engaged in that many conversations. I had to lead a bunch of teen girls. Some of the things that I had to deal with were those who took my commands lightly, those who tried to over talk me, and those who tried to be the captain even though they were not chosen to be. There were many ups, downs and hectic moments, especially during homecoming. However, looking back I can only smile and think about how much fun it was. Naturally, it took a lot of energy out of me because I wasn’t used to talking and socializing so much, but it was rewarding, and I met so many great people in the process. I learned more about people and myself. I gained some strength, faced some fears and lost some weaknesses. Not everything will be pretty in the process of entering into a new beginning. In fact, we messed up during the homecoming pep rally, and guess what else, we had to perform the next day at the homecoming game with all of the alumni, teachers that didn’t usually come out, several families, the marching band and the cheerleaders. It was a very emotional and significant time for all of us! But we got to school early that day and worked extremely hard practicing. We changed the ending and the dance routine looked great. The homecoming time period was stressful but fun. I smile thinking back on the beauty of that new beginning. So before fear and doubt tries to come into your mind and block your view of the beauty of a new beginning, think about the limitless possibilities that they hold.

　

Getting to Know You

Good day Introverts, Reserved Ones, and All

Today I want to talk about meeting new people. I know I’ve talked your ear off about the fact that I’m about to go to college….but I’m not done just yet. This is a major move for anyone in this position especially introverts. One thing that I noticed, about this process is that lots of incoming freshman, not only those from my university, but from all universities was that on all three of my social media platforms, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, everyone has already started to meet one another. How about that? Social media is really serving its purpose. There are Class of Seventeen (my college graduation year) groups everywhere. I’m apart of one, on Facebook, but that’s about it. I also find large groups of my classmates by hash-tagging them on Twitter. From what I’ve twatched, everyone seems to know who they want to hang out with already. I don’t. So I followed two people from my class on Twitter. It felt kind of weird and I was really reluctant to do so. I haven’t gotten any follow backs or anything yet, but I just added them a few hours ago. From this I realized how fierce the socializing is. Think about it, people are closing in their social circles already even if they are digital. I really didn’t see the need to get to know all of these people who I probably won’t even ever see or have classes with. It’s not like I have a mean intent; I just simply didn’t understand all the fuss. I guess that’s part of being an introvert. I want to meet new people and have new friends, but hopefully I don’t come off the wrong way which is what I have done in many instances. So I have decided to learn from my mistakes. I have decided to be a little more welcoming, but at the same time ensure that I don’t lose myself meaning forget who I am or try to be someone that I’m not. I don’t really like the process of digitally meeting people, but that’s only my opinion. To each is own. I’d rather just seize the moment at orientation. So that leads up to the main point. There is a lot riding on this orientation that I’m attending this Saturday. We’ve all most likely been in this position. I can recall the beginning of many events where I was in a new setting and I just sat there while everyone else maybe slowly but surely, or maybe quickly began to socialize, and as time progressed I realized that I wasn’t close to many people in that particular group. I plan to change that in college. During orientation I will still be true to myself, but I will join the group of socializing peers. From the times when socializing was successful, I remember a few of the questions that I asked and the phrases that I said. Good things to ask a person when you first meet are about their origin (where they are from, past schools, jobs whatever seems fitting for the occasion), another thing to ask about is clubs/organizations that they may be apart of or plan on joining. It’s also important to give a little back to the conversation to let them know that you are there with them and that your mind is not somewhere else. Do whatever is most comfortable for you but don’t be afraid to take a little risk. Pray for courage and the words to say and let your light shine. There is a great, truequote that my cousin used in his speech last Sunday it says, “The biggest risks are the one’s not taken.” This quote has several origins it seems and several people have said this quote in many different ways. Its true. So take a risk that if you know is taken could immensely change your life in a POSITIVE way. No use in taking risks that could change your life immensely in a negative way. You’ll know which is which when you really stat thinking about it.

　

Right Here With You,

Unashamed Introvertish Girl

Appreciating the small things
Good Day Introverts, Reserved Ones, Those who want to learn more about us, and All Visitors, J

Today I want to talk about celebrating the small things in life. Have you ever heard the saying “You don’t really know what you have until its gone?" I think that phrase was created by someone who learned the painful lesson that we should appreciate and celebrate the different little things in our lives. I’m old enough to know that not everything is in our lives is positive; however, I believe that if each of us thinks hard enough that we can all find something to be grateful for. Once you become grateful for what you have and learn to appreciate those things, you begin to shine and overall do your best in all other areas; once you’re grateful for what you have, then you will see that you will be blessed with more. Be grateful for the friends that you do have, the conversations shot or long that you manage to have daily and you will find that these things will become even greater and better quality. When we are ungrateful for the good things that we do have, we don’t see their value and we fail to put time and attention to these things or people. From this day forward, I plan to take time out to appreciate and invest more time into the little things and relationships in my life that I sometimes take for granted. I’ll let you know how it goes!