Blog-tember Day 3 - Summer Faves

After such an exhausting semester, I was really looking forward to the holidays. Summer is not my favourite season, but oh my, did it feel good this year. We had a very hot summer here in Portugal (sadly, that caused a lot of forest fires), and I got to travel a lot, as well as getting some rest!

For today, I'll make a list of my favourite things this summer! (Can you already tell that I really like lists?)

1. My roadtrip to the Netherlands and Germany. I went there with my parents and sister and we visited not only the capital cities, but also many smaller towns and that might have been the best part. I love how rich traveling makes me, I love learning about myself when I'm outside of my "comfort zone", and when I come back from traveling, I feel more appreciative of my hometown and more thankful for my life.
2. My week in Cerveira, in the north of Portugal. I also went there with my family. The weather was SO NICE and I spent most of the time reading by the pool!
3. Getting to see friends who don't go to uni with me, taking walks with them, going to the beach...
4. My choir. In the last few weeks we've been doing lots of fun activities as a group and I'm so thankful for being a part of it (I have been so for 9 years!)
5. BOOKS. I've read Me Before You by Jojo Moyes, The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, Eva Luna by Isabel Allende, Carry On by Rainbow Rowell and The Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante!

Well, now autumn/fall is coming and I'm so excited! I love seeing the leaves, wearing sweaters, and the feeling of imminent change :)

What were some of your favourites this summer?

love,

Mariana 

 

Blog-tember Day 2 - Goalsies

sooo... Today's prompt is all about goals! Since a new school year is about to start, this couldn't be a better topic. I really like establishing goals even though I may not accomplish every single one of them.

Here are some September goals for a very exciting year:

1. Joining a students association or something like that.
2. Making a plan for my piano studying that is compatible with my everyday life.
3. Taking on more responsibility with my choir and doing my best to improve it.
4. Meeting new people, no matter how hard it can be for me.
5. Not letting my anxiety keep me from living the life I deserve.
6. Doing my best at self-care no matter how hectic life gets.
7. I want to say yes to plans with the people I love most, and no to people who would make me feel less comfortable.
8. Being ok with my body, eating what feels right and working out just for the fun of it.
9. Staying in touch with the friends who matter the most.
10. Reading as many books as I can - this could go into the self-care category.

What are your goals for this school/work year?

love,

Mariana

Blog-tember Day 1 - All About Me

Hello there everybody!

September is here, and it brings autumn (my favorite season), the beginning of a new school year, lots and lots of changes... and the annual Blog-tember Challenge, hosted by Bailey of Love Bailey Jean!! It's the third year I try to participate on it. I can't promise that I'll do every prompt, but I'll do my best :)

curly hair, funny faces, traveling

To introduce myself, I'll make a list of 20 random facts about moi!

1. I'm a third year medical student
2. Before I decided to go to med school, I considered being a designer and a musician.
3. I'm a "wannabe pianist". I know that I'll never be a pro because my heart is on medicine, but I love the piano so much.
4. I also play the guitar and the ukelele (last year I mentioned that I was going to learn it and so I did!)
5. I sing and play the guitar at my church's youth choir.
6. This is the third laptop I've had this year, because the two previous ones (Lenovo) stopped working in the same way. I switched to a Mac and now I don't want to go back!
7. My favourite book ever is (still) The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Everytime I read it, it feels like coming home somehow.
8. I had an emo phase when I was around 15 (who didn't?) but my mum wouldn't let me dress up like an emo (thank God)
9. I have my driver's license, but I don't have a car, and I'm a very anxious driver so I don't drive my parents' car a lot.
10. I live 20 min away from the beach, so I go there a lot!
11. I don't have only one best friend, but many: my best friend from primary school, my best friend from middle school, my best friend from high school, and my two best friends at uni.
12. I'm a big fan of football (soccer)! My favourite team is FC Porto, we all support it in my family. Actually, the Portuguese National Team won the European Championship this year against France!
13. My favourite Olympic sport is gymnastics. I did rhythmic gymnastics for a year!
14. If I got the chance to be a child again, I'd start doing ballet so that I could become a ballerina.
15. My favourite band is Panic! at the Disco and I'd love to see them live.
16. I want to become a vegetarian, and I avoid eating meat outside my house, but I still haven't found it in me to stop eating the same stuff as my family.
17. I have an OBSESSION with books and I spend LOTS of money on them. Also, notebooks.
18. I love watching Youtubers, but I tend to prefer youtubers who approach more "serious" topics and who do covers, over funny youtubers or make-up channels. My favourites are Carrie Hope Fletcher and Dodie Clark.
19. Cooking is one of my main distractions when I'm studying.
20. I have a sister who is three years younger than me and she is pretty much the closest person to me in the world.

Well, I hope I left you guys curious! See you tomorrow for one more day of this Challenge ;)

Love,

Mariana