SB or IV?

SBCC, Santa Barbara

Today I went to a focus group meeting for SBCC to discuss the ways we can improve our school. They were curious to know why people chose to live farther away in Isla Vista rather than closer to the school in Santa Barbara. I was told to keep the discussions everyone else talked about private. So instead, I will tell you my opinions and why I chose to live in IV. The only reason I would choose not to is because of the distance, however the pros outweighed the cons for me.

Isla Vista

• Close to UCSB students, so you get the same University vibe as a community college student.
• Cheaper living costs compared to Santa Barbara. 
• The sense of community, other students are always out and about in the town.
•  Entertainment, all friends coming together to hangout on weekends.
• There are many restaurants to eat at and they're open late for students.
• Walking distance from the beach.
• Pet friendly.
• The 15X bus brings you directly to SBCC and back from IV.
• Small town, but enough people. Less stressful and hectic than the downtown city in SB.
• Isla Vista is known for it's craziness, but cops are everywhere here and ready to help you and your safety.

It's Never Too Late

I've always loved dancing, but I grew up in a home that I wasn't comfortable in. In fact, I moved a lot of times in my life which made me all the more shy. When one grows up going through multiple traumas, it makes it hard for them to put themselves out there. I chose to move once again, this time for college and for myself. I had the chance to become and grow into the adult that I want to be and I took it. The dance team I was apart of didn't get the chance to perform many times this year. Things are also coming to a close because of the end of the semester stress of people not being able to make it to practice. However, I'm still thankful for the experience they gave me to opening up. I always felt good after a practice. Feeling the beat of the music and moving to it with my body almost heals me in a way. I'm hopeful that I will become apart of this team or another during next school year. I encourage you incoming freshmen (in fact any student) to take college as a new start and do what you love; become who you want to be. It's never to late to become you.

Tips for Scheduling

Even with the stress of the end of this semester, I'm still thinking about my schedule for next year! I recently went on pipeline and noticed I could sign up for Fall 2015 classes as early as April 30th. I was shocked because that's only a few days away! At the same time, it'd be a good thing to sign up for classes that early to make sure I get them. Also, if I were to get a job this summer I could inform them of my schedule way ahead of time.


Speaking of summer, I am taking a summer class this year. I will be in Summer Session II because during the first Summer Session I will be getting my wisdom teeth out and traveling to see friends and family. Might as well travel for a month if the cost of rent here itself is more money! However, this means I will have to move my stuff to my family's house farther south and bring it back up to Santa Barbara again when I come back. The reason I'm taking a summer class in the first place is because I want to keep things moving. Emotionally I don't like the idea of just sitting around wasting time when I could be going to school or making money while still having free time in between.

Today I got out of class early and have literally been sitting in the library for the past two hours doing the same thing. I've been trying to figure out a schedule that would work for me during Fall 2015. During this Spring Semester, I realized how annoying it is to have my classes spread out five days during the week when I could squeeze it into a couple. I choose to live in Isla Vista like many SBCC students, so traveling this far every day, especially if it's only for one class,  is quite un-motivating for me. I'm the kind of person who likes to get everything done at once. That's just how my motivation works. What I do is, I lay out all the possible, available classes I need with the teachers that have the best reviews.  Then I put them into separate schedules that could work fitting in the different times like a puzzle. Then I pick which one works best for me! Personally I'm getting my general classes out of the way first because they are the least interesting and it gives me more time to think about which upcoming major I want. Scheduling classes for college can be even more stressful than sitting in the class itself. Follow these organized tips I taught myself and it should become a little bit easier for you. :)

End of the Semester Stress

It's that time of year. With a few weeks of school left I'm getting slammed with essays and tests left and right. I'm EXHAUSTED! I've had many days where I have tests on the same day and weeks where I have multiple essays assigned. Thank gosh I like to write because if I didn't, I'd be losing it right now. Oh, also the weather has been dropping into the lower 60's as the high and it's no buneo. However, it should start warming up again in the next couple days. Also I have a friend coming in from out-of-state who I've been friends with since six grade! If you don't already know who it is I guess you'll have to read about their visit in my next blog or two ;)

Shout out to JSB Cafe. I used to go there all the time for lunch last semester and Earth Day I decided to go back. It can be a lot cheaper than the actual SBCC Cafeteria if you're really hungry and want a good amount of delicious food! I'd say the cheapest CHEAPEST option to get food at school would be the salad bar, except it might not fill you up enough if you're pulling an "all-dayer" at school.

Finals got me like

Show your finals who's boss like

What helps me loosen up a bit and shake of the stress is seeing/ cropping funny pictures of my pug back in Virginia. My dad actually got a new German Sheppard puppy named Axel. He's about the same size as Guinni even though Guinness is thirteen years YOUNG! Haha.

Sandspit Beach

Gotta love parking with a view

Many of us SBCC students live in Isla Vista for the cheaper rent and college life vibe. However, if there's ever a day where you wanna escape that I encourage you to go visit Sandspit beach in Goleta. It's right before you enter UCSB. It's like an escape from the college life if you ever feel too stuck in it. Many families go to this beach as well as people hanging out cooking around the barbecue. Personally I have my days where I need to escape but don't want to drive all the way to Santa Barbara. It's nice to be surrounded by families when you're missing your own.

The "fishing spot"

This beach has an incredibly long pier with many people fishing off it. There's a restaurant I went with a friend to where I got some yummy clam chowder. There are windows all around it too make sure you can see the beach as you eat as well as an outside patio.

Stairs into the ocean, what?

Don't get me wrong, there are other college students who visit this beach as well. You're not the only one who needs to get away for the day. Usually they are cool though because they feel the same way. Also in a way I feel like the beach (where I got stuck) in Isla Vista is kind of dirty, there are flies everywhere every time you try to sit or lay out.

Behind me is the rest of Sandspit
beach as well as UCSB & Isla Vista behind the crest

This can have a few
different meanings... I like it though!

The best thing about this beach is that you won't get stuck with the ocean surrounding you! There's alot of sand including a level area with plenty of free parking where you could drive away in your car if the tide ever comes up that high :))))

Stuck on the Beach

Let me start off by saying thank you for reading and keeping up with my life. This is my 50th blog I have written during this first year at college and the second semester is coming to a close. This has been a crazy journey so far, and I can't wait for it to get crazier (maybe in better ways) haha. I don't know what I'm gonna do if I stop blogging, I need to write this life of mine out!

Guess what? You guessed it. I've got another crazy thing to write about! It kinda fits in with the whole SBCC experience since it's beach related. So yesterday I woke up from a bad dream and decided I was going to get out of that funk by going on a run/walk. I went all the way down El Colegio, through UCSB, and made my way to the beach. While I was there I decided to take it all in, walk a bit, and take some pictures. There was PLENTY of sand space to walk down as you can see in the picture. I start to notice as I'm walking north that the tide was high. I looked backwards south and I WAS SURROUNDED. I stood on this rock as the waves crashed beneath & behind me. I was hopeful at first that the tide would go back (which is when I took this video).

It started getting worse. I took my shoes and socks off and started walking against the wooden-log wall on top of these rocks that went all the way down the side of them, hurting my feet. I get to the point where I'm halfway between UCSB and the first set of stairs going up to Del Playa. At this point I'm holding onto the logs as I walk against them, starting to scream hoping someone would hear me. As I get further down, I come across these two guys and ask them to help me. They kind of gestured that they couldn't as my face showed signs of terror. Such gentlemen. Any who, this was way different than Ocean Swimming. I learned a lot in that course last semester, however I was up against a cliff with waves crashing against it. The highest one came all the way up to my chest. I didn't know what was safer, this or swimming up into a possible swell.

I was able to get behind the wooden wall and sit on the cliff while I took a breather before I had to go back at it again. I was in a deep anxiety attack shaking as I held on and so I called my dad. Surprised that my phone still worked! There are no lifeguards at this beach, so my dad said I had two options: 1. Get out of there  2. Call the police for help. The call dropped, I put my shoes back on, and I started to sprint across the rocks and water in my soaking wet shoes. I got to the stairs, climbed up the hill, and headed back home. I was exhausted, soaking wet, covered in sand. When I got home I noticed the whole way I walked home I had sand on my butt. I nodded my head in disbelief with a feeling of belief at the same time. This my friends, was my morning.

Last Recovery Weekend

This past weekend was anything but fun for me. I had to watch everyone go out and have fun while I sat at home because of the pain I was still in. I did go lay outside at the beach one day, but other than that I had to relax and stay inside and work on all the homework I had. I have two huge essays that are worth half my grade coming up in Sociology and Film. My Friday night consisted of doing all my math homework, which isn't due till Tuesday. The only positive thing about this surgery besides hopefully not getting sick anymore is that I couldn't go out and do anything so my procrastination level went down and I got a lot of homework done! My Saturday night consisted of........watching tmy favorite comedian Gabriel Iglesias and using a massage chair WHICH ended up being the best thing ever! I needed it so bad!I encourage you to get a massage if you've been really stressed! I definitely have been and have a ton of knots in my back.   I also needed to laugh too :) Saturday night I was up late waiting for my roommates and the rest of Trop to come home from their night out because everyone is loud so it wakes me up. It sucks being a light sleeper in college! As I was staying up late I was waiting for my phone to turn back on, I fell asleep without setting my alarms to wake up for medication. However, I woke up Sunday morning in less pain. So since Sunday I have been off my intense, prescribed medication! Although I was in less pain, I still couldn't do anything. It took my all day to get half of my Sociology paper done.

By the way, a part of this blog was written as I was waiting outside during class. A fire alarm went of like the old high school days....how cute. That's actually a prime example of how much I have improved from my procrastination (blogging during a fire drill).

Taking Care of Me

Painted my nails purple like my ribbon to remember to stay strong

Today I went to my post check up appointment with the nurse who saw me during surgery. I had to drive there off my pain medication because I had no one to drive me. You're not supposed to drive while on it, it's that intense.  As soon as she called my name I stood up and she was happily shocked to see me. I don't remember her at all, but she said it was funny to see patients after seeing them during surgery because they look so different (and are awake). She was like "I thought you were going to be tall, but you're short like me!" I was like, "Yeah....I've always been short haha". Anyways! The whole point of the check up is to let them know how my recovery process has been going and how I feel now. Now that I've told her and got questions answered , I'm going to tell you  how I've been since surgery!

The first night after the surgery I was very drugged up, I ended up almost falling asleep in the bathroom because I was nauseous. Day 1 and 2 after surgery were surprisingly not that bad (on the pain medication). I have to take the pain medication every four (to 6) hours, it needs to be taken with food, and I have to crush it because it hurts to swallow and so it doesn't scrape on the wounds in my throat. Taking the pain meds every 4 hours includes waking up in the middle of the night to do that whole process, I tried not taking it till I woke up 6 hours through the night and it was horrible. Having to eat something before taking the pill at night hurts because the medication has started to wear off by then. Day 3 my throat started to hurt a little more because by then the white scab had formed where my tonsils once were. By Day 4- Day 6 I was in the worst pain of all because I was running low and saving myself on pain medication. Also Day 4-8 are supposed to be the worst pain level wise. I barely spoke because when I did it irritated my throat and burned my throat. The pain had spread everywhere from my neck up. I had headaches, earaches, my wisdom teeth have been hurting, and obviously pain in my throat. I still continue to have them, but only when my pain medication is wearing off and obviously when I eat or swallow. Speaking of, because of my scab forming my mouth has been producing a lot more nasty saliva which is gross and makes me have to swallow a lot which is annoying and painful. I've done my research on questions I had about my surgery and I was surprised at the reviews of tonsillectomies. A man who had surgery on his heart, his "area", wisdom teeth, and tonsils explained that the tonsillectomy was the worst of all of them! Wow...makes me feel a little better about my upcoming wisdom teeth removal next month.

@ doctor's office

The nurse told me that it may even take up to a few weeks to fully heal. I was not happy to hear that. She also said that the scab slowly falls off overtime as I swallow. Nasty! Once it falls off completely the pain is supposed to go down dramatically. I'm not sure if my right tonsil was bigger, but the nurse said my right side had a lot more scarring tissue. That makes sense because I feel the pain there most. I am able to eat at this point, I just have to be particular with what I am able to eat and I have to eat slowly. I can't have any hot or acidic foods. Let me tell ya, I've been craving a big juicy cheeseburger, I will be going to In-N-Out as soon as I can! For now I stay resting at home and I go to school like I need to. At school I can't crush my pain pills and I have to swallow them whole which is the worst because it feels like it gets stuck in my throat. But I'd rather not be in pain. Who doesn't?!

This sure has been an experience this semester. Continually going to Urgent Care, getting surgery, getting sick, and being in pain all while being on my own. It has tested my independence and has proven how much I really want to be here even after all this. I'm not going anywhere California, and I can't wait to start enjoying you even more like I should when I get better! It's been a lot of work being independent and going through all these things at the same time. It has taught me that I can only rely on myself and that's okay, because I think I'm doing a pretty good job and I know I will never give up on myself :)

Not Much of a Break

My Pugs Bunny

Ready or not, Monday I had to pack my things and drive back up to Santa Barbara from LA after a not so exciting Easter (you can read about my surgery here). The highlight of my Easter was being able to eat 2 scrambled eggs which took me over half an hour to eat. As you might remember by now, Mondays are my full days at school. I had three classes but I missed all of them. I woke up Monday upset because I was in so much pain and running out of pain medication. I had to call the nurse even though it hurt to speak to ask if I could order more. They said I could, but that I would have to pick up the prescription at the doctor's office. Heading back up the 101 I was in traffic for 2 hours before I made it to the doctors office. I picked up the prescription, went to get it filled, and headed back home to Tropicana Gardens. My roommates were really nice saying if I needed anything they were here :) Although their crazy loud voices make my cringe thinking about using my voice that loud. Haha.

4/8/15 Feeling a bit more alive

As I explained in my last post, if I didn't get go to school Tuesday I would get a zero on my quiz. So I went! First day back to school and it hadn't even been a week since surgery. I think I'm going to keep going to school every day now. Even though I have a doctors note that I can miss up till Thursday, I feel it'd be even more stressful to fall behind. It kinda sucked taking the bus to school today because on the way there I had to stand since there were no seats available. It's not easy to do that while on groggy pain medication. Anyway, my day has just been made. My roommate had her friend over who was playing the guitar. It was very nice and relaxing. We were talking about Chipotle and how I'm so sad I can't have the bowl because of the rice. He came back with a quesadilla for Dorsa and I :)

Allie said, "You're this button" on FaceTime.

Tomorrow I have my post-surgery doctor's appointment. I will let you all know how that goes and more about my recovery process in the next blog or two. As for now, I'm halfway there! Today has been a week since surgery.

April Fools Surgery

 April Fools, I haven't been sick this whole time and I didn't have to get surgery!!!! YEAH RIGHT. I wish it was a joke, however on April 1st I drove myself to my surgery that I checked in for at 9:45 am. I had to wait two hours before I actually got the tonsillectomy. The nerves were getting to me. I hadn't had surgery since my chemo treatment in 2011 and I knew I needed to step my strength game back up. However this time was different. Doctors went on and on explaining insurance details and surprised me with the "no one is allowed to see you in the recovery room because you're an adult now". They told me they'd give me something to help with my anxiety, which they didn't end up giving me until right before my anesthesia so I had already suffered through that going into surgery late.


Before I went into surgery they put an IV in me, it was actually pretty painful because I had to wait longer with it before it was put to use. You're supposed to take all of your jewelry off before surgery as well, which I did except my ring. I wanted to keep it on because I have worn it through really hard times, including never taking it off during my chemo treatment as well. So just like the surgeries I got during chemo, they taped up my ring. Before I was wheeled off in my hospital bed, I let my dad know as he wished he was here for me at the time. As the nurse took me to the surgery room, the door closed on me. That made me feel like I was in GREAT  hands! Entering the surgery room there were multiple people there. They all said this is no way to spend Spring Break, especially living in the area of Deltopia. I said I know but this had to get done now while I have some school off because I keep getting sick. Right then the anesthesiologist injects the "relaxer" NOT the anesthesia and all I remember is getting moved mid air to the operation table in the middle of a sentence. I was out before I had the anesthesia! Wow good job Angela!

Next thing I knew, I was (barely) waking up to the sound of the IV machine. Usually that sound creates so much anxiety within me, but I was on some good stuff. I felt like a baby in it's mother's arms on a fluffy warm cloud with sunshine peaking in. But no, it was only me in a hospital bed looking at the light coming in from very small window. I'd doze in and out of it constantly due to the nurses coming in and the machine taking my blood pressure over and over. I'd glance at the results every time it did and saw how it was a lot lower than my usual blood pressure. I knew it was because of what the doctor had given me, I hadn't felt this relaxed in a LONG time. There was a towel with ice wrapped around my face, it was what I leaned on to doze off but then the nurse took it off me. I then felt my face and asked the nurse why my face was so soft. She explained, "Because you're young and beautiful". I felt like all of my skin was softer than normal and knew it was for some other reason, but I accepted her answer because who wouldn't?

After 2/2.5 hours in the recovery room, the nurse told me I could get ready to go now. I sat up and she told me to wait there for a bit before I stood up. She rubbed my back and it made me feel a lot better about doing this so independently. She left while I changed. After I was done she came back and walked me to the bathroom slowly because I really had to go. Had to get rid of all those IV fluids! I enjoyed a blue popsicle while she discussed everything with my Great Aunt and I. Then I was walked to the car and driven almost 2 hours to LA from SB. Even though I had the right to be extremely unhappy I wasn't. I'm almost thankful that I had to get this surgery done because it reminded me of the strength I used to have and that it's still possible to use it. I have never lost that strength. It is right here and has encouraged me to write more in my book as I'm healing, (Currently on Chapter 6 now)

I'll save the recovery process for the next blog post, as I won't be doing anything but that and driving back to Santa Barbara tomorrow. I don't know how I'm going to drive that far when I'm still in need to take these pain pills, but I need to go to school Tuesday even though I shouldn't. My teacher just so happens to accept no excuses including surgeries and I have a quiz to take...yay.