Act 2- Finding Home for the Holidays

I would much rather be on the beach than in the snow, sipping on iced tea instead of egg nog, and I love unwrapping fresh tamales with my grandma.

Winter break is one of my favorite times to come home because of the back-to-back holidays that center around the family. For the past 3 years, I have sacrificed important moments like Thanksgiving and birthdays all for the chance to better myself and see a bigger world than the fishbowl that is San Fernando, CA. Of course, I love where I live. I truly would not want to live anywhere else. Upstate NY's pace is too slow for me, NYC too dense, and while I love the UK, my home is 2o minutes away from Hollywood and 40 minutes away from Malibu Beach and Rodeo Drive. Throughout my breaks, family friends and people I meet all say something similar, "Oh wow you travel so much! Congratulations!" At first, I did not understand why people kept saying this. But, as I see more of the world, and subsequently learn more about it, I understand what they mean. They congratulate me for going out and doing something.

While traveling is amazing, it can also be very taxing. When I come back home I catch myself slipping in my speech. Friends will ask me how are things at HWS and I'll say, "Oh things back home are great." Really, Geneva has been my home. The same thing happens when people ask me about Norwich and I'll say, "Oh I loved living there!" Thus, I'm caught with a new disposition. I consider my myself to have a nomadic spirit now. In a sense, I'm a global citizen. I have met people from all over the world, and more importantly, I have heard narratives unlike my own.

While humility is important, it's also important to recognize just how much you have done. Yet, I know that I have not done it alone. My parents of course play a huge role in helping me get into the position where I am. Whether it's been buying me a suit for my first day internship in entertainment, getting me my first car, or sending me money when I really wanted a Salsa Rico quesadilla, its mom and pops that got me covered. It's also my family and friends that have gotten me here, by enduring my crass and fantastic banter.

I consider myself a visitor when I'm at home for winter break, but that is not such a bad thing. Knowing that my time is limited prompts me to see it all and see as many people as I can. Whether it's my friend Adriana and Rachel calling me 20 minutes before a movie, by the way The Greatest Showman was good, not great, but good, my friend Alma making the trip down to see me from Palmdale, or even my Posse mates Saoirse and Carlos always down for the #GoodTimes, whipping around LA is a lot more fun when you know you have to go soon.

I've even tried to get my sisters to join my trips more, because now that the youngest has started college I think she understands the longing for family I have developed. Four weeks in SoCal flies by, and hopefully I make it count as much as I can.

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