Author: jasmenvictoria

3 Lessons I’ve Learned Since Turning 30

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1. It’s okay to be tired… Guess what? Since turning 30 last April, I have stop pretending to have energy I honestly don’t have. If I’m tired, I will let people know. I have gotten so comfortable with responding to people that I’m resting, when they ask what am I doing over the weekend. Or I simply let them know, I’m doing nothing. I used to feel the need to always be on the move, doing something with my time. I equated rest with laziness. Now getting enough rest is a part of my everyday routine. I equate rest with wellness. If I don’t get enough sleep, my morning will probably not go as smoothly as I would like it, which sets the tone for the rest of my day. I get consumed with thoughts of rest, which manifests as irritability. When I was in college and graduate school, getting 4-5 (sometimes even 3) hours of sleep was the norm. I felt like a champion and had bragging rights that I could still fully function-work, …

Traversing through the Appalachian Mountains on Horseback

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Welcome lovely readers! I’m back with a new blog. I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season to the best of your ability. Recently, I’ve been experiencing seasonal anxiety and depression. I have taken steps to take care of my mental health: getting rest, enforcing boundaries with work-life balance, dancing as a form of exercise, and journaling. While these steps have helped, I also decided to start taking my medication again. While I’m so happy that I’ve went 6 months without needing any, I’m proud of myself for recognizing that I also need that step to get myself in a better place. A few months ago, I took a trip to Northern Georgia and North Carolina, to go horseback riding in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Appalachian trail. I went with my family and significant other. I haven’t ridden on a horse since I lived as a child in Germany. I was so excited planning the trip. I stayed in the cutest Air B&B in Blairsville, Georgia. The farm we stayed on was …

48 Hours in Chicago

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Hello! It’s fall, and for the first time in a long time, I’m in the mood for this season. I’m watching fall vlogs. Last weekend, I had an outdoor movie night with my family and partner. This weekend I’m going horseback riding. So you can say I’m in the mood for cooler weather, drinking hot chocolate, and cozying up on the couch in from of a warm fire. I began my journey at 12:30 a.m. on a Friday morning. My morning day was jam packed—getting to the shuttle, to the airport, and to Chicago. Funny story, my uncle spent 25 minutes trying to find me at the correct terminal. I was at a new terminal he had never been to. Once I was settled, my family and I ate at this lovely Italian restaurant on the water. We shared a delicious pizza. That pizza was honestly the best New York style pizza I’ve ever had. I’ll catch the Chicago deep dish on my next trip! After lunch, my grandparents and I went on the Architecture …

Graduating with my Master’s Degree!

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Hola! I am excited to share with you all that I’m finally done with graduate school! One of the reasons I’ve been inconsistent with my blog was because of my school obligations. I even went to school over the summer, while working full-time. So all of the summer content from last year, will be posted this year. Almost three years ago now, I wrote down my dream of graduating with my master’s degree. I created a vision board with that dream, then I went on to write a blog about graduating. At the time, I believed I was going to graduate with a master’s in nursing; however, I pivoted and ended up with a master’s in education. Everything worked out for the best because I truly love what I do. I have my moments where I wonder if I made the right decision, but those are few and far in between. I’m starting a new teaching job in August. This will be the second school I have ever worked at. Currently, I’m looking for a …

I went to NYC for a week!

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Hello everyone! I’m so excited to be back. I’ve missed writing: I’m ready to get back into the swing of things. Over the summer, I went north for the first time in over ten years! I had an incredible time visiting New York City for the first time ever. The first day was incredible. I was in such awe and the feeling lasted the entire trip. Day one, I woke up at 3:00 a.m., after only sleeping for 2 hours in ATL, and caught an Uber with my mom and sisters to the airport. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 7:15 that morning and it did! This was my first trip on an air plane in ten years. You could say I was nervous. 😅 The flight was really short! I don’t even think it was the full two hours. I was in such awe when I arrived. We landed at JKF airport and our hotel shuttle took us from Queens to Manhattan. One of my favorite shows in my early twenties was “King …

Spending my 29th birthday in ATLANTA

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Hello everyone! I have missed blogging. I think about it all the time. I know this blog is about my birthday, but I am going to post a blog about a writing competition I was in and won. That is coming soon. Anyways, two days ago, I turned 29! My last hurrah of my twenties. I can do a recap of my roaring twenties next year. My family and I traveled to Atlanta to spend a brief holiday weekend celebrating my birthday. I have to say, I enjoyed myself way more than I expected. I’m not really fond of traveling, although I am traveling a lot this year! The reason I’m not fond of traveling is because I’m a homebody and have major anxiety sleeping anywhere other than my own bed. The first night, my family and I went to dinner in Buckhead, at a restaurant called Pappasittos Cantina. The wait was really long and meal arrived really cold. However, the servers brought me free dessert for my birthday, so I can’t complain too much! …

Life Update |Goals| Job Promotion in 2022

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Happy New Year! I know it’s been awhile since my last post. My life has been super hectic these past few months! I was up for a job promotion in 2021; therefore, I had to go through lots of red tape to ensure I was able to start in my new position this year. Last week was my first week working in my new position, and it went really well. I’m walking in my purpose; it’s been such a blessing. New Year Goals I have a few new goals this year. In 2021, I accomplished all the things I set out to do, and I hope do be able to do the same this year. One of my goals is to blog more and increase my engagement, attracting new followers and friends. I have a bachelor’s degree in English, and my first love is writing, which means I need to carve out time to dedicate to perfecting my craft. I am in the midst of submitting a creative writing piece for my alumni English Department’s …

Going back to Graduate School

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Hello everyone! I know I have been MIA big time. I apologize. I mentioned on my other blog website that I was going back to grad school and trying to get mentally prepared for that transition. If you didn’t know, I’ll just give you a brief backstory: I graduated with my B.A. in May of 2019 and, two days later I started my graduate program. I was also working at my university as a graduate assistant. December of 2019 was my last semester of grad school because I decided I needed a break from college and a chance of figure out what I truly was interested in doing with my career. I spent the year of 2020 researching different programs and disregarding them for one reason or another. In March of this year, I took a job at an elementary school–one thing led to another, and I eventually enrolled in a new graduate program that aligns with my current position. I haven’t had much time for anything, aside from working, studying, collaborating with my cohort, …

Meet the author.

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Hello friends! Welcome to my very first blog post on Literature and Life with Jasmen. I wanted to create a blog where I could explore various themes in literature, art, film, and life. I’m thrilled you’re here with me. On my about me page, I divulge some more personal details about my life. Since you’re here, I’ll tell you a few interesting facts: I’m an Aries, I prefer tea to coffee, home-cooked meals are my favorite meals, and I love painting. In 2018, I was diagnosed with a chronic health condition called Ulcerative Colitis, which makes life very unpredictable (view my story here). I’m a graduate student for the second time (didn’t quite finish the first time around). I used to write for my college newspaper, and I was a treasurer for the English honors society, Sigma Tau Delta. I love learning different languages: I’m trying to become fluent in Spanish, then hopefully, I can move onto French and Italian! 🙂 I plan to post regular content on this blog and I’m looking forward to …