The Rosa Chronicles: The Ups, the Downs, and the Wardrobe Changes

It has been a while since I last wrote, and a lot has been going on. It would probably take me several blog entries to describe it all, but I will try to summarize it.   So here we go: DrPH program – In this   entry at the beginning of the year, I wrote about applying for a DrPH program. I was very excited and looked forward to being accepted. Well, time kept going by and I did not receive any news, so I finally decided to call and ask. It turns out that I was not accepted into the program. I was one of 130 international applicants for only 15 spots in the program. 130 for 15 spots, imagine! Had I known that was the case, I would have never bothered to apply given the high stakes of being accepted. I was waiting to receive official notification, but since that never came from them, I am making this the official notification that it did not happen. I was a bit down at first, but then I realized that: 1) there were 115 other people out there that were not selected either, so I wa

I broke my Facebook addiction! Yes, I did it! In this   blog entry, I spoke about Facebook Addiction Disorder, and the problems I was having by wasting time on social media instead of doing more productive things. So, on March 5th, I said goodbye to Facebook. At first I thought it was going to be a temporary thing; through Facebook I got reconnected with a lot of friends from my childhood, family members that I had not seen for several years, plus it was always good to laugh at the things that people post - so much drama sometimes! But for the past 5 weeks or so, I have not missed it, not at all, and then I wonder if I will ever be back. We will see. Meanwhile, I have kept somewhat connected through Instagram   and through Twitter , hence the "half-sabbatical" concept. But Twitter is way too fast for me, and you can only do so much on Instagram, so after the irregular post or photo, I go back to having my free time.  So what have I been doing with this new free time? Well

More than 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I was not surprised - diabetes had been a part of my life ever since I could remember. My brother José, 10 years older than me, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 9 years old. As I grew older, I found out that a sister of mine whom I did not get to meet had died of complications related to diabetes at age 3. Years later, my 5 year old niece was also diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, and my own mother received her Type 2 diagnosis soon after we moved to Chicago. To me, it was just a matter of time until I was diagnosed. My diagnosis came as a result of my inability to lose weight. I had joined a gym, hired a trainer, made some changes to my eating habits, and yet, I was not able to lose much weight. Concerned, I went to my doctor and explained my symptoms. She recommended a battery of tests which came back with a diagnosis of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) . PCOS, in turn, is associated with diabetes. I had man

This post is a bit different from my previous ones, but here it goes anyway. For a while now, I have been longing for a place where I can feel connected to a Higher Entity. I had tried a couple of congregations, but had not felt that I was at home. Recently, though, I visited the Second Unitarian Church of Chicago , and I think I have found the right place for us. The first time I was there I was impressed with the warm welcome that members gave me as well as by the very diverse group of people at the church. I was equally impressed with the sermon on that day as it quoted from different sources - the Quran, the Bible, Buddhism, and the message was geared towards growth as an individual person rather than a punitive, "burn in hell" one that often one hears. About three weeks ago, I was there for the Sunday morning service, and when the Reverend began his sermon, I felt as if Andrew had talked to him about my issues and the message was specifically directed to me. You

I have always kept journals. It has been a good way for me to reflect back on what I have done, notice patterns, and laugh at youthful silliness. The past couple of days I spent time reading my journal from when I was 18-19, and I cried for, was embarrassed at, and laughed at my younger self. But that is another story. The journal that relates to this entry is my weight loss journal. I have kept it for years, writing on and off and documenting my struggle with weight loss. Appropriately labeled "Morphing Journal," I have been keeping notes in there since 2006. That was truly the beginning of the "Ups and Downs, and Wardrobe Changes." In there I journal my successes and defeats related to this never ending process. Recently, I grabbed the journal again to jot down my new workout routine. It is a rather small notebook, perfect fitting for my gym bag, easy to carry around so that I don't forget that after squats I have to do push ups, and then mountain climbers.

Don't you hate it when you start doing something, and you are super motivated, you are giving it your all, and then it all goes out the window? Yeah, I hate that too, and that's exactly how my year has started. Well, not all of it, but at least the part that gives me the most work.  So here's what happened. As I said in my last blog, Andrew and I joined the gym to have access to more equipment, to use the treadmill, etc. Because in the past I have had some issues with going to the gym, mainly not knowing what the hell to do, I spend a good amount of time creating this somewhat ambitious 10-week workout plan. Based on the days that Andrew and I had decided to go to the gym, I selected the workouts that I would do there as well as those that I would do on the days I worked out at home. I knew I may have to adjust it; after all, I had not worked out for a couple of weeks, plus I was also incorporating a full-body circuit. I just did not know how much I had to adjust it.

It has been a while since I last wrote something. Somehow the end of a year does something to my mood and it takes me a while to recuperate, and I still don't get enough energy to get back into routines, any type of routines. It is hard to believe that another year came to an end. It feels as if I had barely started working on my goals for the year, and then, boom, we welcomed a new year. Why is it that time goes by so fast? I remember being young and thinking that a year lasted, well, a whole year. Now, a year feels like it last about 6 months or less. So, as many people do at this time, I was faced with the issue of setting resolutions for the new year. Ay, qué dilema!  Was I really ready to do this? Was it even necessary? After much thought, I decided that resolutions were not for me. Instead, I would rather continue working on what I had already started. Take for example my desire to go back to school. Approximately a year ago I decided that I wanted to go back to school