CPPPPPPP

University of Maryland, College Park. I make my schedule to where I don’t have Friday classes so I can leave on Thursday to go to College Park. That’s actually what gets me through the week, waiting until it’s Thursday when I can pack up and leave. I’m there almost all the time since my boyfriend and most of my friends go there. Everyone always points out that I don’t go there and make fun of me, but I really could care less. I have so much fun over there. My friends and I always go out to parties, get our nails done, go out to eat, make lunch together, and so many other things. My closest friends over there I consider to be my brothers and sisters; they would do anything for me and I would do anything for them. It’s always one huge slumber party when I go there; Ryan and his roommate, Jonathan, and their suitemates Andrew and Brandon, whose girlfriend is one of my best friends Leilani, always have people over and we hardly ever sleep. In College Park, I feel like I never run out of things to do, there’s always someone to see, and places to go. I don’t feel contained on one small campus like I am here. 

My Best Friend

Most girls get to share high school with their best friends, whether or not they went to the same school. However, I didn’t get that opportunity. My best friend Chanda and I spent our high school years on the opposite ends of the world; she was in Japan and I was in Maryland. I really would have given anything to have had her with me in high school. She understood me and was never judgmental. She always made me laugh when I went through the worst. But obviously I wasn’t that lucky.

Chanda and I became best friends in the sixth grade back in Japan. We would spend every day talking about boys or stuffing our faces with potstickers. We played travel softball and volleyball together and we were even cheerleaders one year. We loved to go shopping at the Japanese malls and eat food we couldn’t identify. We did everything together; she was my other half. You could only imagine how I felt when I found out I’d be moving to the U.S.

Throughout high school, we only talked through Skype, phone calls, and mail. We made it a point to talk at least 4 times a month, sent each other packages for Christmas, birthdays, and sometimes randomly, and Skype after each big event (i.e. prom, dates, etc.). I hated high school because I didn’t have her. I didn’t have that one friend every girl went to, to tell their deepest and darkest secrets. I didn’t have that one friend that I could fully, 100% trust. High school for me, was the furthest thing from perfect.

I finally got the chance to see Chanda after 5 long years. Her family moved to Florida, so the winter break of freshman year I took a flight, by myself, to go see her. I was so ecstatic that I finally got to hug her and see her in person! I stayed there for 2 weeks; we tried to make up for lost time by never really sleeping, always going to the beach, going to Disneyland, and the usual- eating. I was more than happy to find out she hadn’t changed. She still couldn’t spell to save her life, she’s still really short, has a weird sense of humor that still makes me laugh, and she’s still that one person that understands I am the way I am. 

Nowadays, no one actually uses or has a blog in which other people actually read. We're told to write about anything, but to be honest I'm kind of shy because I have nothing interesting to say or I might bore people. But here I go ...

My name is Irene Burgos. I am an only child, but I have a huge extended family. People don't really know what nationality I am; I get either Korean, Japanese, Cambodian, or even Chinese. I am 100% Filipino. My life has been ... I guess one can say, "out of the ordinary." My dad was in the Navy for about 26 years, and in that time, my family and I were fortunate enough to be stationed in Japan for over 10 years. However, no, I cannot speak a word of Japanese. Every summer or winter break of my life, up until I was 14, I have been traveling. My mom and I loved to follow my dad whenever he left on the boat. We've traveled to Australia, Hong Kong, Bahrain, Korea, Guam, Malaysia, Singapore, and a couple of other countries in the Southeast. I officially moved back to the United States the summer before 9th grade. -_- In middle school and continued through high school, I played volleyball, softball, and field hockey; I was a captain for my teams since 10th grade.  

Now, I'm a sophomore and currently a nursing major. I chose to do nursing because my mom was such an influence on me and I saw she enjoyed her job as a RN. To be completely honest, I have not spent an entire weekend here at school; I either go to College Park to hang out with my boyfriend and friends over there or I go home. I am really friendly and I enjoy meeting new people. I love organizing events, being busy, and having people depend on me.

.... And that's pretty much it.