Grateful

I see now that it has been a long period of time since I last posted on my blog. Hopefully, I have not lost my readers since I aim to add more posts. As a quick update, I have finished my first semester of College, working successfully at the church, and have gained a new appreciation of things.
My first semester in college, admittedly, passed slowly because I was not in classes that tested my limits. Of course, that's what I thought until I reached the end of the semester and began studying for finals. I got extremely confident and didn't push myself to study and showed up to the final, basically, unprepared. (Note: if you are in college or are about to start, and I'm sure you've heard this a lot, do not slack off.) My math final definitely took me by surprise and I did my best to get at least partial credit; if you are taking a final and aim for partial credit then that proves you did not study enough. My chemistry final seemed extremely easy to me and I felt successful. My English final was a presentation and since it was a class built up on theater majors, it was more of a performance.
By the end of finals I felt relieved that the semester was over and I looked forward to a new semester, but what was important was that I was now on vacation until mid-January. As a bonus, my mom's cousin, wife and son included, came to stay with us. I've mentioned this family prior when I had gone on my trip to Colombia, but this was a different experience. The kid was now older but still acted like a child. Regardless, they came to stay with us in our small condominium for about a month, if not more. It was an experience, I can say, showed me a new perspective on a few things.
For starters, parenting is not something that comes easy but there are a few things that are common sense. If your child is talking down to you at the age of 10 this means that the child is starting down the path of being ungrateful and spoiled. Another indicator is when the child gets a large array of gifts but still asks, begs, and cries for more. At the age of 10, a child should know how to get on a swing and is fearless about going down a slide. In addition, they should have so much energy that all they want to do is go outside and run around. I'm not a parent, but I hope to be one day and I learned that I do not want my kid to think that he/she is better than those below their status. I see my mom's cousin and his wife approaching these situations differently and that's saddening; they've lost control and don't know how to fix it.
I'm not here to say that they are terrible parents, they're not, but it's hard to see them struggle to keep control of their son. They're pleasant individuals and fun to be around, the kid has his moments where I enjoy his company, and in the end, they are family and I love my family, usually. During they're stay here, I began to realize how lucky I am to be living here in the United States. Granted, I don't have an extremely well paying job but I have a job, nonetheless, and with that job I earn money for gas and little things that I want to buy. On top of that, I live in a house with my parents who love me and want me to succeed. I live in a house that is in a safe area and I don't have to worry about getting fed. Although the family who came to visit is better off than most people in Colombia I keep in mind that the rest of our family has worked day to day just trying to earn enough to live under a roof. I am grateful for everything I have and more. I am grateful that I can get myself leisurely things like Starbucks or now, a laptop. When I look at kids today, I see how easy it is for them to think that whatever they want is easily given to them because they're parents buy it, but what they don't register is that mom and dad work hard everyday for countless hours just to earn money to be able to afford what they child wishes to have because a child's happiness is what counts. May I just warn parents that giving a child whatever they want without having them earn it is a dangerous decision because they could potentially grow up spoiled and with lack of motivation.
My current job at the church has made me very appreciative because it's a job that I enjoy, being able to communicate with people over the phone or in person and that constant interaction has allowed me to make new friends and gain experience. I've gotten to the point where I am no longer afraid to confront people and talk to them. Communication is highly important in all aspects, work, relationships, families, and so on. If there is a lack in communication in any of these areas, some things just don't work out.
Speaking of relationships, if you've ever been interested in my personal life, more than I've already told, yes, I am with Jacob and in just three short months it will mark a year (not to the day) that we've been together. Jacob has taught me so much about myself that I didn't know and I can be myself around him no matter what. We have long, meaningful conversations, and can talk about anything. We enjoy doing things that cost nothing at all and that makes me happy. He makes me laugh and cry and act like a complete lunatic but by the end of the day, we are happy and in love. This is the start of a new year and I hope to change myself for the better. If you're the kind of person who makes new year's resolutions, aim to keep them, because I hope I will. If I can do it, of course you can do it!