Hey, long time no see.
It's been a long six months of no blog, no writing, no updates, but most importantly, lots of change. Good and challenging change. I am never one to say that change is bad because I strongly believe that with adversity comes recognition of strength and resilience. This year, precisely, has served as a year of reflection and has allowed me to recognize my strengths. ALL of us have gone through drastic changes that have forced us to reconcile with uncertainty. Personally, trudging in this unknown territory has allowed me to reconsider my relationship with myself, others, and my surroundings, and, as a result, I've grown to value my personal needs.
I started this blog on November 24, 2019. The purpose of the "All of Something" blog was to celebrate topics that I enjoyed writing about, including art, music, fashion, lifestyle, etc. It was also a space curated to allow others to express and showcase their passions. In my "Communal Blog!" section, artists, songwriters, fashion designers, creative writers, and others have taken the time to write about their recent projects. Thus, they allowed my blog to serve its purpose as a safe space for people who wish to show their work. A genuine honor, might I add.
This was precisely the reason why I took down my blog for the past six months.
May 26, 2020, the day after George Floyd's death. A pivotal moment in Social Justice history. Many people left the comfort of their homes to fight for the rights of people of color(POC). All of this during a Pandemic. It was a difficult time for me as I wanted to be like the people I praised and looked up to during major historical events: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Martin Luther King, Claudette Colvin, etc. Speaking up, attending protests, and fighting against injustices as an ally was extremely important to me in this situation.
But, with three high-risk people against COVID-19 staying in the same household as myself, I had to reconcile with the fact that I couldn't fight in the front lines of this event in order to protect them from a highly contagious virus.
As a result, I took down my link for my blog and replaced it with one that supports the black lives matter movement as it provided resources for Non-profit organizations, current news, and updates on what was going on during this time. It was hard for me as I felt like I wasn't doing enough. But I thought, who am I as a person, preaching about supporting artists and lifting people's voices, if I didn't help the people who currently need help getting their voices heard during a high-tension civil rights movement?
Since then, I have been MIA regarding posting articles. Allowing more of the posts on my Instagram be about the movement and how others can help. The blog came to a halt with I moved to Switzerland in August. Although I did think about writing a piece about my new European lifestyle, I always pushed the idea away as I wanted to get used to my new environment and way of living. Not only did I move 6,044 miles away(exactly) from my family during a pandemic, but I also was finding my way around a new city and campus that I have never seen before. It was an exciting experience as I had the opportunity to, honestly, start over. "Tabula Rasa," as my favorite teacher in high school would say. I was by myself, no one was holding me back, and I was exactly where I wanted to be thanks to my hard work.
The world was my oyster.
Much like any college experience, there were, of course, some ups and downs. I'm learning my fourth language. I know how to live on my own. I've met amazing people that care about me, and I finished my first semester of college with great grades that I put in the work for.
I am still in Switzerland as I decided not to go back home for the holidays as the CoronaVirus cases have continuously increased in San Diego, placing us in Purple Tier Status in California. I struggled with this decision for a while, as I am very much a "family person." I love and miss my parents, brother, and all of my family members as I yearned for something familiar. It's not even that I missed the physical things like my house and my room, but instead, I missed the experience of being at home. Cooking with my mom, watching Formula One with my dad, and being goofy and foolish with my brother are all things I can't replicate here.
But then I realized that that is OKAY.
It was a tough pill to swallow, but I realized that it was okay that I couldn't recreate those experiences here because it would make those experiences less special. Please bear with me here as I try to explain my logic. Do I miss them, of course, but I have created so many other memories here in Lugano, Switzerland, that I would have craved and wanted to so badly if I went back home to San Diego. I needed to end the detrimental cycle of always desiring moments with people I've had in the past and instead focus on enjoying the ones I'm could make with the people that I already have around me.
I've been away from home for five months, and I won't be back for, perhaps, another five months. I realized that it is the best decision I have ever made. I am safe and keeping others safe. I am comfortable yet still challenged. I am being pushed out of my comfort zone, and I love it. To my surprise, I even feel at home as I have grown to call Lugano my "home away from home."
This comfort was precisely what I wanted to feel before rebooting my blog once again. I wanted to feel like myself again as I went through so much change in so little time. Personally, returning home would have been an unnecessary change for me. There was no business for me to go back home since it would have caused more inconveniences. Has it been difficult? Yes. And that is a resounding YES, might I add. But, sometimes you face difficulties not because you're doing something wrong, but because you are doing something right.
I am glad to bring back the blog. I'm happy that I finally feel like myself and comfortable enough to share this and many other projects that I have had in mind. I am ready to start writing, and I'm ready to share my stories again.
Thank you so much for your support<3
Sofia Rojo-Kratochvil ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶
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