(I accidentally made this blog too personal but I’m too far in now)

Roughly 20 years ago my parents decided to settle in Naperville, a place named “one of the best cities to raise a family.” My entire life I’ve enjoyed the comfort and safety of a city that’s always felt somewhat shielded from the realities of the world.

Me & Elyse (she’s been stuck with me for 13 years)

As you can probably tell, I’m leading into the ever-so-rapidly approaching post-secondary plans, a thought that’s been looming over most of our heads ever since we entered the NNHS stadium in crafted togas. It seems like most of my conversations this month have been about my plans for next fall: where I’m going, what I’m studying, and who I’ll be rooming with. I’m almost waiting for us to get tired of all these college discussions, and think back to what we talked about before.

Can you guess what school I’m going to

Ian’s blog a couple of weeks ago mentioned how he was so busy thinking about the future, that he’s begun to neglect the present. I felt this way when I spent hours thinking about schools and allowed present responsibilities to fade into the background. But as numerous changes await us and I find myself simultaneously living in the past, present, and future, I thought I would just talk a little bit about how I’ve changed through my years in D203, and how I will continue to change in my next steps ahead.

Meg’s private story freshman year (sorry)

I entered freshman year doe-eyed and ready to take on the world, amazed at the introduction of newfound independence and an abundance of new people to meet. I spent the next couple of years figuring out what I liked, who my friends were, and how I wanted to present myself. Or at least I thought I did until senior year hit me like a truck.

It’s amusing to think about how confident I was entering senior year, foolishly believing I had myself and the future figured out (I could not have been more wrong). But on top of figuring out whatever the next few years have to offer, I’ve honestly just been working through who I am, and what it means to coexist with others. Here are some jumbled thoughts I have as a final blog post.

ON NAMES

He’s just like me for real

First off, I wanted to talk about my name. No matter how many times I see “Izzy Chew,” I think I will always feel slightly disconnected from it. It’s not the name I grew up with, it’s something that I developed through school. Now it’s really the only name I go by outside of my home, and what I’ve always introduced myself as.

But as I stare at those four letters, I wonder what they mean to me, and what place it has in my future. “Izzy” feels so juvenile, can I be an adult and still have this name? Or do I go back to the variations that I use with my family, or even to my legal name? But then how do you let go of something that’s been attached to you for so many years, even if it wasn’t ever fully fitting? I don’t know how I’ll introduce myself in the upcoming years.

Me and Faye <3

ON FRIENDSHIPS

I’ve always been told that the people you are friends with are a reflection of yourself, and given the people I have in my life now, it puts a smile on my face. I think I tend to come off a little rougher with some of my friends, but I truly love and adore the people closest to me. I feel lucky to be an amalgamation of all their quirks and tendencies. 

I tend to pour myself into the relationships I have with people, and I can only predict a difficult realization as we figure out what happens to all of us next. I often think about the last hangouts I’ll have when August creeps up on us, and if that might even be the last time we all hang out. People always say they’ll stay in contact, but that often tends to work out a certain way. 

I’ve stressed over not seeing friends in summer due to poorly aligned schedules (sorry for crying during macro to Shan and Soohyun), but I think ultimately we should just cherish what we have now, and wait to see what the future holds.

I think I will always be open to meeting new people, but also revisiting familiar faces. I don’t know how many of my friends will ever read this or remember this, but I hope they know that even if we haven’t talked in months, I will always be down for a coffee date or out-of-season hot pot.

Me hanging out alone

ON SOCIAL ENERGY

As I said before, I love spending time with people and friends, but I still have my limits. This has easily been the most socially draining year of my life. I’ve spread myself thin, keeping up the energy I’ve normalized for myself. But it’s only left me exhausted. Being surrounded by people you like is a blessing, but at some point, I have to consider the diminishing marginal utility of spending too much time with my friends (haha econ). I’ve been learning to allow myself to spend more time alone, and that it’s okay to not always be going out.

ON INDEPENDENCE

My goal is to be able to eventually fully sustain myself, financially and generally. I want to learn to take care of myself properly and do some things by myself (I soon will conquer eating in public alone). I am forever grateful for all the things my parents do for me, but I know the time will come when I have to pick up my own slack.

ON CONCLUSIONS

Anyways, I am a work in progress. I’ve made many mistakes, and I continue to do so, but at the end of the day, I am still learning and reflecting! There is so much more I wish I could say, but the word count is nearing 1000, and I think this is a signal to close out.

Thank you for reading and letting me share some thoughts this semester. 🙂

At the beginning of the year, I created a step-by-step guide to becoming an indie Pinterest girl. However, I wanted to come up with a fresh list of activities that mysterious and indie girls do behind the scenes. While these pastimes are not meant to be done in public, simply partaking in certain hobbies will help build up a desired image.

In all seriousness, I’ve been looking for more productive things to do when I’m alone. The hours scrolling through social media add up, and I think there are better ways to make use of free time. I don’t consider myself to be that artistic or creative, but I think that it doesn’t hurt to do an activity just for fun. Given that, here is a list of activities that I hope to pick up, and how they create the desired aesthetic. Also, anyone can do the mysterious and indie girl look, regardless of who you are :).

LEARN TO CROCHET

Crochet clothing has an earthy yet dainty look, and people with crochet items seem 10x cooler. 

There are plenty of possibilities with a crochet hook and yarn, including hats, stuffed animals, and bags. The best part is that there are thousands of free crochet patterns available at your fingertips, and tutorials made for beginners. I don’t see myself making complex sweaters anytime soon, but the only way to get there is to start.

My recommendation to max out your levels of being mysterious and indie: Make a crochet shrug top. They are super versatile and probably very difficult to make, but a staple in a mysterious girl’s closet.

MAKE CLOTHING

Designing and creating clothing has to be one of the coolest hobbies a mysterious and indie girl can have. 

This is probably the most ambitious one on this list and not something that can be learned quickly. It can take many hours to even begin following templates correctly, so I expect it will take even longer to make your own creations. I guess mysterious and indie girls have a lot of patience. While making clothing doesn’t necessarily equate to being indie, there are many ways to implement this into creations. This has also been a dream of mine for a long time, and I hope to be able to get a little further with it. 

My recommendation to max out your levels of being mysterious and indie: Use Pinterest and Etsy to find simple sewing projects, or even check out YouTube tutorials. Be sure to read the reviews/comments to see how other beginners are taking it.

CREATE JEWELRY 

Making your own jewelry is simple and rewarding, and it allows you to easily express how indie and mysterious you are.

This is the only item on the list that I’ve tried recently, but I can confidently say that it’s so much fun, and it’s completely okay if it looks a little messy. Another bonus is you can completely control how the jewelry fits, a struggle that I’ve often experienced. Homemade jewelry adds an element of mystery, and you can use a lot of personalization with the metals and beads. While I’ve been focused on wire-wrapped rings, I hope to try other mediums and types of jewelry.

My recommendation to max out your levels of being mysterious and indie: Definite bonus points if you implement crystals somewhere. 

FLORAL DESIGN

What speaks “indie” more than arranging your own bouquet of flowers?

Inspiration struck when I was buying flowers at Trader Joe’s, and I attempted to create a pretty arrangement to match a vase I had just made. However, I realized I had no idea how to create a cohesive look. Floral design is more difficult to do on your own, and I have to recommend taking a class first. They will provide you with all the flowers you need, and teach you along the way. This might be a little less mysterious than the others, but it’s a cool and unique activity to try.

My recommendation to max out your levels of being mysterious and indie: Country roses are cooler and more indie than normal roses.

CONCLUSION

I hope others can find something interesting from this list and find some spark of inspiration for the summer to come. Since the schedules of my friends and I have horribly misaligned, I hope to at least learn a lot of things while I have the time. As always, please let me know any tips for being more mysterious and more indie.