#insideazusapacific NatalieP

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Taking Time to Let Go

Sometimes you just have one of those weeks.  You know, the weeks where you have multiple papers due and tons of cram reading and somehow still trying (yet struggling) to get a decent amount of sleep.  And then those weeks come to an end and you have a mere 12 hours to breathe before the next crazy week starts.  

In the midst of those weeks and those 12 hours of freedom, it’s so important to let go and have fun.  It can be so hard, especially while still trying to adjust to college, to fit fun and relaxation into the puzzle that is time management.  

Sometimes, you need to take an hour long drive to Huntington Beach to watch the sunset and just sit and spend time worshipping God in the middle of the chaos.  Sometimes you need to take a load off and spend time laughing with friends and trying to get those Instagram worthy sunset photos before it’s too late.  And sometimes you just need to run around and jump on your friend’s back because life isn’t meant to be lived one paper at a time.  Life is meant to have those spontaneous moments of fun and when college gets insanely busy it’s easy to forget that.  

Remember that’s it’s okay to let go and have every once in awhile.  You’ll thank yourself for it later.  

-Natalie P.

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Taking Action in Romania

Service.  It’s one of the four cornerstones of APU and a very important value on campus.  It seems like almost everywhere there are opportunities to serve both on campus, off campus, or even in Mexico or overseas.  This summer, I have the privilege of traveling to Romania with nine other girls to partner with an organization called Remember the Children and work in an orphanage as part of an Action Team through the Center for Student Action.  

A couple weeks ago, the Center for Student Action put on an all Action Team retreat in Running Springs as a training for all the teams going abroad this summer, but the weekend turned out to be much more than a training.  It was a time of bonding for my team.  We came out of that time not only learning that there is so much we don’t know about Romania but also with the excitement of all that is to come in our next two months of planning and while we are there.

We’re embarking on an adventure and we’re not quite sure what the future holds.  But if we’re certain of one thing, it’s that God has a plan for our team and this trip, and we’re so excited to see what He has in store for us!

-Natalie P.

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Planning to Not Plan

Every year at this time, millions of people make resolutions for the upcoming year.   As we enter into a new semester, many of us are making resolutions such as to getting healthy either physically or spiritually, or not falling behind on homework.  However, the more I think about it, instead of following the trend of the world where we resolve to plan for our year, I need to stop planning.

Planning ahead can be a wonderful thing, but I’m deciding to resolve to take things day by day.  Don’t get me wrong, thinking about the future is a good thing, but thinking too much about it can be bad.  I’m resolving to take each day one step at a time.  Those steps may be small and uncertain, but if there’s one thing I’m certain of, it’s that God is going to provide me with everything I need to survive every day as it comes my way.  

When looking too far ahead, it can be so easy to lose focus on what’s going on around you.  You can easily miss the flowers and waterfalls while staying so focused on the path ahead.  Focusing too much on what’s ahead can be stressful, but so can focusing too much on the past.  As Edna Mode would say “I never look back, darling. It distracts from the now.”  

So in 2018, I’m resolved to take each day moment by moment and trust the God will guide and provide where He leads.  Take some time this year to stop and smell the flowers and gaze at the waterfalls each day.  Because of you don’t you may miss out on the most beautiful sight of all.

“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

-Natalie P.

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How to Come Out of Dead Week Alive

As dead week begins, students everywhere are searching for the few last bits of sanity that are left. As stressful as life can become as the semester comes to an end, it’s so easy to drown under the piles of homework that never seem to end.

Dead week and finals week (especially your first one) can seem so overwhelming and at times unsurvivable.  But here are some tips to help survive (and possibly thrive in) this dead week while still staying both physically and mentally healthy.

1. Sleep!

As tempting as it may seem to pull an all-nighter to finish your homework, many have learned the hard way that it’s not the smart thing to do.  Although staying up all night may help you finish that six-page research paper, the lack of sleep will catch up with you later.  Plus getting rest will help you function and focus better the next day.

2. (Try to) Eat Healthier

It’s so easy to load up on junk food and snacks from Paws n Go when you don’t want to wait in a 30 minute line at the Den, especially when you have the giant freshman dining plan.  But eating healthy will not only help your body from getting sick from being so stressed, but it will also help you feel better.

3. Take Breaks

Studying, writing papers, and compiling portfolios can all seem like daunting tasks.  Doing them all at once can seem even more overwhelming.  Don’t try to do everything at one time.  Aristotle even says that “even studying is occasionally harmful to health.”  Every so often, take a walk with a friend or go grab something to eat.  Try setting a timer to work for an hour or two and then take an intentional brain break to relax.

4. Have Some Jesus Time

This may very well be the most important tip of all.  In times of the impending stress and anxiety, remember that you can’t get through this by your own strength, but rely on God’s.  Spending time praying and reading the Bible can be one of the most refreshing and reenergizing things you can do in the midst of a stressful day.

Always remember that God’s got you and He will help you get through what may seem unsurvivable.

You got this!

-Natalie P.

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Fostering Friendships Back Home

I think one of the hardest parts about coming to college was leaving behind the few close friendships I had back home.  Friends I have loved and adored since elementary school who all of the sudden leave California for college.  But one of the best things about going home over break is being able to see those friends again.  

One of the hardest things about being away from them is trying to stay connected in the midst of the homework-filled, crazy college life.  It seems like when you leave for college, everyone is talking about how they’ll stay in touch, but homework begins to pile up and schedules fill up and before you know it, it’s been a month and you haven’t talked to anyone from back home.

So here’s a piece of advice that I’ve come to learn this semester: be intentional in staying in touch with friends back home.  Granted, FaceTime and texting are no match for face to face time, but they’re better than nothing.  I’ve found that talking with friends back home can even be a stress reliever and can bring a newfound joy and life that seems to get lost in the week to week routine that develops.  

Going home this past week for Thanksgiving made me especially thankful for the friends I have back home.  The friends who I haven’t talked to for a few weeks, but when we’re together it feels like no time has passed at all.  The friends who make the stresses of college and homework a little more bearable.  

So send that text to your best friends back home.  Maybe communicate the old fashioned way and send them a letter.  You never know how that may brighten up their day, or even yours.

-Natalie P.

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Lessons from the Ceramics Room

The other day, my friend took me to the ceramics room to teach me more about the new art form she’s fallen in love with.  She taught me the process step by step: preparing the clay, slamming it onto the wheel, centering the clay, and finally shaping it.

It all seemed easy at first, but once I turned on the wheel, my clay went flying everywhere, and what started as a smooth lump of clay turned to a disaster.  As I once again tried to center my clay, I couldn’t help but see it just as a lump.  There wasn’t anything special about it.  It didn’t look at all like a mug or bowl.  But it had the potential to become one.  What I saw as just a lump of clay could become anything.  And I had total control over what it would become.

Trying ceramics gave me a whole new perspective on Isaiah 64:8:

“But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.”

We are that piece of clay in God’s hand.  At times, it may seem like there is nothing special about us, but in fact, it is just the opposite.  God is shaping and molding into us into something we could never imagine, all by His steady hand.

-Natalie P.

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Little Adventures

This past Sunday was free SoCal free museum day, so my friend Charissa and I decided to Metro down to Pasadena to have a much needed little weekend adventure.  

First, we explored the beautiful Pasadena City Hall, or as some better know it, the Pawnee City Hall from Parks and Recreation.  It was way bigger than we expected, and at the center was a huge courtyard filled with trees, benches, a fountain, and plenty of spots to take cute photos.  We took some of our own artsy pictures on the antique looking staircases that lead up from the courtyard up to the third floor, which gave us a picturesque view of Pasadena.

We then went to our only planned destination, the Pasadena Museum of California Art.  It’s a fairly small museum but showcased different paintings and sculptures dealing with California’s history.  There was also a craft corner area where we were able to make tissue paper flowers to commemorate our trip there.  

Right next door, we discovered the USC Pacific Asia Museum, which transported us through the history of Asia and the Pacific Islands.  There was even a hands-on room complete with artifacts to look at and costumes to try on.  The courtyard was a place where people could escape the almost 90-degree heat (yes, in January) by sitting under the shade of trees and listening to a relaxing stream.

The real gem of our trip was discovering The Battery Books & Music, a used music and bookstore filled with everything from classics to crime books to children’s literature and everything in between.  They also have a bargain rack outside with dozens of books under $2.  Charissa and I spent probably way too long browsing each bookshelf, finding some books we love and others that are on our never-ending list of books to read.  We each walked out with a new book for our collection (both of which were $5 or less) and added this little store on our list of places to revisit.

After grabbing a quick tea at Urth Café, we took the Metro back to APU and concluded our little adventure.  Sometimes getting off campus is just what you need to re-energize you for the week to come.  And the memories made are absolutely priceless.

-Natalie P.

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Why hello there!

My name is Natalie Pagan and I’m so excited to be sharing some of my adventures with you!  I’m a freshman English/Honors Humanities major from Thousand Oaks, CA, who loves Jesus, autumn, anything Disney, and has a shameless addiction to coffee and pumpkin spice lattes.  In the few and far between moments when I don’t have my nose stuck in a book or I’m not cram writing a paper about Aristotle’s definition of friendship, you can usually find me (stress) baking cookies in the Engstrom second floor lounge, getting coffee with friends, or playing piano in my dorm.  

I’m diving head first into the crazy world of college and most of the time I have no idea what I’m doing.  But in the midst of the craziness and homework-filled late nights, it’s comforting to remember that God has a plan for my next four years here at APU.  A plan that’s full of late nights, intentional conversations, laughter, friendship, and probably way too many cups of coffee.  

I’m excited to embark on my adventure in the great wide somewhere and to share some snapshots of it along the way.  I’m not quite sure where it will lead, but I can’t wait to find out where the Lord will take me!

-Natalie P.

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Intentionality Outside the Classroom

One of the many things I love about APU is how intentional people are with one another, and this includes professors.  Last night, my colloquy went over to our professor’s house for a night of food, games, and getting to know each other better.  It was a time of bonding that brought us closer as a class.

We were greeted with the classic dinner of Subway sandwiches and Girl Scout cookies and sat outside while we ate and talked about life.  It was a chance for us to catch up on how our semester had been so far—the good, the bad, and he difficult—and be honest about what was going on in our lives.  

We then fishbowl, a classic group bonding game, where all competitiveness, laugher, passion, and knowledge about Greek words were let loose.  Our night concluded with us around the piano singing to Les Miserables, as our professor sang with and accompanied us and was followed by a spontaneous Donut Man run.

I have no doubt that we will carry the memories we made last night throughout the semester.  The community and intentionality that we experienced is no stranger to APU.  I’ve heard countless stories from students about intentional times they’ve had outside of the classroom, and the impact it has had on them, and we got to experience that first hand.  It’s one thing to hear about the community at APU, but it’s another thing to really experience it first hand.

-Natalie P.