a life update about my last two months

Hey everyone. I haven't forgotten about the blog, I just have been unable to write on here for a multitude of reasons, and I do dearly miss coming on here, so I decided to do a little update.

I've been good, but more so have been tired, superbly busy, having the best time, but also very confused. I've been very happy this semester at college, but I have been working so hard in so many aspects that I have worn myself thin to the point I couldn't get myself to write something creative on here.

I do still love fashion, writing, reading, makeup (I even went to the mall last week), but it's been hard to write on here about all of it. I haven't even done a vlog in two months as well.

I know this sounds so depressing, but I wanted to explain how I am feeling, but I also give you all a little update about my life since I've had this blog for over 6.5 years now.

Let's start...

How's this semester going with academics?

I've never worked as hard in school as I have this semester. I am in six courses currently, which is 1-2 more than the average student takes as a sophomore at my college. This isn't flexing, but more of a necessity so that I can study abroad, but still get my two degrees done in four years.

My global studies class is by far one of the best classes I've had in college. It meets for two hours on Monday mornings, which is a bit hard to have the motivation to go to but is so interesting. We don't have any tests or quizzes, just two 10-page papers, and journal entries due every week. I think I might do a post about the books I read and my experience with that class once it's over. My first essay was all about the lack of access to education for girls in developing countries, which I wrote in one-day (due to my horrible procrastination skills), but it was one of my favorite topics to write about. My next essay is about climate change, which is a topic I am very interested in because it's also VERY REAL. That's just a little rambling, but that just shows how interested in this class I am, haha.

My two English classes have been rough, but are still awesome in different ways. My U.S Fiction Since 1960 has really shaped my perception of writing because of authors such as Renata Adler, Cormac McCarthy, Sylvia Plath, and so many more. This class has influenced my style of writing and is definitely making me want to dive into creative writing classes in the future (once I get my Shakespeare and pre-1800s literature classes out of the way). My second English class, 'Romantic Age' has a great teacher, but I've learned that romantic age literature isn't completely my cup of tea (with the exception of Robert Burns and William Wordsworth).

My three other classes have been relatively well. Marketing and Management are both group projects for the whole semester, and my note on that is some groups are a lot better to work with than others. It's tough being in group projects, but overall it's been going okay. The girls in my management group really make the class so much better than it would be if I had a worse group. As for Civ, it's going the way it normally does...

What books have I read this semester?

Okay, so if I didn't bore you with my talk about academics....here's the books I've read this semester (some I will have to reread tbh).

American War by Omar El Akkad

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Narrative of Frederick Douglass

End Zone by Don DeLillo 

Us vs Them: The Failure of Globalism by Ian Bremmer

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Pitch Dark by Renata Adler

The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy 

In America by Susan Sontag

Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play itself out? by Bill McKibben 

Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo

I've read other books and fragments of stories throughout my semester, but those are some of the big titles. For my U.S Fiction class, I have to write book reviews on all of them, so once they are perfected I plan to post them on here :). 

Extracurriculars?

 I joined the club field hockey team! I don't do the travel part, but for the first semester, I have practiced twice a week, which has been so fun. I also have some pretty cool merch now. It's been fun to be part of a team once again and meet new people.

I've continued to be in Providence College Television. We haven't had a ton of content come out this semester, but for Halloween, I wrote the script to a very bad, but very funny video. I also '"acted' in it.  If you want to check it out...

I still have my radio show! My friend, Colleen, and I hosted a radio show from 8-10pm every Thursday (eastern time) which streams to radios in Providence but also online (http://www.wdom913fm.com/). We tell storytimes, talk about our lives, and play music! Some of the groups we play are The 1975, Arcade Fire, Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Wombats, New Order, Joy Division, The Front Bottoms, King Princess, etc...

Lastly, I mentioned the last post, but I work in the library! I work 7-12 hours each week in the journals and periodicals section of the library. I am a big fan of my job because it's busywork, but also I get to go through so many magazines and newspapers from around the world.

What are some of my future plans?

Well, currently I am planning my schedule for next semester. I am hoping to finally be able to take five classes since I haven't done that in over a year. I am possibly taking a theology class over Winter break, which although it will be interesting; simultaneously means I haven't taken a break off from schoolwork in over a year. I know it sounds crazy, but I love learning and college classes; so it's not the worst thing to be taking classes for over an entire year (hopefully I don't have to do summer work again!).

I've applied for a Maymester (which is a 3-credit class taught in a little over two weeks), where I would be in Providence for a week and then go to Grasmere, England to study William Wordsworth. I haven't heard back yet, but I am very excited if I get accepted to that, as I will be able to see where the author wrote his poetry. I am also applying to study abroad in London for Spring 2021, but I still need to work on my application. I will update you all with that when I get the news.

As for this semester, I go home to New York for the first time since August on Tuesday! Although I don't mind being away from home, it's time. I am itching to walk the streets of my neighborhood and get my hair re-dyed, my nails painted, and to see some of my friends. I'll have to do a lot of schoolwork while I am home, but I get to go to an Islanders game (which I am so excited about!).

I'm not sure about what I am doing for Winter break as a whole, I am hoping to do some videos and vlogging and posts! I really need this break.

As for the rest of the semester, there is a lot of work to be done + secret Santa and theme parties, but once I get home in three weeks I have a lot of posts to write.

Here are me and Colleen after a beach-themed party. 

Also if you missed my last vlog, it is from September! I hope to make more vlogs soon, please subscribe!

As always, thank you so much for supporting me!

xx

Christina Madeleine

What My Schedule Looks Like *Sophomore Year Semester One*

Hey everyone! It's been a few weeks since I last posted. I've officially been back at college for almost a month, and boy has it been a busy time.  This year has been very positive this year because it's not a new school, I am enjoying all my classes, my living situation is ideal, and I am becoming more of an active member of the school. It's been almost a complete 180 from how I felt when I was a freshman.

I've done this post twice before ( freshman year first semester and second semester), and here I am again! As mentioned in posts past, I am an English and Marketing double-major. In my four years at Providence College, I'll have to take 10 English classes, the business core, my marketing class, and the liberal arts core. This semester I am taking six classes, and I'll give a bit of a run down about them!

Development of Western Civilization
I've talked about civ before, but it's a mandatory class at Providence. You take three semesters of civ that is lecture and seminar-based that starts off 3,000 BCE or even prior, and then make your way up to the present day. Currently, I am in my third semester, which goes from around 1776 to present day. Some of the books and passages we've read in the month I've been here are "What is Englightenment" by Emmanual Kant, two poems from Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, and The Narrative of Frederick Douglass. The class, for me, is two lectures a week (about 50 minutes), and then a seminar (about 110 minutes) per week. In my last semester of civ, there is a colloquium in which you get the pick the topic of history you want to learn about for the last semester. Every student at PC takes civ no matter what.

Consumer Behavior (Marketing) and Organizational Behavior (Management)
I haven't taken a marketing class since my first semester, but I am back at it. In my first semester, I had to do a semester-long project on the Wall Street Journal. This year, we have a project just as long, but more advanced about Nike. So far, the class has been better than my first experience with a Marketing class and my group works pretty well. Part of the business school core involves taking two management classes, and so I am taking one of those courses right now. Although I'm not a management major, taking this course has been beneficial for me because it's helping me with my presenting and speaking skills. I'm not the strongest public speaker, but I am definitely working on it.

U.S Fiction Post 1960s and Romantic Age in England
Since I am taking two business classes, I am also taking two English classes! I am taking a U.S Fiction post-1960s class, which has us reading books like The Bell Jar, American War, End Zone, and Shoplifting from American Apparel. Although this course is very heavy on reading, I am enjoying the class so much. My teacher is so helpful when it comes to rewrites, and I can actively feel myself becoming a better writer. The second English course I am taking is the Romantic Age in England, which is very different in contrast. A lot of the works we read are David Blake, Williams Wordsworth, and John Keats. We focused on Scottish and Irish epics for a few weeks as well.

Introduction to Global Studies
I wanted to fulfill my civic engagement core this semester, and I able to do this by taking a Global Studies class. I have this class from 8:30-11:15am every Monday, but my professor is so interesting the time goes very fast. In the first few weeks, we read Us vs Them: The Failure of Globalism. I like being able to have a class where I can learn about politics, economics, and social climates on a global scale. I would recommend if you are able to, take global studies or a political science class.


This semester, I had to stop taking a foreign language in order to try to get the bulk of my classes for my majors completed. I loved taking Italian (and in the past, Spanish), I need to focus on my English and business classes. I believe next semester, I will take the same amount of classes as well (but there will be a post about it then too). I have been genuinely enjoying my classes this semester and feel so much more confident in my studies.

Along with all my classes, I've been pretty busy! I joined a club field hockey team on campus, so twice a week I get to go on the field and practice. I am not on the travel team, but I enjoy being able to play the sport that I love so much. It's also a way to keep active when I am not going to the gym. I am also the co-head of entertainment for Providence College Television (PCTV), and soon we will be uploading content to our YouTube channel!

I've also started a job in the library on campus, and have been getting used to my new position. I am so happy I was able to get a job on campus, and it's a good way to spend some hours and meet new people.  

There are a few other activities that I have applied to, and I can update you all on that soon! After a month of being on campus, I think I am able to take the time to start blogging again. I really missed being on here, and I am so excited to show you all my world through my blog. 


I also made a video of my move-in if you want to watch it... and please subscribe to my channel! I am almost at 60 subscribers :)

I will have a new post up this week about my day trip to Newport, Rhode Island!

xx

Christina Madeleine

My Freshman Year Life in Videos & Blogposts

Hey everyone! Once you read this, I will be starting my sophomore year at Providence College. I wanted to make a post will all my content that was about my freshman year for those who need some advice, guidance, or are plain just curious. I don't like to dwell too much on past events that weren't the best, but I did talk about the hardships and the happy moments I had throughout my year. Since I am starting a new year, I wanted to make an archive for those to see how my first year went. I have plenty of ideas for my second year at college (move-in day vlog, dorm tour, day in the life, more sit down videos), but I don't want to disregard my first year. Please check out these videos and posts from the last year, and I will definitely comment back! If you have any questions or want to see more of life you can follow me on Instagram: @christinaxmadeleine and on Twitter: @thisfashiongirl. Or just keep checking my blog and subscribe to Youtube. I am so thankful for all the support and over 120,000 views!!

Blogposts about my freshman year of college:

1) I am officially a #collegeblogger: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2018/08/i-am-officially-collegeblogger.html (August 8, 2018)

2) What happened to me in my first month of college?:http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2018/10/whats-happened-to-me-in-first-month-of.html (October 6, 2018)

3) Thoughts and Ramblings of a First Semester College Freshman: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2018/12/thoughts-and-ramblings-of-first.html (December 11, 2018)

4) Dorm Tour *Freshman Year at Providence College *: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/01/dorm-tour-freshman-year-at-providence.html (January 6, 2019)

5) Second Semester Planning and Schedule: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/01/second-semester-planning-schedule.html (January 24, 2019)

6) Family Weekend 2019: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/02/family-weekend-2019.html (February 24, 2019)

7) Second Semester Positive Moments: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/04/second-semester-positive-moments-youtube.html

8) My Freshman Year Experience at Providence College: http://www.thisfashiongirl.com/2019/06/my-freshman-experience-at-providence.html

Youtube Videos at College!

My Weekend as a freshman at Providence College! *First vlog* 

Freshman at Providence College Weekend in My Life (3/29-3/31/19)

Weekend in the Life of a Providence College Freshman: Spring Concert, Shopping on Thayer, Dinner...

Weekend in the life of a college freshman: seeing After, going to a darty, + seeing John Mulaney

weekend in my life: my dog comes to visit + so many food places! | providence college

week in the life of a providence college freshman: finals weeks, my birthday+ traveling home

Lastly, I made a two-part Q&A about my freshman year with two of my friends who go to Boston University and Loyola Maryland. The first part is up right now:

spilling the TEA on our FRESHMAN YEAR| Providence College, Boston University, Loyola Maryland

 

I hope this archive makes my content more accessible! I won't be doing posts like this often, but since it's the beginning of a new school year; there is a lot of uncertainty an questions that go around about college. 

See you back at school!!

xx

Christina Madeleine

OOTN: Night Out with Friends in Manhattan

Hey everyone! Summer is, unfortunately, wrapping up for me. I go back to college on Sunday (isn't that so crazy!) to start my sophomore year. I am very excited, but also nervous about the new school year. With going back to school, comes lots of goodbyes. Last night, I went out for dinner with my friends; Shannan, Aubrey, and Alexa for a meal at 'Serafina Meatpacking' before we all go back to school. 

My blouse has been seen before on the blog...here when I wore it to Easter, but I love it too much to not wear.

The blouse is from Cue Boutique.

The skirt is from Forever 21 (I just bought it for $15!)

I am wearing sparkly new Adidas Superstars with the outfit to keep it casual.

I told my friends to get in for the Outfit of the Night, in the future I'll make some videos with them for what they're wearing! Shannan and Aubrey have been featured in my latest video: spilling the TEA on our FRESHMAN YEAR| providence college, Boston University, Loyola Maryland

Part 2 of our Q&A will come out soon!

I'm not sure where Shannan's outfit is from, but three out of four of us all opted for sneakers to wear for our dinner.

Chelsea/Meatpacking is such a nice area to take pictures. I am trying to do more outfit of the days, so I loved having the background of the city and the company. 

I'll have so many more videos and blog posts coming out soon!

xx

Christina Madeleine

OOTD: Summer Outfit for a Birthday Party

Hey everyone! Happy August! I am officially done with my summer courses, so that means I will be back on here with plenty of content. Last month, was my friend, Alexa's birthday, and I decided to try out a new outfit. The day before, I went to some local boutiques in my neighborhood to pick out some original pieces.

 My Outfit:

Tropical cropped shirt - Mixx Boutique $60 (a set that has matching shorts with it)

Tight Skirt with lace end - Cue Boutique $45

Espadrilles - Target $32

For the outfit, I "straightened" my hair. It's not pin-straight, but I love the look of wavy hair especially with my current shade. Since it's July, cropped tops and skirts are all the rage.

I wanted this outfit to be unique but stylish. I am very into patterns, Hawaiian shirts, and button-downs lately. When I saw the matching set, I knew I had to buy it. Although I haven't seen the last two seasons of Stranger Things, I know El (11?) is also really into crazy color button-down shirts, and I would love to copy her style. I feel like every girl should have a black skirt and a black dress, and I currently only have one of those essentials, so I am super excited to pair more bodysuits and shirts to skirt. I did end up going dancing after the birthday party, I switched into a gray tighter shirt with the black skirt (as it's high waisted), and loved that outfit too.

What are your favorite shops?

xx

Christina Madeleine

Changing My Hair & Attitude (Self-care Summer2019)

Hey everyone! It's been two weeks... I know, but hey at least a new video is up here (and it's all about my trip to Vietnam), so you have seen my face a little bit. I've been swamped with schoolwork. I am taking two online courses this summer worth 3 credits each, and so I've been slightly bogged down by Astronomy and Philosophy. That's not all I've been up to, I've been working on myself...a lot. I want to make sure that my second year of college is better than my first so I've made the Summer my time to get my mental and physical health in check, work on a positive attitude, get excited about my school work, and become organized. So...what have I been doing to take care of myself? Well, I'm about to tell you!


1. Changing My Hair

I'm no stranger to dying my hair, but before May I had never dyed my whole head. It was a drastic and quick decision to dye it (I have a whole video that is going to go up with the footage), and I cried for three days afterward. Alas, I've decided to rock the red hair and I am absolutely obsessed. For me, changing my hair color from brown to red gave me some confidence. I felt more new people I met remembered me more, and most of the comments I received were positive. I felt almost more myself. I don't have plans to change back the color, but I am still debating keeping it red for when I go back to school. When dying your whole head, you have to be excited and own it or you end up being self-conscious; and some of my friends were able to get me to love the color!

2. Working out

I have countlessly said on this blog how I wanted to start working out and become fit. I was so tired of saying that I wanted to do that, and actually got up and started going to the gym. This last week, I haven't been able to go to the gym due to an injury, but I am itching to get back there. My friends and I have been going to yoga classes together, and then on my own, I have started going to cycling classes. I have never been one for either class and now I am actually starting to enjoy it! On my own, I have a routine involving the treadmill (or elliptical), strength machines, rowing machine, and more. At school, I didn't have a routine and I wanted to make it my goal to have a gym routine, so when I go back to college, I will know what I am doing and go often. I've also been trying to get in shape because I am considering trying to play field hockey again (after a 1.5-year hiatus), and that involves lots of working out and strength. I'll definitely give an update regarding that when I get back to school. My goal was to go to the gym 4-5 times a week, and for the most part, I've been doing that!

I've also lost a few pounds, which has been helpful to my mental health because I did gain some weight while at school along with everything else. There has been no downside to my workout routine this Summer except the soreness, haha.

3. Saying 'Yes' More (and finding a balance)

I've been trying harder to be more of a "yes" person, and be more spontaneous and open to new ideas. Obviously, there are times when I need to say "no" to going out or staying out until 3am, but I wanted to not shut down ideas all the time, and I am so glad. This mentality led me to take the train from New York to Pennsylvania to see Catfish and the Bottleman play with one of my close friends, and it was one of the best concerts I've been to in a while. Having a "yes" mentality doesn't make you nieve, but let me come out of my shell a lot. If there are certain plans that cause my gut instinct to be unsure about, I won't go; but in all everything has been pretty good when I say "yes".

There definitely needs to be a balance though. There was a five-day span where I was very drained from hanging out with people on top of my summer classes and blog/youtube, and I needed to take a break. That doesn't make me any less of someone's friend but helped me enjoy the time more when I felt better. What I've Learned: Saying yes to things helps make you have really great experiences, but you can't say that word to everything, especially if it jeopardizes other aspects of your life.

4. Putting More Effort in my Blog, Youtube, and Writing

Writing is the thing I enjoy the most. Besides blog work, I hadn't read a book or wrote anything for myself in a while, and I've been getting back into it. I hope one day to become an author, so I think getting back into small writing exercises (short stories, mind maps, and poetry) is helping me appreciate the art more. I've also been reading some of my books for one of my English classes next semester to help me get ahead, and to give me more time to enjoy the books over a longer period of time instead of the week where I will have to read 200 pages in one night.

I've also been enjoying posting to YouTube, and by no means am I a super popular YouTuber or the best one out there, but I like talking to the camera and putting myself out there. I am even almost at 50 subscribers, so... check out my channel: Christina Madeleine. I've been so scared of what people thought of me for so long, and I am finally able to create content that fully shows who I am. If you have any ideas of what I should film, let me know!

Summer has definitely helped me become more inspired to pursue my hobbies and make sure I put the effort into it when I am back at school.

5. Cleaning my Room

How many times have I said in my videos that my dorm room was too messy to show on camera? Well, my room at home wasn't much better. My friend Jenn asked to come over and clean my room a few weeks back and we ended up completely reorganizing my drawers and closets and donating four bags of clothes, and possibly selling a fifth. It was very necessary for me to clean my room because I had clothes from 2013 in there! I am also considering painting my room because when I was in the seventh grade I picked three walls to be turquoise and one to be dark pink, and well it's not the best look. Donating so many clothes not only lets me buy more but feels like a weight is lifted. I am also working on being organized because I don't want my suitemates to hate me for being messy.

I've also been trying to eat better and cleaner, and will be doing updates on my Instagram about that! So you can follow me on that! https://www.instagram.com/christinaxmadeleine/

Thanks for reading! What posts do you want to see? I have been lacking ideas, so I've just been talking about myself. So... give me books to read, shows to watch (Love Island USA?), topics to discuss and more!

xx

Christina Madeleine

tips for how to start being eco-friendly

Hey everyone! Happy Summer! I am currently at my kitchen table eating watermelon and sipping a coffee that I made myself at home. Lately, I've been very aware of how much plastic I waste and money I spend on things that I will throw out immediately after I finish it. With all the talk about climate change and global warming, I question why I haven't made any lifestyle changes. Granted, the biggest causes of harm in our climate is from global corporations and the meat and dairy industries; but by not making a lifestyle change...humans aren't helping the situation.

I mentioned that I was drinking coffee because that's how I came up with this blog post because I am using my Starbucks tumbler that I bought for $10 in Vietnam. Here are some ways that you can be eco-friendly and work on reducing your carbon footprint.

1. Invest in a Reusable Cup from either Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, or a Coffee Shop (and also a metal water bottle)

It's so simple to bring your own coffee cup places. Lately, I will bring my Starbucks iced beverages reusable cup to every coffee shop I go to (even though it says Starbucks there is no issue), and tell them how many ounces it holds. This way, the coffee shop is not giving me a plastic cup that I will throw out not even an hour later. Once you get into the mindset of bringing the reusable cup places, you won't even want to buy a drink if you don't have it. There's also hot drink cups that are available for purchase. Corporate coffee shops, particularly Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts, have discounts for using a reusable cup. Local coffee shops will even give you free refills with your own cup. The pros outweigh the cons of having to bring an empty cup with you.

*Starbucks even made temperature changing cups https://www.delish.com/food-news/a27334797/starbucks-color-changing-reusable-cups/ and also sell regular cheap reusable cups at check out.

Another investment is metal, refillable water bottles. Yes, Swell bottles and Hydroflasks are all the rage, but you don't have to buy a ridiculously expensive bottle. I bought two "thermoflasks" for $15 at Costco, and they are just as good as any other mainstream brand. Bringing your own water bottle is beneficial because 1) you can constantly hydrate yourself 2) you aren't buying single-use plastic water bottles. Many colleges have hydration station all over their campuses to reduce waste, and usually, restaurants and shops can fill up your water bottle if you asked them.

Here's more information on using reusable water bottles: https://biofriendlyplanet.com/green-alternatives/reusables/the-environmental-advantages-of-reusable-water-bottles/

2. Bring a Metal Straw if you Can

Everyone has seen those photos of turtles with straws stuck in their noses. Plastic straws can't be recycled, so they end up in the ocean instead. Even if you personally have never encountered them in the oceans, millions end up there. No one will judge you for taking out a straw at a restaurant if they do... ask them why aren't they using one. There are also so many brands of plastic straws ranging from cheap ones at the dollar store to collapsable ones that you can put inside your bag.

*Final Straw is a brand that has reusable metal straws that even clip on to keychains, more info is here: https://finalstraw.com/

3. Go to Farmer's Markets & Bring Your Own Bags 

If you have a local farmer's market, start trying to buy produce there instead of a supermarket. Farmer's markets are usually cheaper for the bulk amount of produce, and let you pick out as much as you want. Also, buying locally grown food not only helps the economy but lessens the amount of produce that travels. Do you really need your fruit from Florida if you live in a different state? Also when you buy produce at supermarkets, it's usually in plastic that is just going to be thrown out once you make a salad or cook a meal. Why does our arugula have to be in a plastic container? There are more sustainable methods.

* The Environment Benefits of Local and Organic Food: https://observer.com/2008/05/the-environmental-benefits-of-organic-and-local-food/

I have a dog, so we sometimes use the plastic bags given to us for when we take him on walks and have to clean up. For the most part, if you can bring your own bags to a grocery store instead of being given  10+ plastic shopping bags.

4.  Start doing 'Meatless Mondays' or trying to find a few days a week to remove dairy and meat.

I am not vegan or vegetarian, but every time I mention to someone who is like me the benefits of going meat and dairy free the responses are usually, "That seems too strict" or "I can't imagine doing that". You don't need to go vegan or vegetarian, but being anti-that lifestyle is not beneficial to anyone. Biologically, humans don't need to eat meat every day or even if at all. The issue lies within our meat and dairy industries that are destroying our environment.

Instead of going strictly vegan or vegetarian, cutting down the amount of meat and dairy will beneficially affect the environment and reduce your carbon footprint. It's not about cutting out all food and dairy but reducing the amount. There are plenty of alternatives as well, such as milk alternatives and fake meat, but also by adding in more vegetables and fruit. Meatless Mondays should not be a punishment, but more of a way to make a small lifestyle change.

On an ethical basis, there are plenty of arguments about going vegan because of animal cruelty. Especially with new developments such as the Fair Oaks Farm Scandal, where the cows are severely abused: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_quX1acHGks&feature=youtu.be. A way of dealing with unethical dairy practices is to not buy products from the companies that abuse their animals if you can't give up the food group total. Educating yourself on the practices of the meat and dairy industry will help you become aware in your decisions and what practices to do.

Another thing to think about is the effects of raising cattle on the environment, and how it would be beneficial to cut the number of cattle raised. 

5. Don't Be Too Hard On Yourself and Others When Making a Lifestyle Change

Many people won't start using reusable products or cutting meat out if they feel forced to. That's an issue that's been going on forever and is the major criticism about trying to save the environment. The first step you should do is research the benefits of everything you're going to do. Don't see the point in using a reusable straw? Google it and read some articles about it instead of yelling at the person that suggested it. It's very easy to just listen to politicians that will most likely not be alive to see the Earth become a hazardous place to live (if we don't make a change). Also, if you mess up one day, it's not the end of the world. Forget to do Meatless Monday? Then just don't eat meat on Wednesday. You'll fail at a  lifestyle change if you're too hard on yourself. 

Here are some videos I found helpful:

( watch this if you want to help save the planet - (eco-friendly tips)) - Hailey Sani

My Morning Routine in the Year 2050 - Kristen Leo

Also, my friend, Francisca Rockey (http://www.franciscarockey.co.uk/ ) has a podcast on Spotify where she talked about the plastic straw ban, veganism, etc. It's called #honestyhour and you can listen to her latest episode here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7kEPQjtCw9XwRooOrQmLo8?si=kbFjdm21TqeQWWP731p2Nw

Thanks for reading! Let me know in the comments (all you need is twitter or email!) about how you intend to be more sustainable and eco-friendly!

xx

Christina Madeleine

My Freshman Experience at Providence College

Hey everyone! Today, I wanted to talk about my first year at Providence College, and how I made the most of my time there. This is more of a serious post, but I will have some new posts and videos up this week!

First, I want to talk about my expectations for what college was going to be like. I thought that every freshman would want to be open to making new friends and talking to people. I thought it would be super easy to make friends and find things to do.  Right off the bat, people weren't super welcoming from my own grade (class of 2022). Yes, the orientation leaders were super sweet, but the people in my orientation group who did a pre-orientation program (basically moving onto campus five days before me) were not as welcoming as people who just moved in on the same day as me.  Moving in is hard, especially when you aren't close to home, and so everybody probably was nervous about what was to come. Starting college was particularly hard for me because I felt like I didn't belong for the first for a long time. I didn't relate to a lot of people in the way I thought I would, I cried a lot during my first few months, and overall was depressed. Granted though this time, I met some wonderful people like my roommate (who I absolutely love) and some of my super close friends (Alex, Becca, and Colleen I'm looking at you). Those people have stuck by my side and have continued to be good friends to me.

I would say my biggest tip for anyone going to college is to remember that the first people you meet don't have to be your best friends. I know that the original people I was friends with are going to see this in some way, so I am going to keep this part short. Deep down, I think they are nice people; but it wasn't meant for us to be close. It doesn't have to be a malicious fight to break up the group, but if you feel uncomfortable or uneasy by the actions of the people you are hanging out with or the way they treat people; it's completely okay to have other friends.

I made the bulk of my friends starting February (literally five months after move in!) through Providence College Television and my roommate. These were all people who had been nice to me from the beginning of the year, but it took me being treated poorly by others to realize how good the people around me are. The friends I made the second semester helped me come out of my shell more by going to parties (especially Natalia causing me to go out on Wednesday nights), having movie nights in our rooms, making videos for PCTV, going to Thayer Street, and so much more. My last night on campus I was surrounded by so many friends who I know I will have for the next few years. Good friends are hard to find, and particularly hard when everyone is 17-20 years old and freaking out about being at college. The friends I made the second semester made me feel at home at school, and made me start to love Providence College even more. I couldn't have grown as much as I did without the help of Colleen and all the other people who stuck with me. From March on was when I started to be absolutely happy at Providence, and that's when I started to make vlogs because I wanted everyone to see how my school is such a great place. Although it's tough not being happy at your school until March, when things are good they are so good. I've been told that you continue to meet more people during sophmore year, and I am so excited to feel more at home at Providence and take on the second year with my friends.

I spent a lot of freshman year comparing my experiences to those of people from home. Social media was incredibly toxic to me because I would constantly question why everyone was having a great time but me at their schools. I did have fun times on campus during the first semester, don't get me wrong, but I was constantly not in a good mental place. I would be so upset that my friends from home seemed to be having the time of their lives. This caused me to not live in the moment during the first semester because I was so obsessed with how everyone else was doing. My wake up call was when a friend from home told me it seemed like I was having "the best time" because on social media it was just me at parties, even though that was a facade for how I really felt. In January, I tried out for Orientation Leader, Friars Club, and Board of Programmers; and got rejected from all of them. My school doesn't have Greek Life, so I thought this would be my in to make more friends. During the interview process, I came to the conclusion that I was saying all the "right" things about how I loved Providence College without actually feeling it. Being rejected from all the clubs was hard, but it was what I needed in order to focus on making more friends, not being obsessed with friends from home's lives, and start living in the moment. I, immediately, started putting more effort into PCTV and the people within that club. That was one of the clubs I knew I wanted to be in from the time I first got accepted to the college, and I knew that is where I needed to put my passion and efforts into. In February, Colleen and I got the 12am-2am radio slot for WDOM 91.3 Providence and would do a two-hour show called "Cracked Up" where we would play alternative and indie music. Almost every single time we did our show, people would come and visit us and hang out, and this made me so happy. Some of our friends came almost every week and would even text us when they couldn't come. This was part of the turning point of the year I mentioned before.

Now, I am going to talk about how academically my year changed. I spent a lot of high school thinking I wasn't that smart, but in college, my mentality about my classes changed. I went in as a Marketing major, and the first semester I took solely business classes and Western Civilization (I have posts up already about my classes).  Business classes are hard in the sense that high school doesn't prepare you for it. I had to put a lot more effort into my classes in order to do well, but I wasn't at all interested in some of the topics. I did well the first semester, but I could do better. Second Semester, I started taking an English class; and that's when something clicked inside me... I needed to be an English major. I've always loved writing and reading, and the whole first semester I only wrote two essays. After about a month of taking Intro to Literature, I emailed the head of the English department and within the week I had declared a double-major with Marketing and English. I was warned that this would be a hard thing to do since there is very little overlap between the two subjects, but I couldn't stop smiling. I was finally going to study my favorite subject.

In my other posts, I've talked about the best parts of about college like constantly learning new things, meeting new people, going to academic events, exploring a new city, attending concerts and sports events and so much more. I did feel like I was lying at times because I was having such a hard time, but now I am so happy to be at Providence College. I know some people have a great experience from the start, but as someone who struggled; I can now come to say "I love friartown'. I can do a post in the future about things I love about the school because there is so much. Being surrounded by people who are supportive and uplifting, studying topics I enjoy and focusing on finding happiness has changed my whole perception of college and made the last three months incredible. The proof is in the vlogs, and I am so excited for people to see a side of me where I am enjoying my time.

Although I don't go back to college until August, I have so much hope and excitement for what the next years have for me. I don't think I will ever feel as sad as I did my first semester because I've seen a light in all the hardship. I know there are challenges for me in the future, but after the year I've had; I am so ready to take them on.

I hope you enjoyed this post!

xx

Christina Madeleine

all about may 2019...

Hey everyone! It's been a while... I've been meaning to post for about a month now, and life has just been so hectic. I think May 2019 has been my most crazy month in a while, and now I can finally sit down and do an update. During that month I had finals week, my 19th birthday, move out day, traveled to Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong, and I also dyed my whole head red. So... a lot has been happening. I want to get back into weekly blogging since it's Summer and all, so here's a debriefing of my last month.

1.  My final week as a freshman in college

I will be blogging about how my second semester went, and my whole review of my first year of college. The last two weeks of college were so much fun, and really solidified some of my friendships from the last year. I did a vlog every day that week, and you can watch it above.

2. My trip to Singapore, Vietnam, and Hong Kong

I filmed vlogs of all the places I visited in Asia, and I still have to edit at least two more videos regarding the trip. Singapore and Vietnam are up, and please watch and comment on it! Coming up will be more photos, and about the places, I visited!

3. Dying My Hair Red

I'm a redhead? I impulsively dyed my hair red in Hong Kong, and I am living for it! I will also have some videos up of me getting my hair done, and my adventures while having red hair. It's definitely a change.

4. My Six Year Blog-anniversary!

Now that 'This Fashion Girl' is six years old, I want to work on growing it even more...stay tuned :) I am also forever grateful for all the support I have received throughout the year.

5. My 19th birthday...
Keeping up with the tradition of filming one second a day, I compiled my whole 18th year together.

Thank you for your support! I will be posting again for the Summer and trying to keep a schedule! New videos + posts coming soon. 

xx

Christina Madeleine

Easter 2019 Outfit of the Day

Hey everyone! Happy Earth Day! This post is far from talking about how to be more sustainable and how we need to start making drastic lifestyle changes to save this planet, but it is about the holiday I celebrated yesterday...Easter. Since it's Spring, I want to do a post about the environment, but that'll be in the future! As of today, I am getting back to my roots...and doing an outfit of the day. I have not done one of these in a while since I don't dress up often for school, nonetheless, I've missed sharing my outfits!

Yesterday, I celebrated Easter with my parents at Patrizia's of Williamsburg, which is an Italian restaurant located in Brooklyn that serves family style with a set menu. The atmosphere is very loud, but it's definitely a fun restaurant to go to. On Easter, everyone dresses up more or less, so I decided to pick out a bright outfit for the occasion.

 My outfit:

Royal Purple Koalafications Madison Skirt - Lilly Pulitzer

Sheer White Button Up - Cue Boutique

White Platform Sneakers -  Stradivarius 

Gray Cardigan - Double Agent 

Fun fact about the skirt: I recently purchased it because there is a party twice a year called "golf party" where everyone dresses up super preppy, and girls wear Lilly Pulitzer. Previously, I've never owned anything by this brand, but I've had friends who all they owned, was Lilly Pulitzer, Lulu Lemon, and Vineyard Vines. I definitely recommend this brand, but it is an investment since most of their items are higher priced.

Hope you liked this post! Check out my blog for other outfits of the day throughout the years.

This Fashion Girl will be turning 6 years old in the next few weeks, so there is a lot of content!

xx

Christina Madeleine

My newest vlog of my Easter in NYC: https://youtu.be/6S0ubr_tgAI

Second Semester Positive Moments + Youtube!

Hey everyone! Happy Sunday! Since there is a little less than five weeks left of the semester, I wanted to talk a little about the positive things about college. Freshman year is rough, but the second semester is so much better than first. I think at the end of the semester, I'll write another ramblings post, as similar to the one here. The weather has been bright and sunny lately, and my mood has gone up with rising temperatures. 

Also, lately I have been vlogging my weekends and adventures at Providence College, so scroll to the bottom of the post for the links!

Here are four things about college that I love:

1. Sports Games, and Championships 

Okay, Providence College is known for quite a few things, such as our very spiritual campus that has friars that live on campus, our pretty intense core curriculum, the somewhat infamous party culture, and mostly our D1 Big East sports teams. BIG EAST is a sports league that consists of very good sports teams at colleges mostly in the Northeast. Within all the colleges, this is one of the leagues that schools want to be because you play "powerhouse" sports schools. Providence is a pretty small school, but our teams have won national championships. That being said, our hockey team is really good this year and won the regional championships against Cornell recently, and that was a very big deal. We are hoping they win everything; so it's pretty exciting when they move on. I don't go to every sports game ever on campus, but the energy on campus is so exciting when our basketball team beats Boston College or our Lacrosse teams crushes St.John's. Sports are an aspect of the school that is heavily present but is also so fun to be a part of.

2. The Freedom to go off campus and explore

My friends and I find ourselves exploring Providence every weekend. We find new restaurants and stores to go to or just a movie theater. It's also so easy to go to Boston if we so wanted to since it's only about an hour away. I've gone up to visit my friends at Boston University or Bentley on the weekends. There's always somewhere in New England to go. Also, Providence's Board of Programmers have planned trips to Newport or ski trips to Vermont based on the weather; that students could go to. When you're at college, you can basically go where you want without having to worry about someone say no, which is liberating but also has a lot of responsibility to it.

3. Studying What I Want, and Learning New Things

The day I decided to become an English major, I woke up went to the head of the department and just did it. Then, I had to cross the entire campus to get to the Business School in order to get approval from the chair of the Marketing department in order to double-major. I couldn't stop smiling because I was finally going to study something that I have always have been interested in. College is important to me because the core-curriculum by default causes me to learn about topics I wouldn't normally be drawn to like philosophy, but also lets me take courses in subjects outside my majors such as Political Science and Italian.

4. Making Friends and Meeting New People

Up until college, most of my friends had been from New York solely because that's where I was raised. At college, I've been able to meet people from all over and different backgrounds. Two of my best friends here are from Arizona and New Jersey; a few of my suitemates for next year are from Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Yes, Northeast states aren't the most diverse; but it's the opportunities that come with meeting new people and going to a college that helps you become a more global person. The people I've met here have completely shaped my experience, even the ones that ended up only being my close friends for a little. I've always been the type of person that wants to branch out, and I think as time goes on I'll meet even more people.


ABOUT MY YOUTUBE!
 I've been very inspired by College Youtubers like Gretchen Geraghty and Margot Lee to do vlogs of my life at Providence College. I think it would be fun to get more into writing other types of posts here, but sometimes I need to explain stuff and show more of my life on video. I started vlogging three weekends ago, and I really love it. Please check it out, and subscribe!

Follow me to the BIG EAST Networking Night: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9b0R53TlJs
Weekend Vlog March 22-24, 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VPBXJkf9xLY
Weekend Vlog March 29-31, 2019:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMWpx9AbzFY

Thanks for reading!

xx

Christina Madeleine

How I Try to Stay Positive & Handle Stress

Hello! I am going to try to be real with you all... freshman year of college is a lot of fun, but at the same time, it's so mentally draining. I've been in limbo at school of being super productive (thank you only one class on Thursday) and having some sort of ailment that causes me to not do any of my work until the last minute. With life being so hectic at school, I've been trying to handle stress in a way that is healthy, and will not hurt me in the long run.

Here are some ways that I've been working to remain positive & handle stress effectively!

Taking Some Time for Myself & Checking in with Yourself

I love people. I love talking to them, going out, studying with them; but, I also get super overwhelmed in situations. There are times when I will talk to everyone in a room, and times that I feel shy and uncomfortable. Both ways are so okay to be because they are just human feelings. When I have the feeling of being overwhelmed, I try to take a break from wherever I am and ask myself, "Why do I feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable?" Is it the people I am around? The setting? Do I have a lot of work I should be doing? Once I ask myself those questions, I decide what I want to do with the rest of the event (i.e do I want to leave or stay).

You're always surrounded by people in college. So it's important to do check-ins with yourself. I'll find myself in situations where everyone's going out, but I had a really hard week and just want to watch Netflix in my dorm room surrounded by blankets. It's really okay to take some time for yourself! I'll find myself at school-sponsored events talking to new people on a Friday night, and then going back to my room or getting dinner. Then there are times where I will do homework all of Saturday and then stay out until 3am. Listening to yourself and knowing what you want to do is so important. School and work weeks are rough, so there should be time for you to take a breather.

If I need some time for myself, I'll go off campus (and it does wonders). Last month, I went to Thayer Street (near Brown University) and worked on an essay about The Great Gatsby (which I got a 90 on!) and an unpublished blog post (which is slightly controversial so I need it to be perfect) while eating grilled cheese and drinking a coffee. I was eavesdropping into people's conversations (as one does), and just being in a space where if I wanted to talk to people I could, but at the same time I could mind my own business and do work.

Making a Check List of Things I Need to Do 

I like to make lists of everything I need to do, not just school work. I like to put fun things on my list so that I have other things to look forward too. If I have a list of accounting work to do or western civ, I'll balance it  by adding to do items like, "write a letter to____", "blog post," "buy tickets to the next hockey game," " plan the newest episode of your radio show," or "call mom." Crossing off things on my to-do list makes me feel a lot better even if it's trivial things like going to the gym or taking a shower.

Going to the Gym 

One of my resolutions was to go to the gym more often and I have been doing exactly that. Since being back at college, I've been trying to go the gym 3-5 times a week. Lately, I have been going for three days, but I am trying to aim for four for the next month. I'll do anything from full body work to cardio to yoga. Exercise is a really good stress reliever, and it has been my go to. I've been listening to podcasts, and just working on myself for an hour a day.

One of my favorite classes to do is on Thursdays at 4:30pm called "Throwback Thursday" and it's a Tabata class to all throwback music like Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers, Cobra Starship, etc... It's forty-five minutes of sweating and working hard, but it's so worth it.

Pour my Stress and Feelings into Writing

Sometimes when I am stressed, I either shut completely down or do some easier work. The other day, I was very upset about a test I didn't do that great on; I sat in the business center and just wrote a narrative about everything that was going wrong in that moment. It was nice to just write all my feelings out for my own viewing. What will I do with the five paragraphs? Who knows, but it helped me feel better. It's almost equivalent to venting because you can write absolutely what you want, and then come back to it later. I also will write, edit, or read blog posts when I'm stressed to remind myself there are so many things I care about.

Watch YouTube and Netflix for a period of time

I love Youtube. I find myself on that website every day, and I don't have one set type of video I watch. I will watch anything from David Dobrik videos to language learning videos to college acceptance videos. I admit that it is wasting time at points, but it works to mindlessly watch something if you are stressed.

--

It's very easy to fall into a hole of being negative, especially during high-stress times, but it's important to think of uplifting thoughts or take moments to check in and give thanks for the good at the moment. Not everyone is religious, but taking a few minutes to pray or think about things you're grateful for. If I am very stressed about school, I tend to think about how lucky I am to be able to attend an institution to seek higher education. It's all about the mindset! Think about what you can do and not what you cannot.

Obviously, it's hard to maintain a positive outlook all the time; but, it's beneficial to try! I hope my tips are interesting to you.

What are some things you do when you're stressed?

xx

Christina Madeleine