I´m Going on a Mission

Hey! I am going on a service mission today for the LDS Church, I am very happy and excited. I can´t believe it! I am very happy to go and preach the gospel of JesusChrist with everyone in Guatemala, I know with all my heart that the gospel is true. I´ll see you in 18 months!

You can write me to claudia.recinos@myldsmail.net :) or visit my blog in Spanish http://ojalayquemealcancelavida.blogspot.com/

Working at Google

Working at Google was an incredibly amazing experience! I loved Google, so many awesome policies... Everyone is very chill and hard working. I learned the IT risk side of Google's products like Google Analytics and Google Clicks. Everyone there is sooo smart, I'm amazed of the intelligence everyone holds there.

I enjoyed free meals, drinks and desserts, Japanese toilets... It was awesome to go to the break room and see all that food and drinks for the employees to snack, that's so cool!

Crazy night!

So my cousin wanted to get distracted at night and she asked me if we could spend the night together. I had my secret plan already set, I was gonna go see street races and cars with my friend haha... I felt that wouldn't be something she would like to do. I told her and she said, "you know what I don't care, I just want to get distracted, and if you like it I think it must be fun." Ok, it turned out that she liked it a lot haha! I took her with me to San Pablo, she was very excited! I introduce her to my friend and then we got in his car, he started drifting and racing in the freeway, he always scares the crap out of me haha. We were so hungry at the end that we had to eat McDonalds!!! Eeewwww!!! So tiring, but amazing.

My cousin Ana

My cousin is the sweetest, I have learned so much from her. I'm glad I got to spend this summer close to her. She has taught me to be as loyal as I can, she truly listens to me and gives me advice. I'm glad I finally came to stay for so much longer than ever before. I love California.

Not Anymore!

Though it was so dissapointing, I'm glad that the need of expressing what I felt is gone. I feel free and I don't care anymore. I know me and I'm glad the feelings of last month are gone.

Intern Life: I got to go to Facebook!

I got to go Facebook and support the audit team for a day! Facebook has an amazing campus, it looks like Universal Studios! I have learned here that getting the best opportunities to grow professionally are all about networking! 

Internship Experience

Sillicon Valley! The capital of technology. I got an internship last year with Ernst & Young in San Jose, California. I looked at the companies EY worked for and I knew that was the place to learn about technology. EY has the the majority of the 10 best companies in the world (Google, Apple, Facebook, etc.) This experience rocks! EY is one of the best companies to work for, I love the people and the flexibility that the firm gives to its employees. I'm learning many things to develop a better professional career and attitude. They sent me to training in LA, it was so great! I also got to meet with one of my cousins I hadn't seen in like 12 years! Life is good!

Mother Land

I wish time would stop going by fast!
Last week was very special, I did something that changed my heart in a way that I cannot explain here. I just hope I can keep up with it. I also went to a new forest close to my house and I was able to see the city from there. It was beautiful!

I'm grateful for my parents efforts, I feel happy they are still alive and that they can spoil me. They are the greatest representation of my Heavenly Father's love. I can now there is a God and that He is my lovely Father because of my parents.

Father, I Hear Thy Call

Father, I hear thy call, I turn my thoughts to thee, forsaking all;

Recalling promises we all must keep. I put my hand in thine and go to feed thy sheep.

Lead me to those who seek, and give me faith and strength to boldly speak.

In humble dignity I will proclaim, that men may come to know and love thy holy name.

If there be trials, Lord, to help me grow, if thou wilt guide me I will conquer, this I know!

I will go and do the things which the Lord commandeth, for I know that He giveth no commands to His children, except He prepare a way.

 

 

Let It Be

All I truly know is that I love my people, but I also love doing anything to make myself and others happy. I am willing to pay the price for it and I gotta accept the consequences.

I needed a way to fly a little higher, I went up to the clouds because the view was a little nicer.

I just let it be the way it is. Quick moments. Long lasting memories.

From My House Door to the Unknown

About to turn and walk away, without the need of getting over alarmed, I'll be coming back home anyway.

I wonder what is after the unknown, I'm excited to make many things happen, but before I want to make sure to let those know I love them, and that I care more than what is imaginable.

I want to do what I am supposed to do. Here I am, closer to my house door to depart towards the unknown. 

Every morning I try to wake up slow, I do a little bit of everything, I do what makes me happy in order to improve. All I truly have is a pocket full of dreams, I am from here, no need to go back to New York City to build up new dreams and feel inspired.

Last winter began roughly, one day I was sad and worried, the next day I was the happiest. I missed the smiles I longed to see, I missed the hugs I longed to receive. There are many memories here inside me from the last four years, sometimes these memories knock me down, sometimes I just put them away (just like the song says).

Most my friends tell me I am a very strong woman, and I guess I have proved that to myself. I always try hard to put sadness and frustration away; it has helped, but some things in life hit me hard. I usually do not mention what hurts me the most because it's out of my hands. The only thing that is on me is the attitude I take towards it.

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” - Helen Keller

I Must Agree

I am always on the search of something that makes me feel alive. I must agree with many who say, "sometimes it's hard to believe" because the pages of the calendar keep turning away, and nothing happens.

Realistic things are easier to believe, but what about when something is between what could be realistic or what could not?

I feel better when I realize that someone else understands me or that I can understand someone else. I do not worry too much about believing anymore, instead, I try something to make it happen. I have come to learn and understand that faith is more than just believing in something that you have not seen... It's about making the first move because your faith will never make it for you.

I Tried to Find You

Well, I got to say I did my part. 

I tried hard to find you and I almost got lost, good thing I found cool things to do during the journey of trying to get to you. 

Cars, trains, cities, and smells... Rain on my face and the wind blowing my hair.

Luck is action's best friend.

A Letter for You

Dear: Xxxx

I hope you are doing great, I bet you are making your dreams come true wherever you are right now. I always believed in you and it makes me happy to hear that you are succeeding in life.

Life is being great over here, I like going to school. I really love learning, I have found many challenging things that have put my mind where it should be. I have had hard days and some disappointments every now and then, but in despite of how bad I have felt, I have never got discouraged. That means a lot to me because it is hard to keep going on these days. I feel I'm taking life more serious than before.

I used to feel that somehow life would work out just fine by just working and going to school... Until I turned 22. I used to believe I would be married by that time and that I would have to work a new life for the man I would love and for me. Okay so I put my feet back on the ground and thought that I might be single for a long time and that I would probably start having children until I'm 30 or later. Yeah, that could happen to me, I would not discard that probability. Of course, there is nothing wrong with it, but it is just that I had to think more in the life I personally want to have for myself in the meantime.

Wow! Really? Is this real life? Now I will take my dad's counsels about money more seriously. Once I start my professional career out there, I am seriously thinking about saving a big part of my salary and invest.

What about going back to El Salvador for living? You know what, I really think about it and I can see myself living there because I'd love to be closer to my parents. They are so great, they make me very happy, they are in their 60's and I would so love to take care of them and be there when they get sick or need something. I know they miss me a lot and that kinda breaks my heart. I have been reading many articles about families and really, I should take advantage of my time with them on this earth. I feel I didn't get to spend as much time with them before because I was busy with school, sports, and music and they were working. Now they are retired and I would be just working when I finish school.

People tell me about the money I could make here and the money I could make down there, but you know what, spending more hours at work or making more money do not compensate the happiness we can receive from precious times with our family. I have come to strongly believe in that from what I have seen here so far.

I would love to hear more about you, keep staying busy and don't ever forget me :)

Sincerely,

Claudia R.

Exciting Things Happening

I had not even thought thoroughly about the things that are coming to my life this summer. I am thrilled!!!

Life is now and life is great, despite all the challenges that come with it.

April

• I'm playing the New World Symphony, Slavonic dances (Dvorak) and Symphony No. 4 (Tchaikovsky) with the BYU university orchestra. I love the arts with all my heart!
• My good friend Manu, my sister, and my niece are coming from California. They will also help me move to the Bay Area baby :)

May

• Trip to El Salvador

June

• Surprise trip for my birthday
• Internship starts. Yay yaaaay!
• Putting mission papers in

July and August

• Working hard
• Partying hard

September, October or November

• Leaving to serve a mission

:D

Giving Back

I stop and stare at my world, then I can see more clearly how much I have been given. Instead of me paying the consequences of some decisions, someone else is being used as an instrument to make my life better and happier.

I recognize how easy and fast is to forget the most important things when I get caught up by other important things. I read the other day that the greatest lessons we can learn in this life are lessons "that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not." I always see myself  having more time to do the things that make me happy and spending more time with those I love, but that is in an "illusive and nonexistent future." Instead, I want to find joy now and I want to do what makes me happy now. My family makes me very happy, serving others makes me very happy too. It's time to give back. My family is more important than anything else, I will travel home on May to spend time with my family instead of working to save up more money for the future. I understand I have responsibilities as a woman who is preparing herself for her future family, but life is now and sometimes that is hard to understand or accept. 

Who have you rescued?

I want to be successful like many people out there but I want to use my education, talents and other abilities to bless others who are less fortunate. I really want to be the change I want to see in the world, I don't want to think only about me working in Wall Street or in a big city; I want to see myself making others happy.

My greatest happiness will never be the amount of titles I held as a professional but my greatest satisfaction and happiness will be the people I could rescued.

I hope I can join organizations that help to fight poverty by using business tools,  I had a class today about microfinance and how that has helped in the development of many communities in different countries around the world. I know I can help in so many ways and that I will figure out for sure how my gifts and abilities can benefit a community. The poor are poor because they lack of opportunities.

The reason why I have the opportunities I have so far is because someone with desires like mine decided to hire my dad, who never attended high-school. This person always looked after my dad's family and helped my dad to develop himself in what he was good at. My dad became an entrepreneur and he was able to give his family better opportunities for life. He is a wise man.

Going on a mission

I have decided to serve a full time service mission this fall, now is the perfect time. I don't care how old I am or how old I will be when I get back, the future is so uncertain that I should not care about what the future may have for me, my present is flying by and my life has to be used for something more at this time.

I want my life to be useful for others. 

Take Risks

Little Acts of Kindness

• I was in such a hurry, I needed to be on time to have pictures taken at my friend's wedding. I had been packing the whole day to move to another city. Shannon, my roommate started to iron my bridesmaid dress and I was able to get out of my house on time.

NYC

• I was in New York City for the very first time, I had posted on Facebook a picture of me in Times Square,  I got a phone call from a friend that lived there, he told me he saw on Facebook that I was in NYC so he invited me to spend the night at his place so I did not have to go all the way back to Connecticut late at night where I was staying with another friend.

• A very busy day and I had not had the chance to fold my clothes after doing my laundry. I went to work and spent the whole day there and when I got home, Lauren, one of my roommates had folded all my clothes.

• Worried at the hospital on Christmas Eve, my mom was very sick with blood in her brain, I was there by myself and my friend Fernando brought me a delicious dinner, chocolate cake and a drink from his house. He cheered me up.

• Not even asking for a ride from the airport to a place I had never been before, Mary offered to go pick me up before I asked, she bought me some food and let me stay at her house for a week until I found a place for me.

When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. ~ Dalai Lama

Happiness

I have always believed that happiness is also a habit.

It's Hard To Say

It looks like we get to the point where we finally figure it out, but it takes a long, long time.
I really wish some people would've got it all figured out a long time ago; otherwise, maybe I wouldn't have turned and walked away.


I don't believe in leaving doors open "just in case" someone wants to go back. It is hard to say I kept some hope with me about someone getting back with me. I knew the best was not to be with this person. It is true, time cures. The best part is that we can choose how long time we want to suffer. Lesson learned. The faster we realize that each relationship, good or bad, is a gift and an opportunity to learn from ourselves, the faster we will be able to cure and start loving and living again.

It is hard to say what is in some people that we always want to be with them. I feel I have learned about the feeling of knowing for sure when I really like someone; to the point that I don't care about many things. I don't care about the things this person doesn't have. I don't care about many circumstances. I don't feel like trying to fix this person.

They say love is blind but I have never been that blind, I promise I always have had my feet on the ground; however, when I have been with someone I really like, I have not cared about anything else, I could have spent every single day with this person and everything else probably would have not mattered.

Future

And this is how I feel about my future. It is now or never.

In Love or In Lust?

I loved reading articles about developing love for a special someone and I love learning from what others think about it. I am talking about romantic love.

Joseph B. Whirtlin said that "the greatest manifestations of love are the simple acts of kindness and caring we extend," so this makes me think about how important is to do little things for this special someone like writing a little note, a letter expressing some feelings or serving this person with sincere intention. I have noticed that love grows so much in a very special way by doing these things. I have felt it even with members of my family.

True love is a process, it requires personal action and it takes time. I think that when someone is truly loving or being loved, can feel that love cares, protects and enriches, which takes to sacrificing for each other.

"Love is far more than physical attraction," said Spencer W. Kimball. I wonder if most couples are really in love or if they understand the kind of love they have for each other.

Many people are in lust, but not in love. Although, they think they are in love.

What Matters

And when you have to decide between one thing or the other...

Rhythm of Life

So I'm now part of the BYU University Orchestra. I joined the Viola section. Yeah, I always wanted to be part of something like this. I come from El Salvador, I have small and big dreams. Dreams like coming to BYU and getting a great education, leave everything behind and come here to make my wishes what I want them to be. Music is a great part of who I am, just a few people know about the impact it had in my life when I started. It changed me a lot, I really can say music is powerful. I am not a professional in neither of the instruments I play but developing my talents has helped me to believe in my capacities and have discipline in my life.

I do a little bit of everything and I want to be good at something, I'm working on getting a degree in Finance. It's a very difficult major, I am really scared of not being accepted in the program. Gosh! It is so competitive and they only accept grades from 90-100, pretty much! It's a school for smart people, I know my stuff but I struggle when taking tests. Ugh! I like a lot what I have learned thus far about Finance, it is tough but I know I can do it. I feel I am very good dealing with life and having a good attitude towards difficult times. It seems like it flows naturally, but when it comes to wanting to do what I want, all I get is difficult stuff that costs me a lot. It's true, "nothing good comes easy," says David A. Bednar.

Making use of my talents has helped me to believe a lot in myself, I gave gained a lot of confidence when trying new and difficult things. That's how life is! I first got scared when I played the music in the first rehearsal but as I have been studying I have realized that it is not impossible and that is something I really can play. I am pretty sure I am the least experienced member there because most of those kids have started playing an instrument since they were 8 or 9 years old. I started when I was 16.

I am back in the business and trying hard to be in shape with my instrument. I love arts. Music means a lot to me and I'm glad I am forcing myself in a good way to study and practice more often.

Like A Star

Take advantage of the times of darkness because...

As Now I Take The Sacrament

As now I take the sacrament, my thoughts are turned to thee, thou son of God, who lived for me, then died on Calvary. I contemplate thy lasting grace, thy boundless charity; to me the gift of life was giv'n for all eternity.

As now my mind reviews the past, I know I must repent; the way to thee is righteousness, the way thy life was spent. Forgiveness is a gift from thee I seek with pure intent. With hands now pledged to do thy work, I take the sacrament.