Do you guys know the main chorus of the song "Material Girl" by Madonna? I feel like I can at least relate to it, because in this fast-paced society, material items have so much value, even when we know they shouldn't really have that much value. I know I personally grew up really sheltered and I think this was especially so because I grew up as an only child with cousins that I was really close to but didn't see every single day, so I didn't really know about sharing or defending myself.

I grew up around adults mainly, so things that were never really discussed with me included the true value of saving my money and being more aware of my surroundings, and having more common sense within everyday tasks.

I got my first cellphone when I was 11 years old. It was a Samsung Rant, a purple and black flip phone I thought was the coolest thing ever. But once I got it, it was like the phone molded perfectly into my hands, and I instinctively knew how to use it.

I remember that one scene in 13 Going on 30 where Jenna hears her cellphone ringing but she gets freaked out because when she was 13 in the 1980s, she wasn't used to seeing a tiny cellphone make such a loud sound. I laugh about that just because the experience was so different for me.

From then on, I've owned a cellphone for as long as I could remember, and sometimes, when I'm waiting for my apartment's elevator to come down, I look around at other people waiting with me, and I see that they're all on their phones, haha. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that, I know I kind of dislike small talk because I don't like looking awkward in front of people. But I think it's nice to notice things like this and how technologically dependent we are.

I'm sure you've heard this a million times, but I really feel like this has shaped who I am as a person and who I'm still becoming. In my Love & Relationships sociology class, I'm learning about the essence of things and how we should always be fully present (in the Now) instead of being focused on our past and future, and that includes being in tune with our own actions as opposed to actions outside of our sphere of influence. That's actually really hard for me because I'm always so focused on any way I can go into the future (e.g. "I can't wait until it's Friday, this week just dragged).

Another thing for me is that common sense doesn't really come easily to me. You would think that because I'm already 20 I'd be able to figure things out on my own, but some things, I'll still be like "Why did you even ask/say that?" I just think that because my technology sources are like second nature to me, there aren't really many ways to combat obstacles in real life. All you really have to follow is being nice to all online and not to get too personal with people you don't know. I'd say I have social skills, but sometimes I feel kinda subpar to others, haha.

I'd like to think of life as not so much of a race, but a place where people can just do life together. Yesterday I was thinking, "Wow, it's so wild to think that I go to this university with about 50,000 other people, and most of them live near/with me."

We're all really just growing up around each other, even if most of us might not physically notice that with everyone we encounter. So, even if this new generation of "post-millennials" or "millennials" or whatever we are doesn't have it all figured out in going into a post-graduate workforce, it's okay because we're a generation of innovators. I genuinely believe we have such a great capability to learn new things and it's okay to ask for help along the way :).