Catch-up!

Wow!
It's been quite sometime since my last post at the beginning of the summer. I had intended to blog over the summer, but obviously that didn't happen.

It's mid-September now and I just finished the fourth week of fall semester for my junior year! At this point I've figured out a routine for myself and am starting to really enjoy my classes. Aside from classes, I have a weekly tour spot again this semester and got hired as a peer tutor for Latin. As I'll be spending next semester in AFRICA, I want to work as much as I can (and save as much as I can, too!) so that I have some spending money for my trip abroad. As of earlier this week, my tickets to and from South Africa have officially been booked so I can rest easy knowing that I have transportation covered! All that's left to do now is apply for a visa, get my shots and medicine taken care of, buy clothes, supplies, and gifts for my host families, and pack! Thankfully most of this won't be done until much later in the semester or while I'm home for Christmas break, so I can breathe easy and focus on my classes and work. 
This semester has been really different for me. For one, I'm living on my own in a single apart from my friends. As they're all in townhouses, they do not have meal plans, meaning I'm on my own for meals. Initially I was pretty upset and not looking forward to coming back to school. Now that I'm here and have survived four weeks living on my own, I can honestly say that I am actually enjoying myself this semester! As much as I love living with my friends, living apart has given me an opportunity to become more independent. I can choose when I want to study, eat, sleep, etc. and decide if I want to eat alone or make plans with someone to get lunch or dinner. Living on my own has also forced me to go out of my comfort zone a lot, which has made me a stronger and more confident person. I really think that living apart from my friends has strengthened our friendships as well. In order to see one another we have to make plans and make time to get together. I think that this has really shown me who my true friends are.
Something else that's different this year is that my sister in now living in Burlington! She's a first year student at UVM and it's so cool to have her close by. I definitely think that this has brought us much, much closer together. We try to see each other as often as possible, usually once a week, and it's nice to have a little piece of home up here in BTV!
Well, that's all for the moment. I'll seriously try to keep this blog updated throughout the semester...

Summer Update!

I just realized it's been almost a month since my last post! Here's a quick update of what's been going on in my life since then:

- P-Day (the best day of the year!)... this year's P-Day was quite epic. After a rough semester, it was nice to have a day to just relax and have fun with friends!

- End of classes and finals... one project, two papers, and two written finals!

- Move-out of 226... I've had such an amazing year living with my best friends in 226. We were all close last year, but living together has brought our friendship to a whole new level. I love you Mary, Marci, Katie, Allyson, Kate, Taylor, Alex, and Kayley!

- Officially accepted to study abroad with SIT in South Africa spring semester 2013! The official acceptance came a week after all of my application materials were submitted... much quicker than I had expected to say the least! After much stress and running around like a chicken with it's head cut off, I've finally submitted all of my confirmation materials as of Thursday. Now it's time to start applying for study abroad scholarships...

- Start of summer jobs... I'm back working for the motorcycle safety program and the berry farm. Dad and I are also launching our summer eBay sales today!

- Catch-up with high school friends... all of my friends are living away from home this summer so I've had a very small window of opportunity to see them before they leave for their various jobs (Emily at West Point, Alyssa in NYC, Missy in Middlebury, and Liz and Morgan at sleep-away summer camps). Luckily I've been able to see all of them! We've all made plans to meet-up later in the summer... Emily, Missy, and I are hoping to spend a weekend with Alyssa in NYC and Emily and I have plans to explore the Boston area when she's home in August.

- Put the jetski in the lake... Dad and I brought the jetski to the lake on Memorial Day and we took a spin with Allison later that day. So much fun! Turns out Allison is quite the daredevil on the jetski... she almost threw me off on several occasions!

Well, that's it for now! I'll try and keep the blog updated more now that I'm home for the summer.

Ta ta!

Friday Update

Here's a quick update of what's going on in my life:
As of today, I have exactly 8 days left of classes! I'm feeling a whole slew of emotions... happy because my rough semester is almost over... nervous about papers and finals I have to complete in the next couple of weeks... sad because I won't see many of my friends again until August... and excited for summer!
Today we didn't have classes as it is "Student Research Day". Unfortunately I didn't get to attend any of the presentations I wanted to because they were all at the same time as my weekly tour... bummer. However, I did get a lot of homework done and went shopping at Plato's Closet with Taylor and Kayley. I got a cute new pair of sandals for $6.00!
I also got an e-mail from SIT confirming that they received all of my application materials and that they've started to view my application. Yikes! They review/decision process can take up to 3 weeks, so I'll find out my destiny during finals/move-out week... at least I have finals to take my mind off of it!!!
Shout out to my number 1 blog follower, Alyssa <3

Sunday

Today marks the day that SIT begins accepting applications for the Spring 2013 semester! I've completed 80% of the application and am hoping to finish and submit it today.

In order to pump myself up, I'm listening to this song on repeat. I heard Akon's Oh Africa for the first time in a while last night while hanging out with my new American friends at the Center for Women and Gender. And now I'm obsessed!

Photo A Day April: Day 10

Day 10: cold

passion tea lemonade + ice

Photo A Day April: Day 9

Day 9: younger you

Photo A Day April: Day 8

Day 8: inside your wallet