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...