Exeunt, Pursued by Bears

National Mall, May 8, 2016

My apologies for breaking my biweekly post schedule! I was waiting to finish finals and get back to Georgia. I am now, officially, finished with my freshman year of college! I've been home for a week and a half; I'm unpacked, mostly caught up on sleep, and settling into summer lethargy and heat.

I ended the semester with a 3.7 GPA! I still don't know my class schedule for next semester because I'm waitlisted for two courses. Now I have an entire summer to help the family move, say goodbye to Georgia, and indulge. Since my family is moving mid-summer, I won't be interning or working, so there's plenty of time to help renovate and pack, to read, to research, to run, and to enjoy the sun.

The week before I left DC, my friend Audrey asked me, "What did you learn this year?" I've been thinking about that question frequently lately. Of course I learned about linguistics, ethics, Hispanic culture, theology, and justice & peace theories, but I've learned so much more than that, too. I've learned I'm not good at sharing a living space, and I've learned I need structure to survive with sanity intact. I've learned I'm a lot like my dad in more ways than one, from our music tastes to our need for solitude and peace. I've learned the value of dialogue, of listening attentively to others' opinions and thoughts, of engaging with others' ideas. I've learned how to find God in just about anything, but especially in religious and spiritual texts of other traditions. I've learned my way around DC, ways to stay safe, the value of a square foot of space, and how often to call my parents.

This past year was far from easy, but it was worth it. I'm nervous for my sophomore year, because I'm still trying to solidify my new friendships and being home again has shown me how much loving relationships keep me emotionally and mentally healthy. One of my main goals this summer is to form strong healthy habits so that I can start my sophomore year in good shape.

I'm not sure if I will update this blog throughout the summer, or how frequently those updates may come. I hope you all have a wonderful summer whether you are working, studying, traveling, or resting! Take some time to appreciate your growth in the past twelve months. Every day is a new challenge, a new adventure. Let's enjoy it.