Summer Begins

I'm back in my own space. I have my own room, I don't have to wear shower shoes anymore, I don't have to eat at TDR food or go off campus to get something resembling a healthy meal, and I can sleep without listening to next-door neighbors with subwoofers and loud music (at least until the guy who lives across the street starts having bonfires in his front yard again).

It's summer vacation, and I've come back home. It's a different lifestyle here. Some of my friends have opted to stay in DC for the summer instead of returning to their respective homes. Although I understand the allure of Washington, I don't quite understand the idea of staying there through the summer. First of all, as bad as the humidity is in New England, it's ten billion times worse in the District. Second of all, I have an intrinsic need to get back and find some space-- mental, emotional, and physical. The school year drains me, and I need the summer to recharge. And I don't think I could do that by staying in a city. Gotta get somewhere that I can see the STARS.

I suppose it's different for everyone. My friends who live there now consider it their home, not just a temporary place where they come to school. I consider it home also, but it's my academic home I guess, and it's one of three places that are near to my heart. I ideally need to spend time in all of them over the course of a year in order to feel complete.

Right now, I'm ready for summer to start. I'm ready to work at Barnes & Noble; I'm ready to read books for pleasure and watch movies. I'm ready to listen to and play music, I'm ready to hang out with old friends and see familiar places. I'm ready to let my body and soul rest, heal, and rejuvenate itself so I can push forward wherever I may be in the fall.