Quite the accomplishment

Over the summer I moved from my apartment in Brookline to an apartment in Winthrop. I have lived with my aunt and uncle (who are 30 and 31) for a little over two years now. I moved in with them after my freshman year because they are still young and needed help with rent. It was the perfect situation because I needed roommates and help with rent as well.

I have lived in Boston for three years and one summer (I just say 4 years) in five different places. When I stayed for a summer before my senior year in high school I lived with my aunt and uncle on Beacon Street in Brookline near Coolidge Corner. Then I lived in the residence halls my first year of college, another apartment near Coolidge Corner, an apartment near Brookline Village, and now an apartment in Winthrop. I moved from each place for good reasons like saving money, or the landlord was selling, etc. I really do enjoy change in life and new adventures (which moving to a new place every year brings much of) but I hate moving! It's stressful and expensive and exhausting. What's funny is that I also don't forsee myself living in Winthrop for more than one year.

Anyway, my aunt and uncle had a baby in March and were looking for more room and to save money we moved over the summer to this three-bed apartment which is actually half of a house. Winthrop is east of East Boston and is in some ways your quintessential beach town. I live a five minute walk from this tiny little very New England beach. So getting to the whole point of this story...


My room was painted this mustard yellow color with bronze sponged on top. It was kind of a Tuscan look. Unfortunately everything I own is black and white. My bed is black, desk is white and everything else is black and white themed. I love the b&w prints of various scenes in Paris, pictures of old movie stars (especially Audrey) and other pictures of old. Naturally I have plenty of them to decorate with.


So the Tuscan look was not only a bit dark for my tastes, but also didn't go with anything I own. So I decided to paint! It was my first painting project all by myself so I was really nervous that I wasn't going to be able to pull it off. I always feel really uncomfortable when walking into a hardware store because I feel like I'm that girl with big sunglasses who is trying to explain her fix-it problem in girl language. But lucky for me, my dad is super knowledgable when it comes to painting so he walked me through all the details of what I needed.

My aunt and uncle went away for the weekend, so I was truly all by myself painting. First I painted everything a flat white color to cover up the dark gold and brown.

I painted in dingy clothes and bare feet. According to some of the Ambassadors, painting without shoes on is weird. But my point of view is 1). No shoes is way more comfortable, and 2). Why would I waste a perfectly good pair of shoes by getting paint on them when I can just wash paint off myself? The only problem with no shoes is that I'm ridiculously clumsy and dripped paint all over the place. My feet evidence this. Kind of a gross picture, I know.

This is the finished product! Doesn't it look beautiful!? Not bad for a first time painter, if I do say so myself. Thanks Dad for teaching me so well!

The only thing I didn't get done this weekend was my closet (and the unfortunately small-sized closet I have). That will be a project for another weekend. But I must say that I feel like this was quite the accomplishment. It was my first hands-on, fix-it kind of project and I did it all by myself. It made me feel capable and independent. I'm sure I'll have many fix-it projects in my future and it is so comforting to know that I can do what I set my mind to. I don't forsee myself fixing any plumbing problems in the near future, but at least I know I can paint a room :)

It's officially fall

September 21st has come and gone... its officially fall! I love the fall but I'm not quite ready for it yet. I was reading in the newspaper yesterday that this summer was the second wettest July in Boston's history. It seems ironic to me that the one summer that I choose to stay in Boston instead of going home to Maryland, and the one summer that I move to an apartment that is a five minute walk from the beach, is one of the coldest and wettest in Boston's history.

Considering that I have porcelin skin and the word "tan" is not even in my vocabulary, not having a lot of beach time wasn't that disappointing. Apparently it was a wet summer in Annapolis too so I didn't miss much. But regardless of all of that, I feel like I haven't had enough time in the warm weather to wear all my skirts and dresses! It sounds so girly and ridiculous, but I'm not ready to be wearing jeans on a regular basis yet.

There are always signs of the onset of fall. The turning of leaves, the cooler air, the annual Boston events (Head of the Charles, walk for Breast Cancer, Halloween festivities in Salem...) and the release of the pumpkin-spice latte at Starbucks. I love the pumpkin-spice latte-- it is the perfect warm-you-up drink on a chilly fall day. But I can't even begin to think about being ready to drink yet.

Hopefully I will be ready for fall sooner rather than later. I certainly don't want to miss it. I did have some pumpkin butter on my english muffin the other day, so I guess that is a step in the right direction.

And another year begins...

Every year when the beginning of school comes, I am both excited for another year and sad to see the summer go. This year my feeling was completely different. I spent the summer in Boston waiting tables at a local bar. While it was fun, it also grew tiresome. In mid-July I was ready for classes to start. I was excited to get back into the rhythm of classes, working in the Admission office, and mostly just being productive with my time. "Is it September yet?" was my most common phrase this summer.

Now that it is September and it is week three of classes, I'm saying "Is it winter break yet?" It's always hard to go from doing nothing but working and relaxing for four months to taking six classes. Don't get me wrong-- I love school and I love learning about the fascinating topic of Global Business that is my major... but I don't always love reading four chapters of unexciting text books before class. I think I may be developing a small case of senioritis which is not good considering that I have three semesters left before graduation! Of course, senioritis for me is not the typical malady that one hears about it. It is more like not doing all the reading before class or not going above and beyond to be ahead of the game (instead of on time) with assignments. But still-- it is kind of throwing me for a loop.

My being a slacker aside, my classes this semester are really interesting. I am taking French 101 which is so much fun. I took five years of French in middle school and high school so this is a refresher course for me. My Global Business major requires that I take one year of a foreign language. I went to Paris in May of 2008 and I never wanted to come home. Had my language skills been better, I may not have. The problem with my French education in high school was that it focused primarily on reading and writing. The college approach to languages is completely different. The professor focuses on our pronunciation (repetez apres moi) and our ability to listen which I think will actually teach me how to speak French. So be prepared for some franglais in future blogging entries :)

I am also taking Business Finance, Intro to International Business, The European Union, Marketing Research, and Management & Social Responsibility. Most of them are fairly self-explanatory. The European Union is a Griffin challenge course that runs for six weeks. It is about the history, evolution, economic and political environment of the EU. I am really enjoying it especially since one of my future career dreams is to work with the EU and business in the European sector.

Management & Social Responsibility is a one credit course that only meets three times during the semester. It is a core requirement for all business students that deals with nonprofits. In the class we are split into seven-person teams. Our goal is to act as a consulting team by proposing a solution to a problem to a real nonprofit in the Boston area. My class is working on solving a volunteer problem for The Boston Living Center, a nonprofit that provides support services for people living with HIV and AIDS. We have one month to put together a client report and prepare a presentation for the executives of the BLC. The great part about this class is that it gives Suffolk students the experience of doing real consulting work while being able to make a difference in the community. The not so great part about the class is that we have a lot of work to do in a very short period of time. But I think this will be a really excellent learning opportunity for me.

In addition to being a bit crazy with six classes, readjusting to my school schedule, and working in the admission office, I am also painting my room. I moved into a new apartment over the summer and the current color of my room is mustard with a bronze sponged on top. I have chosen a coral/cream color as a brighter and more appealing option. It is my first painting project all by myself and I'm not sure I totally know what I'm doing. But I have faith that I can do it and that it will be fabulous!

Another school years begins and I am busier than ever... A bientot!

A Glimpse of my Summer

As the first week of my senior year has already come and gone, I am amazed at how quickly time passes. It feels like just yesterday I was a senior in high school preparing for the big world of college. I can't believe that now I'm beginning to prepare for the real world!

I stayed in Boston this summer and worked waiting tables at a local bar. I went home to Maryland twice though for a visit. I think the best way is to show you a few glimpses of what I did through pictures...

The pictures are out of order, but I think it is more fun that way

The Boston skyline from the view of a boat in Boston Harbor visiting the Harbor Islands

The State House in Annapolis, Maryland-- my favorite stomping ground.

On the Harbor Island Ferry boat

Visiting my friend at school in Frederick, Maryland

We watched the sunset from the top of a mountain overlooking

Middletown, Maryland

Although this was absolutely beautiful... I'm such a city girl! Dresses, ballet flats and mountain trails aren't the best mix.

Some of my fellow Ambassadors-- Allison, Chris and I went to visit Kristin in Connecticut for her birthday. Her parents got us a limo!

Trying to make SU-- GO RAMS!

Allison and I did not plan on matching pajamas... we just love Suffolk that much!

When the weather was nice, I had a lot of picnics with the girls I worked with. This was in the Fens.

On the Fourth of July enjoying the fireworks. I was all about the flowers in my hair this summer.

On the beach in Fort Myers, Florida.

My brother came to visit after he graduated from high school. Here we are with our new cousin (and future Suffolk student) in the Public Garden.