Resolve to do it

Now that I'm back in the whirlwind lifestyle that is being young, being a student, and being an American, there seem to be 1,001 things floating around in my head all at once. Between finalizing transportation arrangements for my summer job to packing and unpacking for the 8th time in the past 9 weeks, I feel like I'm a bit rusty on my ability to tackle multiple things at once. So after traveling (again) and (mostly) settling in to my new place on the other side of the country, I was inspired by my sister writing at her blog to make a list of things I want to see and do this summer.

1. Train for my half-marathon. And this time, I'm serious about the "training" part. I ran a 10K race in April but celebrated my 21st birthday a little too eagerly in the days leading up to the race. I was still proud of my finish - and didn't come in last place! - but I want to push myself to actually train for the 13.1 miles that await me in October at the Nike Women's half marathon.

2. Visit the national monuments and museums in DC. I know that 10 weeks is much too short a time to actually get to know in a city, but I hope to share some of the great sights in the area with friends.

3. Keep in touch. Being abroad made me appreciate the relative ease with which we can communicate while being on American soil. I went from a smartphone with email, texting, and calling capabilities to a small, prepaid phone that charged me 20 cents each time I wanted to make a call or send a text. Add that to the 7 to 9 hour time difference between me and my friends & family and I definitely missed being able to call or text someone on a whim.

4. Read the newspaper every day. I've grown out of touch with current affairs, partly because I've been out of the country for the past few months, but also partly because I simply have not been reading as much as usual. I want to read at least one newspaper article each day.

5. Make friends! One of my favorite things about being abroad was getting to know tons of incredible people, both through my program and through my travels. I am looking forward to meeting other summer interns and making friends in a whole new city.

6. Dabble in the art of being vegan. My roommate in the spring in Madrid was a vegan, and, frankly, most of the time I didn't even notice a difference in our meals. I do have a great love for eggs and cheese, but the last time I was living on my own, I became a vegetarian, who's to say there won't be another change? I can't guarantee anything but I think it's an interesting thought to consider.

7. Prepare for the GRE exam. This one isn't so much fun, but if I want to be ready to apply for grad schools this coming fall, I need to take my exam in October. Yay for studying even when you're not in school!

So here's to the start of summer - a summer filled with humidity, research, running, eating, reading, friends & family!