summer in prov
For many reasons, I chose NOT to go home for the summer as most college students do. This decision really changed me for the better. Here are some things I learned during my Summer in Prov:
It's OK to romanticize your life.
Very early on in my childhood, I began comparing my living situation to my friends and those I saw in the media. I guess I had it made up in my head that my life wasn't glamorous, and therefore couldn't be romanticized. Well, I am here to tell you that when I started romanticizing my life, the constant weight I felt on my shoulders disappeared. It was like I lived in a faraway time and a faraway place, where I wasn't grace. Call me crazy, but it felt like I was Providence’s princess. I romanticized everything. Even the things you think aren't even capable of romanticizing. Riding my bike to Walmart. Going to the flea market. Taking a shower. Getting ready for work. Eating by myself. There are people who will tell you not to, but I think there's nothing wrong with romanticizing your life. In fact, it makes you fall in love with your life even more.
Talk to everyone, you never know who you’ll meet.
In the most random places, I met incredibly successful and insightful people during my time this summer. Those weird places including outside of a tattoo shop, my jobs, on the street, and on an airplane. I owe a lot of credit to my dad for this lesson (that I didn't grasp until now) but a closed mouth was never heard. Do you want people to hear you and know your name? Open your mouth and say it. No one else will say it for you. I can now say I have a web of people in Providence that I can call up for anything! Job recommendations, travel partners, life advice, coupons!
I can survive off of $40 of groceries.
Here was my grocery list that I stuck to pretty much the whole summer:
A half gallon of milk, a dozen eggs, butter (tub), yogurt, tuna cans, 99-cent bread, generic cheese slices, rice, mayo, and lunch meat.
This would last me a week and a half. Was it repetitive? Yes. Do people live off much less? Yes. That fact alone made it much easier to eat a rice, tuna, and cheese bowl for 5 consecutive days. I learned to only buy what I need, and be thankful for even having a meal. Plus, I was pretty impressed with how creative I could get with so few items.
The sun is your friend.
Most days I had to be up at 5:30 am. Of course, I wasn't super thrilled about that. But, what made it easier was thinking about that big bright ball of fire that woke up me. And she still shined. So I really had no excuse not to.
I really like long skirts??
I bought two maxi skirts for Genteach (we had to dress business casual) from the thrift store. I'm pretty sure my mother had begged me to wear one at some point in my younger years (and I probably did) but I totally forgot how COMFY they are. Plus, they are flattering! You don’t have to show a ton of skin to feel feminine and sexy. I feel that they elongated my legs and held my figure. Plus, it’s such a power move to lift up the skirt a bit and walk. I feel like I'm on the red carpet.
Traveling alone is awesome!
I went to Washington D.C all by myself for three days before I started Generation Teach. I took the six-hour train ride and stayed in a Sonder in Alexandria, VA. From the moment I got off the train, I felt a sense of freedom and liberation that I can only attribute to being alone in a new place. No one needed anything from me. I wasn't on anyone else’s time. And I could decide where to eat.
Plus, there was something extremely powerful in being in the same place where so many monumental decisions and events in history happened. Especially when something monumental and powerful was happening inside of me. I tried for a long time to write a blog post about how amazing my D.C trip was but I couldn't find the right words. I guess that experience will just be sacred and only known to me.
Those were the main takeaways from my summer. While I didn't go to a faraway country and lay on a beach every day, I found people and places that filled my cup. I am proud to say I spent my summer in Providence, RI. It’s the place where a little coffee shop is on every corner, where all different people with all different backgrounds mesh and create one big beautiful community. Providence was home to this MN kid and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Here’s to Junior year!
