Heading Into Institute

Welcome to my blooog! I'm not sure how many people actually care and this is probably more for me than the general public, so I apologize in advance if I ramble/talk about things that seem inconsequential. If anyone actually DOES care, let me know if you want updates in email form, cuz I'll probably send them that way to family.

Institute starts in Philadelphia this weekend, and I am looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. It promises to be HARD work. Some institutes have already started and people uniformly say it's the hardest thing they've ever done. Even the fact that breakfast is from 5-6 am daily terrifies me, not to mention I am actually responsible for teaching summer school every day.

At the same time, I really care a lot about what I'm going to do. My friend Celeste says it's much easier to motivate herself for something she's invested in than it ever was for a couple of grades. It's been a long time since I really worked hard. I suppose it's my own fault for not making more of the experience, but college was easy for me and never meant much. I actually miss being challenged. It's not that I'm not proud of the person I've been- I really needed to chill out, and college definitely improved me as a person. At the same time, I know I won't be happy in my life unless I feel like I'm working hard and doing something worthwhile.

So from what I gather, the drill will be wake up (in the middle of the night), teach with your partners in summer school for half the day, and attend classes/sessions for the other half. Eat dinner, plan lessons all night, repeat. We're staying in the dorms at Temple-- my life has really regressed! Everyone else is moving forward but I'm going from living alone and doing my own thing to living in a dorm and having someone else pack me bagged lunches for school! Haha.

Anyway, I'm sure it will be intense, and I can endure anything for 5 weeks. I do wish we could be training in Baltimore instead. I'm absolutely in love with the city! 

Top 10 reasons I love Baltimore after two weeks of living there (not necessarily in order):

1. It's SO cheap! Rent is easily half what it was in DC and an open bar is $10

2. It's beautiful! I live 2 blocks from the water and the streets are cobblestone and the old row homes are absolutely gorgeous

3. The Orioles-- I've really, really missed baseball and tickets are $6 for students-- America's priorities are seriously messed up when we pay more to go to the movies than to see a baseball game. Oh, and 5 of them are under 25.... 

4. Drinking games are legal in bars (aka, pong is actually legal and sanctioned... although pretty gross?)

5. It's so close to everything. It's within a couple hours from home, Charlottesville, Philly, DC, Atlantic City, etc.

6. It's not overwhelmingly large or scary

7. The people seem really cool!

8. Fantastic shopping, haha

9. It's south of the Mason-Dixon line-- that one's for my grandmother :)

10. IT'S NEW and I know literally no one. A fresh start never hurts.

Anyway, I'm sure that's more than enough for now. I hope everyone's having a great summer!!