The District-Day one

After months of applying, preparing, and interviewing I have finally arrived in D.C. I get to live in an incredible location with great people while working in a vibrant city. I can already tell, this will be a summer of adventures. 

Day one consisted of buying a metro card, grocery shopping at Watergate (NBD), finding my way to the mall and capitol hill, and exploring the Georgetown scene by night. 

There is so much to see and do here, it's almost overwhelming. 

And the trees, the trees make everything so green. 

Subconscious catch-up

With all of my roomies gone, the apartment is pretty quiet. Thus, I've been getting plenty of sleep. And by plenty, I mean way more than average. As in sleeping for 9-10 hours at night and then falling asleep on the couch for 3 hours again when I try and read. 

I'm thinking this is my body's way of catching up on sleep that I lost during the semester. And storing up on the sleep that it subconsciously knows I won't be getting once I arrive in DC. I've got 1.5 more days to store up. Back to the couch it is. 

One year anniversary

One year ago I got onto an airplane to Madrid, Spain. At the time, I had no idea that I would meet some of my best friends. I didn't know that my host family would become real family. I didn't know that I would explore a culture that is full of life. I didn't know how captivated I would be by it's beauty. I didn't know that it would change my life. And I didn't know that I would miss it the way I do.

I can't even explain how much I yearn to be back there. In the Media Pinta watching the World Cup. Sitting on trains telling stories. Trying to find comfortable positions on the buses. Laughing until we cried in the hotels on weekend trips. Chatting with my host fam for hours over some of the best meals I've ever had. Getting in silly fights with the crew because we spent 24 hours a day together and ran on practically no sleep. Having so many inside jokes that it was ridiculous. Eating so much chocolate, and breaking all of the rules.

6 members of that study abroad group remain like family to me. We regularly get together for reunions where we retell stories over and over and wish we were back. We work together, go on adventures together, and remain "the Spain crew." Heck, we are infamous within the study abroad groups. Whit's heard stories about us from her director and past participants.

I don't think anything will ever compare to those two months of magic.

And here we are a year later:

Dear Whitney,
You left for Spain today. I'm so jealous and so excited for you. You're about to live the dream.
Con Amor,
Tessa

All work and no play?

This past semester I worked as an editor at The Daily Universe. I spent 12-4 everyday editing articles, putting pages together, and hanging out with my friends. I had a wonderful co-editor who I became dear friends with. We played pranks, had ridiculous "interviews" with our reporters, and blog stalked together all day long. I got to travel to both the West and East Coast thanks to this job and had a blast. The newsroom was my second home, and the people in there with me everyday are gems. They are hilarious, genuine, and talented. At the end of the semester we had a party with awards (most were inside jokes) and yummy food. We also got a group of us together for Space Camp, which may have been one of my favorite activities of the year. Slightly embarrassing, but totally worth it.

The Best

Thank you friends for being the best. For eating Greek food with me for hours as we talk about life and everything it entails. For swapping music with me. For being incredible and hilarious. For being exactly what I need and who I need in my life.

I love the time of the semester right after finals when we are all free. Free to just sit and enjoy each other's company.

Coming home to this after a long delayed flight last weekend is just more proof of how lucky I am.

And so it is

Well, tonight I finished my junior year of college. I ended it with a law final where I came out with my right hand cramping from the essays, but it felt great. And now, just bare with me while I reminisce on this last semester.

It has been, by far, the most intensecrazybusyrollercoasaterride of a semester. There has never before been a semester as jam-packed as this one. But, I can say that I have grown so much. I have made wonderful new friends and continued friendships with the people I am lucky enough to have by my side at all times. I have travelled more than any other semester (Vegas, San Fran, and New York). I have learned about myself and become more comfortable with who I am and want to be.

So it's on to senior year. Here we go.  

On repeat

The Big Apple-Day 3

The last day in New York was rainy (I'm still stuck in the airport because of storms), but exhilarating. We slept in and woke up giggling because the room was so cold and we could not, for the life of us, get out of bed. When we finally did, we went to Starbucks with our gift cards that we won from the New York Times for traveling the farthest. We then showered up and hopped onto the subway to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. After viewing one of our country's biggest landmarks, we walked up to Ground Zero where I was almost moved to tears. We then headed uptown to meet up with David Bornstein. This was one of the most exciting parts of the trip for me, as he has inspired me in unexplainable ways and what he does with solution journalism amazes me. I also got to meet Amber Rae who was there with him. She is incredible. This meeting was all a dream come true and I'm now helping write a career guide to Social Entrepreneurship. I could shed tears of excitement right now.

For a more detailed account of the trip hit up Cait's blog: The Caits Meow
Luckily, she is a much more patient blogger than me. Plus, she's hilarious. And I'm so glad I got to share this magical experience with her.

Dear New York,
You haven't seen the last of me. See you soon.

The Big Apple-Day 2

The second day in New York was a dream. We woke up, put on our most professional outfits, grabbed breakfast at a bakery, and then found ourselves walking into the New York Times. We spent a good part of the day at a conference there with other student editors from around the country. We were given advice from reporters and editors of the New York Times and I left wanting to come back. Someday.

After the conference we were hungry, and of course had to stop by the gyro stand again. We spent the rest of the day being tourists. It was our lucky day, as we walked into the MOMA and found out it was free that night. We talked about art and inspiration as we walked around the different exhibits and bought wonderful trinkets there. At the end of the night, we were exhausted and hit the hay to rest up for our last day in the city.

The Big Apple-Day 1

This weekend has been life changing. I'll start at the beginning.

Caitlin and I arrived in New York City and caught a cab to our hotel-Night. It was right off of Times Square and quite...cozy. The pictures will explain.

We then began exploring. We had gyros from a roadside stand (to die for) and walked right onto 5th avenue where we ventured into H&M, my favorite. Next, we hit up Times Square and then headed to Junior's for authentic cheesecake and decided to finish the night off with an adventure to the top of the city, the Empire State Building.

It was a perfect first day in New York, and considering we did all of this after 7pm, it was definitely jam-packed. By the end of Day 1 I had only been in the city a few hours and I was already in love.

Music

Music. It's something that I have a hard time writing about, because I don't know how to put my feelings for it to words.

I grew up listening to Broadway musicals on road trips with my mom, taking piano lessons, dancing for as long as I can remember, and playing the flute in band. I've always loved music, in all of its forms. Growing up in a small town, music would entertain us for hours and bring us together in unexplainable ways.

There are certain bands that me remind me of myself at different times in life. And certain songs that still get me. Every time. And some songs will throw me mentally back into an exact moment of time. Like listening to Ben Gibbard on the way to the Brand New concert. Or falling asleep to Iron and Wine while living with Caty during the summers. Or Mumford and Sons during bus rides through the Spanish countryside. Or hearing "The Ghost of Corporate Future" by Regina or "Title and Registration" by Death Cab because they were the beginning of it all.

Music is bonding. You can talk about it for hours and when you find people that share your same love of music it's enthralling, relieving even. To know that they feel the same way you do when listening to certain albums.

And how music defines us. And teaches us. And shows us. And never ceases to amaze us. It's one of the only things that can cross cultures. One of the only things that we can all relate to. And that alone, is incredibly impressive.

I love discovering music and listening to it over and over and over until I am familiar with it. Until it becomes a part of me. And mix cd's...well those are exciting for everyone. Sharing a part of yourself with others by giving them a playlist. Or finding out about a person by listening to the 15 songs they chose to put together on a cd. It is just wonderful.

Newest discovery:


Thanks music@10. 

Things that are creepy

Getting ready to fall asleep and looking up at my ceiling to see this:

Thank you to roommate Whitney's little brother for this incredibly disturbing message that for some reason I still haven't taken down. 

Big Apple state of mind

Today I found out that in less than a week the Daily Universe is sending me to NYC with my coworker Caitlin. We will have 5 days to explore, visit alumni working at newspapers and magazines, and attend a conference here:

via.

Reason 3,574 why I love being a journalism major. 

in time of daffodils

in time of daffodils(who know

the goal of living is to grow)

forgetting why,remember how

in time of lilacs who proclaim

the aim of waking is to dream,

remember so(forgetting seem)

in time of roses(who amaze

our now and here with paradise)

forgetting if,remember yes

in time of all sweet things beyond

whatever mind may comprehend,

remember seek(forgetting find)

and in a mystery to be

(when time from time shall set us free)

forgetting me,remember me

-e e cummings

It's supposed to snow this weekend. So I'm posting about Spring in efforts to deter the storm. 

Thought of You