Under the Iron Curtain

My family lives in China. It's this weird thing that is completely normal to us. 

I've spent the past howevermanydays (no idea how long I've been gone) being lazy. After working all summer and going non-stop, I don't feel bad at all for watching an entire season of Lie to Me and Modern Family. It's been wonderful to just chill with the family, ride mopeds around the neighborhood, go shopping in downtown Shanghai, watch movies, wear my pj's all day, and not think about anything. 

Now, I'm in the Korean airport with my momma on our way to Cambodia for a week. I haven't been able to get on any form of social media thanks to China being all communist and whatnot. I'm not going to lie though...it was so nice. To go off the grid completely for a while. I never realize how desperately I need those breaks sometimes. 

Another chapter

I have returned from my chapter in DC and am sitting in my apartment for a brief 24 hour stint in Utah before I head out to China.

It was so weird waking up today in my own room instead of a dorm room and seeing mountains outside my window instead of buildings. It was wonderful being back in my own bed, but I miss having Georgetown a block away and going for morning runs past the White House. But, I guess this summer will be another great chapter to look back on and DC will be another place I get to miss.

It taught me so much.

"Someway, baby, it's part of me, apart from me"

Last night I was up close and personal with Justin Vernon and his band, Bon Iver. It may have been one of the greatest moments of my life and hands down the best concert I've ever been to. His music just resonates with me in a way almost nothing else does, and live...well it's unexplainable. The entire audience was transfixed and hanging on every note. With a band of about 9 people, Bon Iver created an experience that reached into your soul, shook it around, and made you feel things you've never felt before.

Words just cannot describe it. 

Listen to the concert recording on NPR...I have been doing so all day. 

p.s.-at the end of the concert I fought to get one of the set lists, and succeeded! It's one of my favorite souvenirs I'll bring home from D.C. 

Intern Love

I work with 45 other interns. Somehow, we ended up with the greatest group I could have ever asked for. It is the most diverse, quirky, funny, eclectic, and driven group of individuals imaginable. And lucky for us, we are all best friends. I'm going to miss these people so much.

Photos from recent gatherings. Also, a few from the most intense kayaking trip I've ever been on. It included caving, waterfalls, tutorials, and kayaking back in the dark.