I’ve had one of the greatest summers of my life. Ever since middle school I remember being excited about new beginnings, whether that entailed being in a new place or starting a new school year. Although this year is not any different and I am incredibly excited to embark in a year-long adventure across the world, I also found myself feeling sad and nostalgic about what I was leaving behind. My summer job was difficult, but I started missing it and the people I met over the course of the summer before I even got on the plane to Texas. I did not want it to end. Yesterday, however, as I was getting ready to leave, I realized I was also sad to leave Texas. I reconnected with old friends and met a lot of people with whom I had a lot of fun, and I was sad to leave that behind.
Despite my nostalgia, I cannot wait to arrive at Northern Ireland already. My incredible summer tells me that I am off to a great start, and this year promises to be a great one. If you had not deduced it already, I am currently on my way there. I am in my second flight out of three; this particular one heading to London. Although classes do not officially begin until September 26th at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), my orientation will begin virtually the second I arrive in Belfast. From Tuesday through Friday I will have International Orientation at QUB, as well as orientation with CIEE, the program I am in. The following week is called “Welcome Week,” the most important part of which will likely be registration. That’s right, I am still not even registered for classes. Sounds pretty crazy, right? I am just going with the flow, though. The time will come soon enough.
I don’t have much to tell you about this year yet for obvious reasons, but I can tell you a little more about my summer job. I worked as a senior counselor for an organization called Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) based at Harvard. The camp I worked for is the Native American Youth Enrichment Program (NAYEP) which has run every summer for like 30 years (don’t quote me on that). The program serves underserved Native American youth from all over Boston. The Summer Urban Program (SUP) aims to battle summer learning loss, as well as provide a safe and wholesome environment at an affordable cost. NAYEP in particular also has a strong cultural component. I was not sure how much I would enjoy teaching, but this summer proved me wrong. It was difficult, and the program asks a lot from counselors and directors. However, it was more rewarding than almost anything else I have done. It also pays decent cash and offers employees very cheap housing in Cambridge (at Harvard), which would be nearly (if not completely) impossible to find otherwise. PBHA has a number of summer camps, as well as some afterschool learning programs during the year (and many other programs and services I don’t know much about). I honestly recommend taking a look at their website and/or contacting me or someone else who has worked for PBHA if you are interested in working there during the school year of over the summer. It’s a great opportunity.
My goals for the year are nothing uncommon. I want to be healthy. This is something that I mostly struggle at when things get stressful, but I have also come to the realization that making time to be healthy almost always pays off in all other aspects of my life. I also want to some heavy soul searching and really figure out what I want my next step to be. I am halfway through my college career, which means I really have to get on top of that this year.
Here’s to a fun, educative, and rewarding year abroad. Cheers.