Ah yes, sweet summer… At last, you are here.
I’m ecstatic, but to be honest, I really haven’t known what to do with myself
First off, finals are over! Yay.
(Lana and I before our arabic final, sleepless and still fabulous)
But now that this is over, i’m confused. What is this weird thing called free time? How do we spend it? Relaxing? I have time to lay out and read for hours? This all feels so strange to me, but I do know it’s necessary.
I pack up my messy room, hang out with these doggies who do nothing but feed me brave words of encouragement for the big change that is about to happen in my life.
Although I will be working full time and going to school, it will still be summer. No doubt about it. There will still be crispy sunburns from the pool, late night talks about nothing with random acquaintances, lazy evenings drinking beer, and the windows down on those sunny days with my favorite death cab for cutie song playing.
So far, my summer in Austin has consisted of:
Thrifting: If you’re in Austin, you have a plethora of shops to choose from! However, if you’re a broke college student like me, then you can’t afford most of these cool shops with trendy vintage items. So do what I do, and go to places like Savers! or in Houston, Value Village. It’s a normal thrift shop like the goodwill, a HUGE one, with so much cheap fashionable clothing! You just may have to search a little but there’s some great stuff. I snagged this vest for a few bucks. Granny or hot?
I’ve started a new book that is making me want to go travel the world alone in hopes of “finding myself.” (We’ll see about that)
And I’ve ventured out to all the hip austin eats. Julio’s is one of my favorite local mexican restaurants. It’s not the fanciest, they only take cash, and the employees won’t be the friendliest, but none of that matters when you taste the authentic deliciousness. Look at this enchilada plate that is “bigger than my head.”
But really, this is all inevitable. I also await all the new friends I will make this summer. I just moved into a co-op named Arrakis where I will have something like 17 roommates? It’s been a huge change, but I love it so far. It seems like such a close community and it’s amazing to see everyone put in their individual labor to contribute in creating a wholesome functioning house. I am especially excited to get to know each and every one of my housemates unique personality.
This is my new, unpacked room. Every time I go home I can’t help but become more obsessed with my door. Be prepared for many photos to come of the cool artwork around the house! The walls are all painted beautifully 🙂
Cody seems to be adjusting well to the house as well. His main rule was to stay out of the kitchen, and as dumb as the baby can be sometimes…he is learning so fast!
During my first morning at Arrakis, I woke up to all these cookies in the kitchen with an arrow pointing to them saying, “eat me.” In this moment, with coffee brewing in the background, I knew this was going to be a great home for me.
And this is one of my roommates, Mary Elizabeth. We bonded over our mexican habit of putting spicy seasonings on our watermelon one night in the kitchen..and we snagged this hat that she’s wearing at the dollar store. Dolla dolla make you holla!!!
As I unpack my new room, I go through my belongings and think of all these creative projects I want to start on. I’ve been realizing how important it is to document. Journaling and keeping photos in a special place (not your Facebook), will be worth while in the long run. Keep your eyes peeled for a austin project I’m starting soon involving the blog 🙂
Until next time, I am at South Padre Island lounging and spending time with family. I’m getting pretty far into my book while I’m here and I want to leave you with a part of it that left me thinking all day. I think most of us are guilty of the crime she describes.
The main character in the book, Elizabeth, explains how in her beautiful travels, loneliness still haunts her. And then on page 65, she stops and tells herself: “So be lonely, Liz. Learn your way around loneliness. Make a map with it. Sit with it, for once in your life. Welcome to the human experience. But never again use another person’s body or emotions as a scratching post for your own unfulfilled yearnings.”
I think if we all wrote this on a sheet of paper, and hung it up on our wall, we would feel a little bit more settled inside.
I wish you all sunny days and safe travels
xoxo,
Nadeen
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