Three Cheers for Summer.

Words cannot describe how happy I am to be home.  I love this time of year because I can finally slow down.  The blissful period between the end of finals and the start of my internship never fails to disappoint, and I tried to take full advantage of the 2 weeks I had.  While I love Baltimore, there is no substitute for New York.  Since coming home, I have been tearing through the city, making sure to go to all of my favorite spots as well as trying some new places.  Yura has been a regular fixture in my life (thank God), and much to my "diet's" dismay, I finally tried shake shack (and it was so worth it).  In between meals I managed to make my way over to the Punk exhibit at the Met, which I definitely recommend.  Now I no longer have whole days to explore the city because I have started my summer internship, but I am still looking forward to finding new favorite places hidden one block outside of my normal route.  

Getting Away.

After finally finishing all of my final assignments for Junior year, my first instinct was to take a well deserved (if I do say so myself) break from the three block radius around my apartment.  After holing up in my apartment for two weeks, the thought of another meal from the chain restaurants in my neighborhood just was slightly terrifying.  Enter: road trip.  

I have been dying to explore the adorable waterfront town, and Maryland's capitol, Annapolis.  I have heard wonderful things about the town, but I was not prepared for the inherent charm of 18th century buildings lining the city dock.  My friend and I spent the afternoon strolling the cobblestone streets, trinket shopping, enjoying lunch, and admiring the view (which obviously included a few boys in Navy whites - cue: swoon). With the town being just over a half-hour away from our Baltimore neighborhood, it was the perfect mini adventure to celebrate the official end of the school year.

Study Breaks.

I am a big proponent of study rewards. I am pretty sure setting rewards is the only way I get anything done.  So, on Friday night (as compensation for studying), I told myself that if I got everything done, I would go to the farmer's market on Saturday morning.  For those of you who haven't gone, rectify this situation quickly, as it is one of my favorite Saturday morning traditions.  Walking around the booths, talking with the vendors, listening to the musicians, its a great break from the sirens constantly blazing down my street.  I like supporting the local farmers, knowing what is in season when, and knowing where exactly my food came from.  I ate a delicious bowl of chocolate overnight oats for breakfast, and walked over to the market only to come back with a bag filled with yummy spring veges, and the first strawberries of the season (yay!) Study break success.

The Home Stretch.

Iced coffee. 

Has anyone comprehended how close to summer it actually is? I haven't realized it until (very) recently.  The fact that I have consistently been wearing long pants, and felt cold in Baltimore might have something to do with my staunch denial that the semester is, in fact, over.  I am home for a quick break between the end of the semester and the start of my finals, and have come to the realization that the summer season is beginning.  Olivia and I have begun our annual lengthy summer bucket list, the shorts and sundresses have been removed from their hiding spot in the back corner of my closet,  the fruit selection at whole foods is more expansive, and now no one thinks I am crazy when I order my daily iced coffee at Starbucks (like they do when its January and you need gloves to hold it). I am looking forward to knocking these finals out of the park (positive thoughts only), and enjoying some truly Baltimorean traditions (Preakness!) before headed back to New York!

And for some personal inspiration to continue studying/ writing/ slaving over the books, I have provided some of my favorite pictures from last summer.

Boat adventures.

Beach Picnics.

Wanderlust.

The Beaches in Normandy.

I recently read Thomas Mann's novella "A Death in Venice".  It has been on my reading list for sometime, but consistently was overshadowed by newer, flashier books that I simply had to read at the time.  All I can say is I shouldn't have waited as long as I did to read Mann's short story.  It portrays an Austrian man who had taken up residence in Venice right before a cholera outbreak.  Keeping in mind my love for public health, and the fact that stories romanticizing Cholera have always interested me ( Love in the Time of Cholera, The Painted Veil, etc.), I cannot believe it took me this long.

Nile River.

St. Peter's in Rome.

Westminister Abbey in London.

In the novella, Mann explores the particularly german idea of "wanderlust", and how the main character flits from place to place until he finds an environment completely different his own.  The idea of traversing the globe, or being an expat has always appealed do me.  Sometimes I fall into the habit of not leaving my comfort zone becoming too engrossed in my daily routine, and I don't like it.  I want to step foot on every continent (2 to go!).  I want to expand my horizons.  This blog has followed me traveling quite a bit actually, but all I can say is I want to do more.  I have been toying with the idea of deferring real life for a year after graduating, and applying for jobs in other countries.  Who knows if I will actually have the courage to do this when the time comes, but all I can say now is I know want to experience new people, places, and things.

Paris.

Night Time Routines.

Bubble Bath , Face Wash , Hand Lotion , Clarisonic Mia 2 , Nightshirt , Book , Glasses ,  Candle

Here is just a little glimpse of my nightly routine.  I firmly believe that having a set routine at night helps you go to sleep faster and sleep better (if you don't trust me there are a ton of studies on the topic).  My night routine varies very little, aside from the time I go to bed.  Sometimes I wish the hour were earlier, but most nights I try (read: barely ever) to get a full 7 hours.  When that doesn't happen, Iced Coffee is my best friend.

Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

We all know those days.  The days where getting up is pretty much impossible, and when you finally will yourself to rise, all you want to do is crawl back under your covers with a big bowl of mac & cheese and read Nicholas Sparks books (true story).  I've been having a few of those days recently, and they kind of stink.  I honestly just didn't feel like myself, and it kind of showed.  I mentioned it a bit here, but the situation didn't really change, even though I thought those days had been put behind me.  I think the page has (finally) turned, probably due in part to the unexpected summer weather we have been having here in Bawlmore. When I stumbled upon the above picture, I thought that it perfectly described how sometimes friends are the most important factor in making you feel better.  I had a small dinner party at my apartment this past weekend, and it was a great way to begin the new season.  Little pleasures like beautiful flowers and fresh produce are helping me to kick the last bit of winter blues that were still hanging around.

Images from tumblr and my instagram.

Spring Break Me.

I'm going to be completely honest here.  After coming back from Uganda, I have been in a bit of a funk.  I am not completely sure why, but there have definitely been a couple of days where I just want to curl up under a blanket, light a candle, and watch hour upon hour of Duck Dynasty.  I think a lot of it has to do with my higher than usual work load ( and subsequent stress level), and truthfully, I miss Africa.  It was a magical place despite all of the challenges I faced, and Baltimore simply pales in comparison.

So when Spring Break rolled around, I happily hopped on a plane with my best friend and headed down to sunny Florida in hopes of catching a tan and unwinding.  The first part of the trip was spent in Disney World watching my sister's softball team get ready for their season (go CSH), and I tried to access my inner child while voraciously moving from park to park.  If I am going to be honest, it wasn't that much of a challenge, I am one hundred percent smitten with Disney.  I have no problem heading there year after year, much to my parents chagrin.

The second leg of the trip was in beautiful Palm Beach.  I happen to be in love with The Breakers.  The hotel (read: historic site) is modeled after the Medici Palace in Florence and ushers you back in time to the golden age where people happily glided an entire ceiling and frescoed the walls of the bathrooms.  Sigh. The view from our hotel room didn't hurt either.

It turned out to be everything I needed, and my friend and the rest of my crazy family trampsed around Worth Ave. window shopping (and picking up a few Lilly pieces that I simply had to have). I am returning to campus with a completely changed attitude about the semester, and just in time too! Our semester always ends with a ton of really fun University wide events.  Here's to turning life around with a simple jaunt down South! 

Into the Wild.

It wouldn't be a trip to Africa without a safari, or at least that is what my parents told me when I tried (read: struggled) to convince them that this trip was a good way for me to spend my January.  Our whole group hopped the bus and started the very, very long drive to Lake Mburu National Park in Uganda which is literally on the border of Tanzania.  Lake Mburu is famous for having the most species of antelope and the highest zebra population in Uganda, and is the only park in the country where you can do a game walk.

Striped Pals.

A game walk is essentially a walking safari, and while it was pretty scary at times to be less than 20 yards from a water buffalo, it was so much cooler than seeing them from a car.  Animals literally surrounded you, and I basically spent the entire time comparing the experience to the Lion King.  Seeing Pumba (meaning: warthog in Swahili) might have been the highlight of the safari.  
We also got to take a water safari and got to get up close and personal with some hippos. Hippos were the most dangerous animals we encountered on our safari.  Their jaws open 180 degrees, and though they are vegetarians, they’ll happily chop you in half if you get in their way. The hippos make a horrible sneezing angry sound when they are displeased, and they were certainly not happy to see us there. Every time they popped up from under the water there were more of them, and they kept getting closer. Though our boat driver laughed at us and promised us there was nothing to worry about, he suddenly sped us away all the way back to our campsite. Concerning.

Lake Mburu.

Our hotel was in the middle of the park and the animals could literally come up to our rooms, and those hippos we saw on the lake come out onto the camp site to feed at night.  Luckily, there were a few guides who accompanied us back to our rooms at night armed with little more than a bright flashlight (still concerning).  

Wild Uganda

We passed by the equator.

I've been in Uganda for a little over a week now, and have just returned from our week long home stay in the rural Rakai district of Uganda.  My time there reminded me of how wild this place actually is.  Switching from (relatively) developed Kampala, to completely under developed Rakai was eye opening.  I found myself missing the trickling water we had in Kampala while we walked to fetch water at the spring in the valley and then subsequently boiled it to make it drinkable.

Standing in two different hemispheres. 

We walked to work every morning, spending thirty minutes observing our surroundings while thoroughly confusing everyone in town.  All of the children would run up waving shouting "Mzungu, How are you!" Our group would respond with "Fine how are you?" exhausting the children's english vocabulary.  Over the course of our stay in Rakai we must have had this conversation hundreds of times.  We passed stores for airtime, pork barbecue, and hair cuts.  People tried to get us to buy their wares, and we almost got run over by motor cycles on a daily basis. The first few days were rough, but now I think I prefer rural life compared to the hustling, dirty streets of Kampala.  It is really nice to just sit outside and look at the millions of stars speckling the sky, or to walk through town to pick up half cakes.

Learning how to harvest coffee beans. 

We spent the mornings at the Rakai Health Sciences Program, a program that has been reducing the HIV prevalence in the area since the late 1980s, learning about our independent topics.  Besides our time at RHSP, we transversed the town asking every healthcare worker who would listen about postnatal care.  I learned so much just by talking to people (usually needing an english to english translator) that it has revolutionized the way I look at learning, and I anticipate by the end of the trip I will return a changed person.

       

After the walk home, we would take up the role of the women and help prepare dinner and take care of the children.  Learning to cook over an open flame in a room separate from the house had a learning curve.  But I have picked up a few recipes that I am definitely taking back with me.  The gender roles in Rakai are a bit hard for me to swallow, but I am trying my hardest to finagle my way around the situation not offending anyone.  It's hard not to feel uncomfortable about the differences between the US and Uganda.  At the same time though, it's an inspiring and happy place to work.  People are friendly, the sun shines all the time (even when it's raining), and the work we're doing is so interesting.  Here's to the glass being half full, and exploring this crazy new place!

Doing research next to Lake Victoria. 

Oli Otya from Kampala.

Sunset at Ndere Center.

Oli Otya means Hello in Luganda, the traditional language of Uganda. I have been here for two days now and I am shocked at how different it actually is.  Cattle graze on city street corners, stores are set up in shanties, and everything is loud.  We braved a city market yesterday and I can say it is an experience that I am never going to forget.  Today we headed to a women's center an hour outside of Kampala and it was one hundred percent wonderful. Although I don't think I'll ever get used to being referred to as Mzungu (white person), I am loving my experience here so far.  While it might be exotic and completely different from what I am used to, I am loving the culture shock I am feeling.  I am headed to a rural Ugandan village tomorrow morning but for now I will share some pictures of my time here so far.

Passport and Yellow Fever Card.

A little boy named George.

Marching band playing "The Lion King Sleeps Tonight".