Summer in the City

My first summer in NYC. It's hot. Very hot.

But, before I jump in to all the summer happenings in the city, I have to make up for some lost time. So hang in there, I have a lot to cover.

First things first. My internship this past year at Cypress Hills High School in Queens was quite a ride. One I will never forget. I not only got to work at a truly urban, poor New York City school, but I also came face to face with community violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, physical abuse, and the many other risks teenagers face today, which are somewhat tantamount in New York City. It was an amazing experience filled with numerous trials and challenges, including a pretty terrible supervisor. But, above all, I met some amazing kids and figured out what kind of social worker I want to be. A good one.

Here are my ladies from Cypress Hills. These girls have faced more in their lifetime than I ever will. Yet, they are beautiful, incredible, and so very resilient. The work I did with these girls truly validated my decision to pursue my MSW in New York. 

Next, I took a trip to Boston! Boston is beautiful and it was so much fun to have some quality girl time with my dear friends Alex and Lauren.

If you think Harvard isn't all that it's cracked up to be, well, it is. It was gorgeous.

Cheers! I have been obsessed with this show lately. I know I'm about 20 years behind, but that's when shows get really good.

Here's the library. It's enormous and really magnificent. Boston is full of history and beauty. It's so cute, and seemed a little more manageable than NYC, I must say.

Next, I went home to sweet Minnesota for a month. Ah, home. It was a nice break from the city. I did a lot of driving, and enjoyed every second of it. It was so nice spending time with my family, with Brennan's family, and with the friends we miss so much. It felt weird being home with no schedule, no worries, and no responsibility. Am I 20 again? But, I can't complain about mom's cooking, free food, shopping, and waking up at 10 every day. Back to the real world!

It's never easy leaving home, but oddly enough, flying in to LGA felt like coming home. Scary, huh. So here I am. My first summer in the big city. I think we're caught up. Let the summer adventures begin!