oh, let the summer begin!

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May 11, 2013 by Caity Stuart

Yesterday I finished my first year of graduate school.

Wait a minute. First year of grad school is….done?!

Crazy. I know! I can hardly believe it myself. Having glanced over a number of my past blog entries, I am reminded of the numerous lessons I have learned, opportunities I have been given, and people I have met that I now call “friends.” What a dynamic, life-changing first year of grad school this has been!

So what next?

Well, just because the semester is finished doesn’t mean that I’m slowing down. On the contrary. Here is just a snippet of what my next few months will look like:

May

15: Leave Keene, NH for the summer. A sad day this will be indeed for I would love the opportunity to enjoy Keene throughout the summer months. I will also be sad to say goodbye to some of the best roommates I have had. True, I will be returning in the Fall but to an entirely new situation. Keene, you have loved me well.

16-31: Traveling! I’ll be using this time to see some dearly missed family and friends before I start my summer internship. I’ll get to reconnect with some of my favorite people in Fredericksburg, hang out with my Aunt, Uncle, and 4-yr-old cousin in Leesburg, VA, and perhaps most exciting, visit my brother in Orlando for a few days! I’ll also throw in the mix a few days of camping at Shenandoah and wandering throughout DC. I don’t know where I’ll be resting my head every night and I’m learning to be ok with that. I do know, though, that I am eager to see loved ones again and to begin reflecting on this past year.

June

1: I move in at Assateague Island National Seashore for the next 12 weeks. I am beyond excited for what this opportunity will look like! I will be living on a beach for an entire summer, learning about barrier island ecology and geomorphology, and trying my hand at natural interpretation and education (as opposed to the historical interpretation I was doing at FredSpot). Words can not express what joyous anticipation I hold to begin this new journey. I. can. not. wait.

But before all of that begins, I must pack. Pack for the summer, pack to get out of my house, and pack in anticipation of sending a few boxes back to IN with my parents. I counted today. I will be packing all of my belongings up in boxes for the 15th time over the past 7 years. Oh the joys of a transitory life.

But that transitory life means that I get to experience new things, reconnect with forever loved ones, and search for a Life that I love and believe in.

Oh, let the summer begin!