....Or really, "goals for the remainder of the Summer", because who would've guessed that between work, grad school prep, apartment hunting, and a summer prerequisite course, I haven't spent much time writing? ;)

Taking it back about 15 or 16 years for a second: when I first learned how to ride a bike, my Dad and I would spend evenings just looping around our neighborhood. My Mom encouraged me to learn how to make it all the way up our neighborhood hill back to our house. "Think of it as a summer goal"; she'd say. 

Completely cheesy? Yes, but it worked, and for the two Summers I've had that are unstructured by classes or homework, I've tried to keep a bit of this mindset.

So here we go, a few of my goals for the rest of this Summer:

1: Read, read, read! When I was younger, you couldn't tear me away from a book. Then came college, and having to read for classes seemed to bring that to a halt. And I miss it! Aside from trying to get back into a more academic state of mind, I'm also trying to spend less time feeling like I *have* to be staring at my phone, iPad, or some sort of visual stimulation! At the moment, I still have The Light Between Oceans and Joe Biden's book waiting to be read!

2: Plan some sort of (small!) trip. Alas, I won't be jetting off on a major beach trip or visiting London and Paris like my friend Katina at Lost and Found in the City- how gorgeous are her pictures here and here?! I'm still completely jealous! But since I'm staying in DC for the time being, I'd love to get back to New York to visit friends for a bit.

3: Try to get some exposure to French at least a few times a week. Of course, I use Duolingo and pull out my old French textbooks whenever I get the chance- but that doesn't give much real-world speaking or listening experience. I'd love to take classes again, but I'm also picking and choosing a few Netflix shows and movies available in French- sadly, favorites like The Office and Parks and Rec aren't on the list.... maybe on Amazing Prime or iTunes?

4: Make a list of "new" places to explore in and around my new neighborhood this Fall. As usual, I'm pretty apprehensive about starting something new and making friends along the way, so I'm trying to focus on the exciting elements of what is an otherwise very high anxiety time!

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This time last year, I was one month into my internship at the UK Mission to the United Nations (more about that here!) Spending every day in and around the UN and suddenly being thrown into giving in New York left me a little shellshocked, but I was incredibly fortunate to meet a great group of friends, many of whom were in similar situations as me, and I had a great time living in the city and of course, had a great start to my first year post-undergrad!

When I was in college, and shortly afterwards, I had every intention of postponing grad school by a few years to gain experience, not to mention the whole process of preparing for, researching, and applying to grad programs!

Sounds good in theory, right? But not as simple to put into practice- job hunting in my field with only a bachelor's degree is rough, and while I was still in New York, my intern director really encouraged me to think about grad school sooner rather than later. So in November, I attended an open house at George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, which has always been one of my top choices of grad programs. I obsessed over my personal statements, resume, and recommendations, never really having full confidence in my potential to be accepted to such a tough program.

The beginning of March rolled around, and I the long-awaited "your admissions decisions are ready!" email popped into my inbox, pretty much stopping my heart momentarily in the process...



A huge thank you to everyone who helped me review my application materials, answered my endless grad school questions, or just offered me some reassurance while I (inevitably) overthought all of this!

XOXO, Emily

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Long time no see! I hit a bit of a blogging lull coinciding with the holidays, then had a very busy few weeks with family recently. I've loved reading everyone's "facts about me" posts on Instagram and blogs that I read, so I'm jumping back into today with my own answers...