July, July!

From one commonwealth to another...

So, I am just finishing out my first month as a graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania. How can I even begin to explain the myriad of emotions and thoughts whirring through my brain? After almost a year of living under the rooves of (several) others, I am finally settled into my own place (well, almost) once more. I am living with my cousin, Robert, in a cute little apartment in the quaint Main Line town of Narberth. I couldn't be happier with our humble home or our wonderful new neighborhood... School, on the other hand, is a bit more frustrating. I feel incredibly blessed to be living out my dream and attending any Ivy League university for my graduate studies, but the work and stress loads are quite overwhelming. I am currently taking three courses, which generally revolve around educational theory, and I am an unpaid intern at a local inner-city youth program. I love my "job," which involves working with the Urban Nutrition Initiative to educate students about nutrition and food production and distribution. I get to work in a garden (if you know me, then you know this is perfect for me), soak up the sun and interact with some really interesting kids. I love learning and I love the class environment, but the workload for this program is off the charts!! I have never been so overwhelmed in my life!! Wait...

Well, what can I say? I asked for this, right? Right. So, I am doing my best to own this new lifestyle. Insomniac Ivy League grad student meets starving artist meets midnight blogger meets overachieving, type-A, coffee-drinking, yoga-practicing, procrastinating, high-strung, health nut???? Done. One month down, eleven more to go. Bring it on, world.  I'm ready.