I brought Minnesotan weather to Atlanta...

It has been a week since I arrived back in Atlanta, so here are some updates: 
- Atlanta is cold
- Atlanta is cold
- I REPEAT, Atlanta is cold (~65˚F this week)
Shouldn't it be 85-90˚F now? 

Saying bye at the airport

I will be back in August!

After staying on campus for Senior Week, leading the donating collection for the Bonner Rummage Sale, and volunteering for commencement activities, it was time to finish packing everything and leave for Atlanta! Jennifer's family drove up from Illinois to get her things and they graciously treated me to dinner and dropped me off at the airport. I checked two bags; one of them weighed exactly 50 pounds, the limit for checked bags (my heart was racing when the suitcase was on the scale). I thought airport security would be ridiculous on a Saturday afternoon but with TSA Pre-check, there was no one ahead of me, and I arrived to my gate 2 hours before takeoff. 

The flight itself was probably the best one I've flown; the plane was only half full, I had three seats to myself, there was no turbulence, and the plane landed almost an hour early. My flight's original arrival time was 11:10pm but the plane landed at 10:25pm and I was almost home by 11:30pm. Again, one of the best flights that I have ever taken.

 For the past few months, I have been slightly (I mean, just SLIGHTLY) obsessed with Marie Kondo and her amazing tidying techniques; I even bought her book. (Side note: I go through very interesting obsession phases) After learning about the KonMari method, I re-folded all my clothes and ended up with tons of extra space in my drawers. I was also super excited to put my skills to the test back at home. I still have piles and piles of school papers dating back to elementary school and I have been wanting to get rid of them. Aside from unpacking my suitcase within 24 hours of arriving back home (this has never happened to me before- usually the unpacked suitcase sits open for 2 weeks), I managed to re-fold my entire wardrobe and donated a trash bag worth of clothes. I ended up with 30 extra hangers and half of my closet empty. Surprisingly, it's not because I donated heaps of clothing, but rather folding and storing clothes vertically in drawers the KonMari way saves so much more space. 

Anyway, I really sound like I'm advertising for her but I can't believe that her methods actually forced me to organize my life and feel happy doing it. My goal this summer is to downsize my possessions; I still own many things from when I was around 9 or 10 and I really should donate them. I also imagine myself as a person with few possessions so that moving around won't be a hassle when I'm older (the travel bug always hits me hard). I want to create an environment that sparks joy (pun intended for Marie Kondo fans out there). 

Honduran tacos (rolled and fried) with Mexican crumbling cheese and horchata (rice cinnamon drink)

During my second semester at Mac, Jennifer hosted several Nudl events where students make home cooked meals and charge others to attend. It's a great way to meet new people and take a break from Cafe Mac food. From Jennifer's Nudls, I learned how to make Honduran tacos, which I decided to replicate at home with pretty decent results. 

As far as general summer plans go, I will be interning at Reach for Excellence (where I graduated a few years back) for around 6-7 weeks during June and July, and I will also be working side babysitting/nanny jobs during weeknights and weekends. 

That's it for now,
​Rachel