***WEBSITE UPDATE*** If you would like to stay up-to-date with my blog but don't... - Have time to read posts when they are published - See my updates via Facebook - Have my blog bookmarked Please sign up for my bi-monthly(?- tentative) blog digest e-newsletter! I am trying this out to so that you can get notified on a regular basis. You can find the sign up form on the right sidebar ----> In a previous post, Jennifer and I decided on exploring Duluth on a daylong road trip. Little did we know that we would end up going on 3 road trips in 3 weeks. A day into the 4th of July weekend, Jennifer and I last minute decided to road trip ALL THE WAY back to Waukegan, IL (about a 7-8 hour drive including breaks) to spend 2 days in Waukegan and 1 day in Chicago. We began the drive at precisely 6:15am (because Starbucks opened at 6am - we needed caffeine), stopped 3 times along the way, and arrived in the driveway of Jennifer's home at 1:30pm.
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As I have mentioned in a previous post, I am currently one of thirteen students participating in the MacNest program at Macalester, where students are summer interns for a local Twin Cities startup for ten weeks as part of a one-credit internship. All of us reside in the Summit House on campus for the duration of the summer and are expected to to form a community where we share our knowledge and experiences organically.
So many Macalester students visit Duluth on a weekend trip sometime during their four years, so Jennifer and I set out to do it all in less than 12 hours past Saturday. We tried to do every free activity and ended up spending $60 total between the two of us for brunch, dinner, parking, and gas. Continuing the tradition of making the most out of the Twin Cities, Jennifer and I attempt to fill our weekends with interesting activities. Currently, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, a day trip to Duluth, and a visit to Minnehaha Falls remain on our summer bucket list. Science Museum: Science Behind Pixar
With our Honduran and Hong Kong backgrounds as well as other (American) influences on our childhoods, Jennifer and I decided to share our favorite childhood foods with each other. Note: Jennifer was born in the US and raised in a predominantly Mexican community, so the foods she choose may not reflect Honduran culture precisely but rather her personal experience and interactions with Hispanic foods.
It's always super cliche to say that time flies, but I guess it really does when you're having fun. Past Sunday marked the end of my sophomore year as I submitted my last essay for an International Studies class. And just in case you want to know, only 731 days left until my graduation! Mark your calendars everybody: May 18th, 2019 :) Looking back on the past two years, I've learned so much more about myself and my relationships with others. I had a chance to come to terms with my upbringing and its effects on my personality as well as influence on my thinking; my fear of failure shows academically or even in any mundane context. As an extroverted introvert, I realized my strengths and weaknesses when interacting with people- great in small doses, but energy draining when I'm forced to socialize for long periods of time. I'm extremely thankful for the professors that pushed me to write better, be assertive in my abilities, and speak up more during class discussions. In academic settings, I always feel like the "other" and I hesitate to speak up most of the time in class. At times, it's because I'm part of the minority at Macalester: Asian American, immigrant, first generation college student, Southerner. However, I recently came to the conclusion that my inner fear of failure also contributes to my timidness in class. Even though I read or know as much information as the next student, I hesitate to speak up because I worry I might analyze the information incorrectly or I hold an unpopular opinion. Now, I'm slowly learning to speak up and participate in class - even if I'm unsure of myself and am thinking as I speak aloud. The worst that can happen is disagreement or an incorrect answer; I will not be judged as a person based on my wrong answer once in an hourlong class... My weeklong Spring Break consisted of binge watching TVB dramas, catching up on YouTube videos, sleeping, and 4 days of career networking in Washington DC. The MacConnect DC trip sponsored by Macalester's Career Development Center is only officially 3 days long, but I decided to extend my stay an extra day so that I can sightsee (it was my first time in the city!). The purpose of the trip was to do site visits to various companies and connect with Macalester alums in various fields. On Tuesday, several inches of snow caused a 3 hour delay start in government buildings and other places didn't open for business, so our schedules had to be altered... Some of the places we visited include: - Urban Institute - Dexis Consulting - The World Bank - Congressional Budgeting Office - ABC News Washington TUESDAY: March 14thLibrary of CongressWEDNESDAY: March 15thSecret service closed off Pennsylvania Ave because Trump was apparently flying somewhere on a helicopter. Those are snipers on the roof, according to a Secret Service agent. Fun fact: The White House is actually a lot smaller than I imagined. The size is pretty comparable to the large houses on Paces Ferry in Atlanta. I actually went to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, but nothing really stood out... I watched a film in the planetarium, but the filming made me slightly nauseous. International Spy MuseumThe Chinatown arch in DC. I don't know much about urban segregation and history in DC, but I thought it was rather interesting that Chinatown was located right next to Gallery Place, where upscale restaurants are located. My experiences with Chinatown is usually in a more run-down minority neighborhood due to the population's immigrant background. The National Portrait Gallery & the Smithsonian American Art MuseumFor some unknown reason, "The Dreamers" is my favorite piece in the moving portrait exhibit. The large projections of people floating in water can be found on all four walls of an enclosed unlit room. Just seeing people floating in water and exhaling bubbles was oddly calming. At the same time, the unnaturalness of humans in water also emphasized the suffocated expressions that I saw on their faces. THURSDAY: March 16th
National Geographic museumThe NatGeo museum had an exhibition of their most popular photos on its Instagram account and the accounts of various NatGeo photographers and other contributors. FoodddddddLife has been hectic and stressful, and I went through another phase of "mid-college crisis" when trying to rethink my academic goals and interests. Aside from all of that (which I will probably mention sometime in a future post), here are some photos over the course of the past month that I have collected... Extra Hong Kong photos! |
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February 2018
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