Hello (current and future) Trojan family members! This summer has definitely not gone as expected. Initially, I was all lined up to intern at this small Austin company that teaches people how to install solar panels. Sounds really cool, right?

Don’t get me wrong, it might have been really cool. But it definitely wasn’t fun, or a good use of my summer. Add that to the fact that it was a 2 hour drive (and my car got just 14 miles to the gallon!) and it turned out to be something I just didn’t have the will to do.

So I quit. After my less-than-successful venture into South Austin Solar and Sustainability, I had the summer to myself. During this time, I brushed up on my German (wie geht’s?), read books about climate change and sustainability, watched so much Netflix, and baked all of the goods. And they were in fact very, very good.

cake

Look at this cake I made!

My parents also surprised me with a trip to the Amsterdam! Not only is this entire city (in which I am currently) a feat of modern and ancient technology, they also have really cute animals.

pigeon

Look at this pigeon we found inside a Burger King!

hipo-rhino

Or this flying… Rhino? Hippo? Not really sure.

There were also many pretty buildings.

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Also, the public transportation here is amazing, which makes my little heart happy. But overall, I’ve had a decidedly unplanned summer vacation, which is totally fine! Sometimes it’s okay to cut loose and take a little break from crazy fun college life.

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