Being at home has never been sweeter! My wifi connection can withstand more than 3 tabs open at a time, and I don’t have to reconnect to the internet every single time my computer comes back to life after going to ‘sleep.’ I no longer have to pay $3 per laundry load, AND it gets done for me! I can escape into fictional worlds in library-rented books. My mom cooks her amazing meals on the daily, and I can make good quality coffee using our K-cup machine whenever I want! Gone are the days when I have to wake up at 6:30am to be at work by 7:30am (although I still get up at 7am to go running with my brother – not much of a break). I escaped the Midwest heat, and replaced it with Jersey’s unseasonably milder temperatures (although with very similar humidity levels). Honestly I think life can’t get much better than this, and THEN I remember: I’m returning to ‘SC in a week!! The icing on top of the cake.
While I’m nowhere near as busy as I was during my internship at Abbott, I still keep myself occupied. I go running with my brother every morning, do DIY crafty projects with my sister, and started a project with my family constructing wooden steps leading to our pool area, to replace ones that were rotting away. With my baby sister I’ve rewatched plenty of classic Disney movies that I grew up on (Cinderella, Pocahontas, and Beauty and the Beast, anyone??).
The site of our new stairs leading to the pool area.
I’ve found the time to catch up on books I’ve been meaning to read, and then their film adaptations. I still maintain that the books are infinitely better than the movies; the characters are more developed in the literature, and everything is better detailed and more believable. Up next on my list – Gone With the Wind. We’ll see how long that takes me to get through that 900+ page book!!
Aside from my time spent at home, I’ve been out several times with my friends to celebrate birthdays by checking out new restaurants, in addition to learning some new line dances and karaoke-ing with friends at a country café.
Singing Shania Twain’s “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”
After our dinner at a Hibachi grill!
At the grand opening of our town’s Yogaccino – froyo is spreading like wildfire on the East Coast!!
Like my fellow VSA’s, I’m super excited for the new semester to start!! Among the many reasons I’m pumped to be back:
- Living in my new apartment; It’s pretty spacious, and I’m living there with 6 other girls!! It’s off campus and non-USC owned, so it’ll be nice to have a little more independence, and getting a taste of the ‘real world’ with my 12 month lease and landlord.
- Football season; I’m sure this is a favorite among all USC fans, and this season is going to be so much better with the lift of our 2-year sanctions. So pumped!
- The new Catholic Center; about 2 years ago, the old Catholic Center was torn down, and construction started on our new Catholic student center and church! It’s finally finished in time for the new semester, and I’m so excited to no longer have mass and our events in random available classrooms.
- Involvement on campus; I’m the VP of Corporate Affairs for the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), and we are already planning several of our large events for next semester. They are bound to be excellent!! I also hold a leadership position within the Catholic Center, so it should be fun to serve as rep to the Advisory Board, especially as we are transitioning into our new center!
- Change of major; working at a large company like Abbott has proved to be much more helpful than just a resume booster – it gave me the opportunity to explore many different careers through informational interviews with employees, to learn new tools/concepts through training sessions, and to see whether my project for my internship was a match for my interests. After first listening to my gut, and then putting consideration into this change of sentiments, I realized Industrial and Systems Engineering was much more suited to my long-term goals, and I look forward to the new concepts I’ll be learning in my classes next semester!! This just goes to show how powerful of an experience and internship is, and I definitely recommend to take full advantage of all that you’re offered during that summer.
