Packing and unpacking. x3.

Where has the past month gone?? I said so long to Boston over Memorial Day weekend and I would say it was a bittersweet goodbye. I really did love living in a city and Boston was a great city for my first experience doing such. The weather was just beginning to get nice my final week there and the city was coming alive. I would have liked to experience Boston during the few nice months - kind of as a reward for surviving the harsh winter months! I think my favorite aspects of city living were being able to walk everywhere, how busy and energetic the city is at all hours of the day, and the lack of unsightly parking lots and superstores everywhere. Boston also has great parks, lots of history, and a very diverse, intelligent population. Best of all, it is located on a coast and after growing up 7 hours from the closest water source (besides the beautiful Mississippi), it seemed so luxurious to be able to head to the beach for an hour or two whenever I felt like it! At the same time I found it difficult (though I didn’t really put in too much effort) to meet people and was eager to leave Boston for a more social existence. Overall, it was an easy move since I sold my furniture to the girl who took over my lease. I packed my belongings, stuffed my car, and headed out! I stopped in NYC for a night on the way to help a friend from high school, Mike, move into a new apartment and prepare for summer long, investment-banking internship. Another high school friend, Kaitlin, who now lives in D.C., met us there as well. It was great to see both of them especially since I have no idea when I will have another opportunity to do so! From NYC it was another 20ish hours and 6 states till I was back in St. Louis!

I had just a few days in St. Louis and then it was time for the annual Ratchford family roadtrip to Macatawa, Michigan. Though we go every June and avoid deviation from Macatawa ‘tradition’ (every year we stop at the same rest stop and McDonald’s on the way up, eat at the same local restaurant where Beth always serve us, and prepare the same meals for the other six dinners) it never seems gets old. I look forward to this trip every year and couldn’t imagine a summer without it. I think tradition is part of what makes the place so special since my grandma has been going there since a little girl and the house we stay in is over 100 years old. There is a lot of history and memories there. This year’s week could be summarized by “food, bananagrams, wine, boggle, and more food.” I gained almost ten pounds – that’s how intense the eating is. Beach time was limited as it was a bit chilly! One thing out of the norm did happen this year though! My cousin Katie got engaged!! My soon to be cousin-in-law, Dan, took Katie on a walk up to the sand dunes overlooking Lake Michigan at sunset and proposed! Then they came home, announced it to the family, and we all celebrated with a little Purple vodka due to a lack of champagne. So congrats to Dan and Katie! The wedding will be this spring and I am going to have my first bridesmaid experience so I am excited for that!

the beautiful sunsets

Macatawa Men's Club

the girls

usual nightly game of Boggle

I returned home from Michigan I had just over a week to finish unpacking from Boston and Macatawa and then get everything together for South Africa. Definitely not enough time to organize myself or see everyone I wanted to see. Seemed like a quick visit and now I am on the go again.

Now I’m on a plane bound for Newark on my way to Cape Town! I have been sitting on the Lambert runway for a good 45 minutes so let’s hope the journey gets better from here…

my first cubicle.

At work on Monday I got moved from the 14th floor computer lab to my very own 12th floor CUBICLE. Whoo hoo right? I should be excited because I am clearly moving up in the office world, but really I just see it as I lost my sweet corner office view in exchange for a standard, grey cube of which I am not a fan. For one, I don't enjoy staring at a grey wall all day long and really believe that it is stunting my brain activity. Do they really think that staring at a blank wall will inspire intellectual creativity and promote innovative employee work? Secondly, the homogenous sea of grey boxes is just plain depressing. People seem to try and individualize their cubicles and make them homey with pictures of their family and friends, tropical beaches, and their favorite extracurricular hobbies but for a lot of the employees they are just pictures of people they no longer have time to see and activities and places that they have had to give up all in the name of work. And sure these people probably make a decent living but many of them put in 50+ hour weeks, not to mention the other 10+ per week they probably spend commuting to and from the office. Is it really worth it? I guess many think they have no other choice and some actually like it, but I have noticed that the majority seem like they hate their lives. Anyway, only one more week left at the job! I have recently started a new project that actually requires some use of my brain and has me utilizing things I learned in school, so for that I am thankful.

my old view

old desk at the computer lab, 14D

One week left in Boston! I am going to be sad to say goodbye because Boston really is such a cool city. I am disappointed that I didn't get to explore more of it due to the never ending winter I experienced in the five months I was here. It has just recently started warming up (50s), unfortunately it has also started raining everyday. Nevertheless, I have done a ton of wandering and love that I have gotten a feel for city life. I am planning on moving out next Sunday or Monday depending on the weather - if it's nice I am going to want to stick around and head to the beach! I am determined to get one beach day in while I'm here! I have already started packing though and am getting antsy to hit the road.

So StL in just over one week, Macatawa with the fam in three, and STELLENBOSCH in six! Which by the way, I have officially secured a place to live down there! A girl I met last time contacted me saying that she had an open room in her house so it worked out PERFECTLY! I am going to be living with three other girls, all of which are currently doing the equivalent of their masters at the university, and I am going to be a 15 minute walk from work. It is crazy how well everything is working out, both with Boston and heading back to Stellenbosch!

what I've been watching

Can I make a recommendation? Watch NBC's series Parenthood - seriously, you won't be let down. I'm obsessed.

I only get one channel off of my old school TV antenna and that one channel happens to be NBC. Because of this, my TV is permanently set to NBC whether I like the shows or not (usually not) and subsequently caused me to stumble upon the new love of my life. Since that fateful day about two weeks ago I have managed to successfully watch both seasons 1 and 2, totaling 35 glorious episodes.

It's a drama about a close-knit family: parents, their four grown children, and each of their children's families. Each character on the show has a very developed, relatable personality and deals with everyday, legit issues. They just seem like a family that could live in Chesterfield, Missouri and be seen grocery shopping at Dierberg's after lunch at Bread Co. I feel like I know the family and I find myself watching intently with either a major smile on my face or huge tears streaming from my eyes. I leave every episode with a warm, fuzzy feeling of happiness :)

And the cast is great - Lauren Graham/Lorelai Gilmore plays Sarah, the eldest of the four grown children, so for those of you still mourning the end of Gilmore Girls, this could be your way to move on with life. And remember that great movie from ages ago, Swimfan?? Well the main character, Erika Christensen, plays Julia, one of the other grown daughters.

There are two complete seasons out and I have found most of the episodes online for free since the season is over and it's not being played on NBC at this time. Sadly Parenthood has not yet been signed on for a third season. I will be heartbroken if it doesn't come back. Watch it and get the ratings up!!

TORSCHLUSSPANIK

Spring has come and gone here in Boston. We were graced with two whole days of 60 degree weather and sunshine, now its back to what I am beginning to think is the city's only season - winter. I took full advantage of the warmth however, taking a run along Boston's beautiful esplanade (strip of park along the Charles River that cuts through the city), laying out in a local park to get a bit of sun, and exploring a few of the city's must-see touristy attractions. Boston seriously came alive on those two days and I realized how sad I am that I won't be here over the summer. I have six more weeks here and a whole lot of exploring left to do!

While I have been busy falling in love with Boston, I have also been missing Kville majorly during the last few weeks - who would have ever thought I would be saying that? I want to lay on the couch at The Porch, watch my day pass by without accomplishing anything, and tune into episode after episode of Say Yes to the Dress and Sister Wives. I could also go for some LaPa and a evening at Wrongdaddy's. I secretly miss the chaotic lifestyle of overlapping meetings, pickler study sessions, multiple page long to do lists, and 8am tax accounting classes. College truely is a unique few years that I don't think will ever really be able to be matched - not to say that there aren't just as great years to come.

Random, but I found this and I think I have it...

Torschlusspanik (German) – Translated literally, this word means “gate-closing panic,” but its contextual meaning refers to “the fear of diminishing opportunities as one ages.”

Mini Adventuressss

Two weekends ago my parents paid a visit and we went up north to explore Maine. While beautiful, itwouldhave been a whole lot more fun had it been warm. We picked up allthese brochures at the hotel for hiking, moose observing, whale watching, camping, swimming, kayaking, and the like but of course it was snowing. Instead we went to the world’s largest LLBean store (campus really), saw the world’s largest chocolate moose (my life is now complete…), and drove around to a couple of lighthouses. I think my parents enjoyedseeing my apartment and they left with a bit more understanding of why I am always complaining about theBoston weather!

Last weekend I took a mini road trip down to Newport, Rhode Island. A girl I worked with at Cambridge Associates went to school at Salve Regina University in Newport and was always going on about how beautiful it was so I figured I should probably see it before I move! And you all know how much I just love setting out on a road trip adventure! Anyway, it was absolutely stunning. I had no idea how much history Newport has – it was founded in the 1600s and is home to a bunch of super old mansions and the church where JFK and Jackie got married. Plus it is right on a rocky shoreline. I would love to head back when it gets warm (if that ever happens) and hit the beach!

Things are falling together for my move to South Africa. I bought my flight a few days ago – I fly out of St. Louis on June 29^th, have an extra long layover in London in which I hope to explore the city, and then I land in beautiful Cape Town on the morning of July 1^st. The next step is the find a flat in Stellenbosch. I have been watching Gumtree (the South African equivalent of craigslist) looking for people advertising open rooms because I would rather not live alone. I also had a friend that I met last time I was there tell me that she has an open room in her house so I am really hoping that that works out. She lives with two other girls, which would be a lot of fun. We shall see! I also believe I successfully found a subleaser for my Boston apartment – she even wants to buy my furniture, which is just perfect. I will be able to literally pack my closes and leave at the end of May. From Boston I plan on exploring Canada for a week, then meeting my family in Michigan for 10 or so days, and then spending about a week in the lou before moving on to SA!!

bed bugs, birthdays, and big news

My last few weeks in a nutshell...

I unknowingly killed one of my first Bostonian friends with my bare foot... I woke up the other day and went straight for water in my kitchen before putting in my contacts (you all know I have awful vision). I heard (and felt) a crunch under my foot but figured it was just some crumbs I had forgotten to clean up. Nope, definitely NOT crumbs. I put my contacts in and found a large cockroach in my kitchen, legs still kicking as it fought against death. I seriously got chills all day when I thought about how my foot, my SKIN, had touched that gross intruder. Now I am paranoid and wake up in the middle of the night thinking I hear the scurrying footsteps of cockroaches, rodents, and bed bugs (which are apparently a HUGE deal around here). Like those good old days of lice outbreaks in elementary school...

Last weekend I celebrated a friend's birthday in NYC and had such a good time playing in the city. I forgot how much I love NYC - the fast pace, the hodgepodge of people, and how you can go from feeling like you are in Italy to feeling like you are in China just by walking a few blocks. Perhaps I will have to live there for a bit at some point in my life? Best part by far was walking down Canal Street in ChinaTown and getting caught up in the whole fake bag chaos. Those people seriously have a fake version of anything you could ever want (DVDS, purses, NorthFace, even iPods???) What's the point of a fake iPod? They all thought they were being so sleuth but really doesn't everyone know what goes on down those side streets?

The parentals are headed up for a visit this weekend and we are going to spend a few days in Maine! I already have my grocery and Target list compiled as I think a bit of shopping needs to happen. I'm sure they have missed spending money on me...

Anyway, things are still going well. I am still working at Cambridge Associates and trying to hold on to my sanity. The job really is that bad. They actually asked me to stay another 6 months, and while flattered, I declined. The temp agency I am working with told me I could easily find something better by then. And good thing because................

I'M MOVING TO SOUTH AFRICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, you read correctly! I really am moving back! I was notified the other day that I have an internship at a small NGO called Women on Farms (http://www.wfp.org.za/)! I don't know a whole lot of details but it sounds like I will be working on their Young Women's Project which is mainly about empowering young women in poverty living on the wine farms. And the office is in Stellenbosch, where I studied last year! I seriously have been smiling ever since I opened that email! I don't think it could be any more perfect for me. So now I am trying to find cheap airfare (pretty much impossible), get all my visa requirements together, and find housing. I will leave in June and the internship runs July-December! AHHHHHH - I already started a packing list, that is how excited I am.