一个非常GG电子官方软件下载的夏天

今年夏天, 去明尼苏达州的一家非政府组织实习, 我决定在学校度过假期. 我的经验 寒假期间住在GG电子官方软件下载 prepared me for life on campus outside of the routine and structure of the academic year. 当夏天开始的时候，我 确定了 以坚定的决心迎接一切.

住房

在夏天, our beloved residential halls are repurposed for everything from hosting alumni during 团聚 为来GG电子官方软件下载就读的高中生提供住宿 暑期文理学院. 因此, those of us who remained on campus were moved to townhouses to make space for everyone else who we would be sharing the campus with over those summer months.

我的室友和我最后被安置在 教授俱乐部, an oddly shaped complex that houses both students and faculty, hence the name. 虽然在学年期间, 这是一栋非常安静的建筑, during the summer it loses that faculty (pun totally intended) to become the living space of students working on campus, 做研究, 通过实习参与进来(像我一样), or, 比如我的室友, 在校外工作.

不可阻挡的GG电子官方软件下载

The number of students on campus might decrease significantly during the summer, 但这并不意味着热闹的GG电子官方软件下载必须停止! There were several opportunities throughout the summer for us to hang out, but here are some of the ways I chose to remain a part of the GG电子官方软件下载 community:

• 派烘焙比赛: 每一年, 黛西·摩西主持了一场馅饼烘焙比赛 that calls not only students and faculty staying on campus, but even some Northfield residents! 在黛西家吃顿饭总是很棒的, but it is even better when it is sunny outside and there is free pie involved.
• 羽毛球俱乐部: 这个夏天，我发现了一个很棒的羽毛球俱乐部. We met twice a week during the summer to play casual pick-up games and stay in shape. Though I am by no means as good as some of the players I had a chance to meet, I still had a lot of fun and I hope I can come back during the term.
• 4^th 七月的烟花; 我很兴奋能第一次参加比赛^th 七月庆典. 校园里的人们都在烧烤. After sunset, I drove to one of the many Northfield locations from which we could see the fireworks. 我和朋友们最后去了当地的中学, where we witnessed the spectacle alongside many Northfield families.
• 生日庆祝活动: several of my friends celebrated their birthdays over the summer. This meant that every couple of weeks we got the perfect excuse to bake a new type of cake and treat ourselves by going out to eat.

明尼苏达所有的颜色

Now, I have officially spent an entire calendar year in Minnesota! I remain marveled by the seamless transitions from one season to the next that yet manage to cover the entire spectrum from freezing cold to melting heat. While fall is probably still my favorite of all four seasons, I absolutely loved the summer colors. The purple sunsets over Lyman lakes made it so that I could barely resist spending dry evenings inside. And yes, mosquitoes are a pain, but have you ever seen fireflies!?

课间一开始, my friends gifted me with a bike that they themselves had put together from scraps and taught me how to ride it! Having a bike allowed me to gain a greater appreciation for the beautiful outdoors that surround the campus. Riding to the supermarket after work, I got to watch a local puppy grow up in his family’s backyard. Sitting on a bench on one of our islands with a good book I got to see everything from fathers and boys fishing to high school seniors taking graduation pictures. My favorite evenings were the few I spent watching the sunset in an empty Bald Spot, 冰淇淋在手.

住在诺斯菲尔德

The hectic rhythm of the academic year can make it easy to forget that GG电子官方软件下载 is not a self-sufficient ecosystem and that we are part of the larger Northfield community. 然而, 夏天天气很好, 过多的当地庆祝活动, and all our free time make it the perfect excuse to go out of campus and mingle with town residents. Though I was still confined to my makeshift home office from 9 to 5 on weekdays, 我认为我很好地利用了剩下的时间, getting to know a little better the place that so kindly hosts us.

• 和我一起出去玩 我的学员! 在夏天, 我们的关系更加紧密了, 毫无疑问，她仍然是我每周最开心的事. We took advantage of the favorable weather whenever we could and went on walks around downtown that included ice cream tasting, 买泰迪熊, 玩飞盘!
• 我的大部分 基督教的朋友 暑假结束后，我开始自己去教堂. 虽然一开始有点吓人, I was welcomed and integrated into the small but strong fellowship of Northfield 社区 Church. It was super nice to get to know some of the couples and families that go there and to know I have a support network outside of campus too.

• I remained connected to the Northfield families I had befriended during the school year. 其中一位甚至邀请了我，还有几位圣. Olaf and local school students, to spend a weekend in a cabin in Wisconsin! It was a fantastic experience, and I truly enjoyed meeting folks from the other side of the river.
• I’ve got to take this opportunity to shout out this summer’s MVP: 诺斯菲尔德公共图书馆! 我非常喜欢图书馆 -我认为他们是小乌托邦, 每个人都受到欢迎, 人们对彼此都很好, and you can gain access to almost any knowledge your heart could ever desire. 自然，我决定办一张自己的图书证. Many a rainy evening was saved by the latest movie, graphic novel, or history book I had taken out. 真是一个奇妙的地方.

所以，你得到了它! 我在校园的暑假有起有落, but the variety of challenges it presented me with allowed me to learn a little more about myself and the world around me. 我会再做一次吗? 绝对! 我希望在未来的夏天我也能做到.

后 国外三个月, Guatemalan sophomore 法蒂玛 (she/her) is looking forward to continuing her pursuit of a 索安主要 和一个 辅修教育研究. In addition to blogging, she works at the GG电子官方软件下载办公室 and the Spanish department. Outside of class, 法蒂玛 can be found watching cartoons, poorly playing the piano, 参加圣经学习或者极度想念她的狗科斯莫.  认识其他博主!