Kiev

Hi Everyone! I don't have much time right now, but Aaron and I have safely made it to Kiev. We will be here until tomorrow, probably. More updates to follow, with many pictures.

First Summer Video

I have promised my friends I would share pictures and video of my experiences this summer. Here's the first video; it's mostly for me. These are a bunch of the people I've been spending time with so far. In order of people filmed, they are Jon, Karen, David, Emily, Alorah, and Rod. We are all living at pika for the summer. This is Jon and Karen's room, aka Club Loeb.

At the end of this week, I'll be leaving for Russia. Hopefully, this video will help remind me of the awesome times we've had together.

Agenda

Tomorrow:

Packing
1) Sort laundry.
2) Wash dishes.
3) Get rid of notebooks and other things I don't need.
4) Acquire boxes.
5) Put the few things I'll need into a backpack.
6) Put the other things into boxes!
7) Move those boxes to the skylight or to the basement.

Then I'll be done packing. Shazam! All I'll have to add is a toothbrush.

Flights
1) Fix my ridiculous flight problems.
2) Email Joe about flights and international insurance.
3) Ask the UROP department for my transportation reimbursment. (Then I'll have travel moneys.)

I hope that's it. Travelling sure is a lot of work.

Other
1) I have to do my house duty: cleaning the bathroom.

This will be a full day.

Identity

I've been thinking a lot about my identity recently. Who am I? Have I created this identity? Who would I like to be?

I currently see myself as

1) An engineer
2) Someone who creates things
3) Socially conscious
4) A bit of a dabbler
5) Female, I suppose

I think I create my identity based on my actions and choices. This means the person I am is changing constantly. Right now, my identity is on the verge of taking a great leap.

I would like to go from being socially conscious to a social force, elegant, savvy, and in charge. I would like to go from being simply an engineer to someone who creates both physical and social change. Although I want to continue gaining the skills necessary to create simple tools, I would also like to create more complex things that fit into existing infrastructures. I want them to both be useful and look nice. I would like my creations to raise societal questions, and to enable people to come together and respond to those questions.

I would also like to live a life that assumes no lasting legacy, yet is still worthwhile. I would like to be a more honest, open person than I am now, to make connections with people all over the world, and to make great use of the short time I have.

The key to making these changes is to start acting. I'm creating my identity, so I'd better start now. Changing identities is a scary process, though. It means leaving behind the old identity. (I'm quite fond of mine.) What if I fail at being the person I'd like to be? What if I'm not good at the tasks I set before myself?

Oh well, I've done this before. I'm here now. The process turned out well last time, so I may as well try again.

Au revoir, friends.

I hope this post makes sense. I'll post more on the topic later, so be sure to make me clarify!

Party Time!

The governor of New Hampshire just signed into law the marriage equality bill. This calls for a celebration!

What to do, what to do?

More Inspiring Things

I just read an email from Josh. He sent it in response to a picture David and I sent of a dinosaur in a top hat. How can I ever manage to write as eloquently as him? In an attempt to attain such a virtuous level of skill, I'll be reading poetry and novels recommended by friends. In the meantime, however, I'll confine myself to writing only a list for the remainder of this post.

Inspiring Things:

• Clouds moving into the horizon and upwards at the same time
• The man singing "Losing My Religion" at the Central Square T Stop
• The abandoned building that runs along Waverly Street between Chestnut and Putnam
• Lily in a tree house
• The prospect of picnics on the roof of pika
  
• Seeing geese milling about while running the BU-Harvard bridge loop barefoot
• Mixing unusual foods in a dish that turns out okay but not quite right

Yes, I really did mean to title the list "Inspiring Things". I think explaining exactly why would involve a long conversation with some back-and-forth.