I’ve been on summer vacation from school for almost a month now, without much eventfulness, which is honestly good in my opinion. I have been working as a counselor in the university’s Summer College for High School Students program and have spent my mornings attending class, my afternoons reading and enjoying the sun, and my nights either helping students or spending times with the friends that are in town.

However, my lazy summertime escapades are going to change. Twice.

Next week, I am traveling to Washington DC with my group of students. They are participating in a leadership program in which they take a public speaking course and a political science introductory course and get to travel to DC for a week in order to meet political figures, tour congress, and much more. I am excited to tag along for a few reasons:

1. I have not visited DC since spring break of the 8th grade.

(look at this little stunner on the Mall)

2. I actually have a substantial question for my state senator.

3. I want to take the cheesy pictures in front of the monuments and memorials.

4. I get to travel.

Not that I don’t love Oxford, but I think that I am just getting a little stir crazy being cooped up here without much chance of travel. Which leads me to my next change this summer.

On July 3rd, I and five other students from around the United States, will be traveling to Havana, Cuba for three and a half weeks to study Spanish language and culture.

I honestly don’t really know what to expect, but I do know that despite what some people have been telling me (“Oh, don’t get kidnapped!” or “Oh, so does that mean you’re a communist or something?”), this is an opportunity that I would be honestly stupid to pass up. The best time to go is now, especially since the US and Cuba have improved relations and Cuba has not become catered towards US tourism yet (hopefully not ever).

While I am nervous due to my perceived lack of strength in my language skills and the extreme cultural differences, I am ready to do this. I have not been out of the country since spring break of my senior year, but even that was just to a resort in Mexico. This time, I will essentially be out on my own, with a residence hall to go back to, not an all-inclusive resort hotel on a (almost) white sand beach.

I am going to try to keep this blog updated throughout the summer, however I will be taking a three week hiatus in July because in Cuba, all I will have is one dial-up computer that I will have to share with everyone else in la residencia. And that is just something I cannot deal with. I don’t think I’ve had to use a dial-up computer since maybe 2003.

We’ll see if I actually keep up with a blog this time.

This is attempt número tres.

Come on, Romary. Get it together.