Just like the rest of the school-aged population, my ideal summer involves bad tan lines and windswept hair. Luckily for me, my 2018 summer has those as well as everything else from a mid-2000s teen rom com. From the time school let out until the end of May, I spent the majority of my time living my best life, which obviously means messing up my sleep schedule and going out with friends until I just wanted to stay in all day and watch Netflix. My friends and I hit the soccer field every day and spent the afternoons lounging by the pool until we were either beautifully tanned or badly burnt.
As much as I would’ve loved to stay there for the remainder of the summer, I had been accepted into the Tennessee Governor’s School for Computational Physics and, as such, left behind my friends for three weeks to do everything from touring nuclear energy facilities and seeing the largest supercomputer in the world to coding partial differential equations in order to model three dimensional projectile motion. Now, three days from the end of the program, my schedule consists of four hours of classes followed by twelve hours of playing campus-wide games of manhunt, heading to the Foy recreation center for a workout or swim, and one am pizza and movies.
While I’ve gotten very used to the easy-going and relaxed environment here, I’m headed to England for my dad’s doctoral graduation and I can’t wait to have a fast-paced two weeks while I’m there. I’m excited for the shopping, culture, and hiking that my family and I will have the chance to relive from the first time we traveled to England as we stay in the Lake District near Keswick for the second time. I’m hoping to spend my days roaming around the mountains and lakes in the area and finding the best coffee spots for myself. While I’m staying there, I have the opportunity to see both Hamlet at the Globe and Hamilton in London — two of my favorite shows. When I get home from my two weeks abroad, I’m planning to spend the rest of my summer unwinding and completing all of my summer work that I’ve procrastinated on before returning to the monotony of school. I hope you’ve been inspired by my plans and that you have a great summer!
