High School Graduation & Summer in Europe

First of all, I am so sorry for disappearing for so long! It's been a while since my last post, but I promise I have a pretty good excuse. A LOT has happened since then, and I'm now officially a Northwestern student. Let's rewind a bit...

I finally graduated high school!! After four years of classes, exams, extracurriculars, research, college applications, and so much more in between, it was so nice to finally celebrate everything with the people who made it worthwhile.

Graduation was so much fun, and obviously I had to go all out with the regalia: 3 stoles, 9 cords, and 6 medals. And of course, I topped it off with a cap decorated with the NU logo.

I also threw a graduation party and invited all my closest friends and family. Getting everyone together, celebrating, eating way too much food, and just enjoying everyone's company was the perfect way to close out high school.

After graduation, I got to spend two weeks traveling through France and Italy with some of our closest family friends. It was my first time visiting both countries. We spent four days in Paris at an Airbnb just 10 minutes walking distance from the Eiffel Tower. We visited the Louvre, rode on the Ferris wheel, and walked around the Arc de Triomphe. One of my favorite things was riding Lime bikes all throughout Paris. We got to see so much more of the city that way.

We flew into Naples and made our way to Sorrento, where we spent five days exploring the coast. We visited different parts of the Amalfi Coast and enjoyed some of the best food I've ever had. We also took a boat over to Capri, which was absolutely gorgeous. But probably my favorite experience was our sunset cruise on that same yacht.

After that, we headed to Rome for another five days. And yes, we got to ride Lime bikes again! Apparently, that's becoming my preferred method of transportation whenever I travel. Rome was so interesting just because of how much history is packed into one city.

We visited Mt. Vesuvius, which was both fascinating and heartbreaking. We also visited Vatican City, the Roman Forum, the Colosseum, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps. I loved seeing all these places in person, especially the ancient architecture.

And, of course, we had gelato multiple times a day. No regrets whatsoever. Coconut gelato is my favorite, and I stand by that choice.

And, after all of that, I'm now here in Evanston! I promise I'll actually start posting again. I have a lot to catch everyone up on, especially my first couple of weeks at Northwestern. I'll see you soon!

– AnthroManTalks