Hello guys, gals, and non-binary pals! Today, since this is my last blog post, we’re going to be talking about my first summer in Amherst, Massachusetts! I’m going to be sharing with you all of my favorite things that I did and some examples of fun things you can do while at Amherst College.
1. Working as a Summer Intern at the Office of Admissions
The main thing I did this summer was work as a summer intern at the Office of Admissions. I really loved this job, because I got to meet people from all over the world. I always loved chatting with prospective students and learning about what they were looking for in a college. It was really cool to see how different everyone’s interests were. My favorite part about giving tours was always the conversations that I had with people after the actual tour was over. I loved getting to connect with people and share whatever advice, knowledge, or wisdom I could with them.
2. Living in the Greenways
This summer, I stayed in the Greenway Residence Halls. I really loved getting to live here since I was only about a five-minute walk away from the Office of Admissions. I also appreciated having access to AC during hot summer days. It was also really great having a kitchen close by because I was able to cook my own meals whenever I wanted to! Below is a picture of how I decorated my room for the summer.
I had a lot of free time during the summer to pursue some hobbies that I had forgotten about during the academic year. I practiced guitar, learned how to crochet (you can find a picture of one of the crochet projects I did this summer below), played Terraria with my friends who weren’t on campus, and read through the Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It was fulfilling to be able to do things just because I wanted to again.
3. Exploring the town of Amherst
I got to go to so many fantastic restaurants and shops this summer! Some of my favorite places that I went to are Amethyst, a cute little crystal shop in downtown Amherst, Hadley Scoops at the Silo, an adorable local dairy farm and ice cream shop, IYA, one of the best sushi restaurants in town, and India House, which quickly became my favorite Indian restaurant in the Pioneer Valley Area. Getting to explore so many different places and find my favorites amongst them was such a fun experience! I also loved going to the farmer’s market on Saturday mornings, getting some breakfast there, and buying some fresh produce! My favorite stand there was called Egg & Company, and I adored getting their egg wraps whenever I could!
4. Making New Friends
Sadly, the majority of the friends that I had made last school year were not staying on campus this summer. However, I decided to use this as an opportunity to branch out and meet some new people! It admittedly took me a while, but I eventually found a bunch of new friends. I really loved getting to hang out with them this summer! From bonfires to open mic nights to late-night movies, hanging out with them was always a great time!
5. My birthday!
My birthday always lands smack dab in the middle of summer at the end of June, and this year I wasn’t too sure what I was going to do for it. My friend ended up coming down for a visit, and we went and got brunch at the Black Sheep together. There happened to be a live band playing music that day inside the restaurant, and I ran into another person celebrating his birthday as well! We then just relaxed for the rest of the day, watching documentaries, eating homemade brownies, and talking for hours on end. It was such a fantastic birthday! Everyone around me made it feel so special, and I’m really grateful that I got to hang out with such amazing people!
6. 4th of July Trip to Vermont
For the 4th of July, I decided to take a short little trip up to Vermont to visit my partner. I took the Amtrak train up to Montpelier and stayed with her for a couple of days. We shared some really good pizza together on the first day, and I spent a long time petting her two dogs, Lucky and Darwin. The next day we went to the farmer’s market up in St. Johnsbury where I had the best strawberries that I had ever tasted. We came back and made some Shepherd’s pie together and spent the rest of the night relaxing and playing board games. For my last day there, we decided to make some hamburgers together, light up some sparklers, and roast marshmallows over a bonfire. It was such a great trip, and when I eventually got back to Amherst, I slept for about 11 hours.
A note of gratitude
This summer ended up being a much-needed break to really slow down and appreciate the things that I had taken for granted last year. I am so glad that I had the time and opportunity to do this while still being able to have adventures all over the New England area! I am so grateful for all the people I met this summer, the places that I got to explore, and all the time to learn more about myself and the world around me! This is my last blog post, so I want to give a shout-out to all of you who have read my blog! I hope you were able to learn more about me, Amherst College, and what being a student here can look like! As always, if you would like to reach out with any questions, my email is cocallaghan25@amherst.edu! I hope you all have a great rest of your summer! 🙂