208 and a mini life update

November 03, 2019

208 and a mini life update

I have lost touch with my creative side. I no longer sit down to write, and it's affecting me more than I thought it could. Writing, whether it is journaling, attempting poetry, or writing a post for my blog that might, or might not, get published, forces me to take a step back and evaluate where I am in the current moment. When I used to journal regularly I felt happier because I took the time to analyze everyday phenomena like the sun lighting up the trees and reflecting off the water. I would hold on to mundane moments and take in every little detail, trying to remember everything down to the smell, so that I could immortalize it in my journals (which I still possess dating back to junior year of high school).

So here I am, starting anew, for the millionth time, attempting to create a habit that will hopefully stay with me through this busy time. And yes, it has been 208 days since I've last written a blog post, since I've written regularly.

So here I am with (another) mini-life update:

I became the president of my favorite club (the Society of Environmental Engineers, SENVE).
I have an internship at a local water consulting firm, where I receive a ton of hands-on learning opportunities. The company focuses mainly on design projects, but they're also exposing me to some construction management, and I'm really enjoying my time there.
I went home for a week in the summer. (More excitingly, I am going home in less than three weeks!) This was the only week I've been home in almost a year... Growing up is weird.
Elena and I visited Anika in LA, and went to the Getty Museum (and ate delicious ramen and ice cream).
I went to Europe for two weeks with Samantha, where we did the following:

London: ate bread, saw the Book of Mormon, walked lots, saw the place where Paul and John watched Jimi perform for the first time and where Paul met his wife;
Paris: ate more bread (and the best hummus ever), walked across the entire city, vegan pastries, spoke French with locals;
Germany: visited family, ate bread, celebrated dad's birthday, took walks in the woods;
Switzerland: had a reunion with all my friends (basically family), ate bread, went to Lauterbrunnen, revisited my childhood home;
Prague: ate bread, saw most of the city, peddled on water boats, drank lots of chai.

I went to Sequoia National Park with Kat for a work camping trip. Super fun and a great (and easy) hike!
I taught myself how to do a headstand!!
Moved into a house and get to live with the sweetest people in the world.
I passed the FE and am now an Engineer in Training (aka one step closer to becoming a licensed engineer. woohoo!)

Most of my time is currently occupied by my senior project, SENVE, (also studying and homework). I'm applying to Cal Poly for grad school and am hoping to have my master's by June of 2021 in Civil and Environmental Engineering.

This is a promise to myself to focus more on my creative side. Reading, writing, drawing, and mindful movement. To finding the mundane things exciting and appreciating the opportunity to make a difference.

I will attach some pictures below, for those who are interested 😊

Cheers,

Ella