Comparing Crème brûlée to Jello.

I tried converting this post into a poem that ended up sounding like nails on a chalkboard, so writing a narrative must suffice. It's the middle of the summer...and where have I gone?

Today, last summer, I was with Michelle doing flips into the Adriatic Sea along the coast of Croatia. I was more tan that I have ever been in my entire life. The smells of Italy and the foods of Greece lay just within my reach. I managed to call a ship my "home".

Where have I gone? What is marking this summer as unforgettable? It marks the last summer I'll be at home, that's for sure. But what stands out so far?

I've worked for a month in Ohio, which became more a part of me than I care to admit. I've come back home to stay with my family, who I miss more than I care to admit. I've spent a week in New York working with Dan Chaon and a group of talented writers who instructed and pushed me forward in my own writing. In three days, I'll be spending a week in Virginia, relaxing and catching up on my reading.

This is what I've done as far as travels go, and although I still manage to compare last summer to this summer, I wouldn't trade art class with my siblings or listening to Moni tell stories about her childhood for Turkey or Egypt.

There is, indeed, a time for everything under the sun. Accepting this fact is an ongoing process for me, but I think I've finally come closer to smiling about it.