It feels strange to wake up in the morning without having to face unfinished homework or a pile of new vocab words. Being done with Middlebury is a wonderful feeling.

This session was much more difficult than I expected. Our class was very discussion-oriented, and we worked with a lot of articles and listening clips outside the standard textbook. Toward the end of the summer, we were choosing the listening clips for class and we were leading class discussions. The professors just helped the discussions along if needed. Though I really struggled though class at times, I feel like I am more prepared to improve my Arabic and direct my own path of study.

Now that I am back at home in Portland with my family, it is time for me to start preparing for Morocco. I’ve signed my contracts, procured a (one-way) ticket to Casablanca for the 5th of September, and… that’s about it. I have a little less than a month to gather the things I think I’ll need but won’t be able to buy in Morocco, and, perhaps more importantly, really start thinking about the change that is coming, and what exactly it is I want to get out of the year abroad. Of course, improving my Arabic and completing my research project is at the top of the list, but I came out of Middlebury thinking, what exactly do I want to do with this skill that I am working so hard master? Teach? Translate? Government work?

I realized that I was not as diligent at taking photos as I should have been, but here are some from Washington DC.

Humble Lodgings in Washington DC

Though I spent most of my time in Washington DC at various meetings in the hotel's basement, I did get to see a small sliver of the city.

Jessica, her sister and I walked to the White House after picking me up from the airport.