But first, let me take a Selfie

While you're in college or when you move away from home social media essentially becomes a way of life. Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day to have hour long phone conversations but in 10 minute chunks scattered throughout the day you can see what all your friends are up to. Social media essentially saved my friendships from high school. Between working and going to class I did not find anyway to fill my friends in on my life and next thing I knew I was starting to lose contact. However with Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter I started to regain the connect I originally had. But with those three you lose a personal connection because what you post becomes visible to everyone. It actually all changed when I downloaded Snapchat. At first I was very hesitant about the app because it just seemed weird, why wouldn't someone just take a picture and text it? When I downloaded it the hype all started to make sense. Since the photos don't save you don't have to worry about random pictures taking space on your phone and it was much quicker than texting. I could take a picture in class and caption it "bored" and send it to a friend who then would reply with something very similar. They are all actually really pointless "snaps" back and forth but you feel the one on one connection again with the friends you once lost contact with. So I thank Snapchat, a very weird concept that is actually genius.

And their ghost is adorable.

Unwind

As embarassing as it is to say as a 22 year old I have to admit one of my favorite book genres are young adult books. The science fiction and fantasy books that fall into this category are especially my favorite. Dystopian society books seem to be all the rage right now, from the Hunger Games to the Giver, they are sparking interest with people of all ages. One book I found especially fascinating this summer is called Unwind by Neal Shusterman which came out in 2007. 

It takes place in a society where children aged 13 through 18 are sent to camps by either their parents or the government. These are not fun summer camp but instead harvesting camps where children have all their body parts taken apart to be donated. Now in their society they are not "killing" these children because their body parts are alive in other people's bodies. The book explains why these "harvest camps" came to be and why these children end up there so I don't want to spoil it for you. 

 

Without giving too much away the book follows three teens who have been scheduled to be unwound. This story is about their journey to be unwound and the different reasons why they are there. This is an incredible book that I highly recommend. It is a story you do not want to put down. Overall I would give the book 5 stars.

 

 

(p.s. they're making it a movie)

House of the Temple

I was nervous walking up to this giant white building in a neighborhood near DuPont for my first real interview. The two huge Sphinxes on the outside were slightly intimidating and this was a job with the Freemasons after all. The full title of the building is The House of the Temple the Supreme Council of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry 33rd degree. 

My fears were all for nothing. I met the most amazing people in one of the friendliest atmospheres. I was more than ecstatic to receive the e-mail saying I got the internship. Almost a year later I am still there because it is hard to say goodbye to such a fun place. 

My internship is unique because I come in contact with the most interesting people almost everyday. Since Washington, D.C. is a hub for tourism so many different types of people from different states and countries constantly visit the building. This makes work unpredictable everyday. 

When my friends complain about their internships or jobs or even being unemployed I realize how fortunate I was to find this job. The building is filled with the nicest people you could ever imagine. Everyone is always willing to help you out or answer any questions you have. Not only is the building beautiful but the organization is very interesting. I do also find it very unique to say I had this opportunity to work with such a well known organization.