This summer was the best and most transformative so far. Over the summer I worked in the mornings at the pool teaching kids from he age of 4 to the age of 11 how to swim. This was my second year working at this job and I still genuinely enjoyed it, I've always loved swimming and little kids so this is an ideal combination.

When I wan't working I usually spent my time with my friends. As someone who goes to school on the West side of Portland but lives on the East side, it can be hard to coordinate plans with friends who live so far away. So this summer I spent most of my time with the friends who I have made over the last year who go to different schools and live on the East side. This also gave me the chance to explore the area that I live in more, and as East Portland is alive with creativity and excitement, especially in the summer months, this was a really good experience. Over the summer I would go on bike rides a lot, have picnics and walk around on Mt. Tabor, play soccer at local parks with my friends, and try to find new food to try in the many and varied restaurants available.

I also tried to expose myself to more nature and the outdoors this sumer by biking and walking around. The most adventurous thing I did this summer was white water rafting. I went for a family adventure and ended up really enjoying it, we went off the tallest commercially rafted waterfall in the Pacific NorthWest and I jumped off a bridge that was 20 feet in the air. This is a bit out of my usual daily routine though this experience made me realize I would like to incorporate activities like this more in my life. We also spent some time as a family at Cannon Beach, admiring Haystack Rock and the cold waters.