Loner

I had a wonderful weekend; the weather was nice, the food was good, the pace was relaxed. On Friday, I went grocery shopping, made dinner, listened to music, wrote letters, and watched Paris Je T'aime. Then, on Saturday morning, I woke up without an alarm, headed out to Brighton Center, walked in the lovely brisk air, and got to know a new neighborhood:
That afternoon, I ventured into Jamaica Plain (one of my favorite areas in Boston) with a friend and enjoyed admiring and eating various delicious creations. Then, that night, I got to skype/talk with two of my dearest friends from home. Yesterday, I woke up late, packed a lunch, and had a picnic with a different friend in a garden on campus, and then spent a few hours copy-editing a paper about Arabic dialects. I headed back to my dorm, did laundry, experimented with filo dough, ate the tasty lasagna-like result with another friend, made cookies, and then shared them with a group while playing Catchphrase. I went to sleep, woke up, and here I am, avoiding homework.

Like I said, this weekend was great, but it also reaffirmed something I already knew about myself: that the less people I'm with, the happier I am. Exploring Brighton Center on my own was certainly the best part of my weekend; I also really loved spending some one-on-one time with individuals I care about. Laughing and playing games with multiple people like I did last night, however, is difficult and emotionally draining for me. I don't like it. I try to challenge myself and do it anyway sometimes, but I would so prefer just sitting with one person and engaging them. Those are my favorite memories, when you aren't even talking, just sharing an experience together: looking out on Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Beach with Lisa, sitting and crying on the grass outside my high school with Jessica, discovering the Spanish Art Village with Bethany. Those are the moments I love, that I want to create. But sometimes it's hard to live according to my heart's desires; college doesn't encourage introversion.