As the summer is coming to a close, I have been reflecting. I always try to learn things from new and past experiences. This summer, I have learned a lot about myself and what truly makes me happy.

1. Working is a necessity

When I’m in Winona, I only worked through the month of May at my on-campus job. Once June hit, I was currently unemployed until school starts. I wish I tried applying for different jobs. I realize how beneficial it is for me to have money for groceries and constant beauty necessities. As the summer is coming to a close, I realize that I don’t really have a lot of money right now. For next summer, working will be a number one priority because I love making my own money. It gives me independence.

2. Music Festivals aren’t really my thing

This summer, I went to Electric Forest. Although I didn’t publish a blog post about it, I had a really good time. It was an interesting experience. That being said, I don’t think music festivals are really my thing. Would I go back to the Forest? Probably not. It’s not that I hated my time there, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. This is what happens when we try new things. We could discover places that we really enjoy or find events that aren’t up to our alley. Electric Forest was one of them.

3. When Traveling plan for emergencies

So this goes back to Electric Forest. While we were there, my van shut off. Of course, me and my friend had my car towed. We had to stay in a hotel for an extra night plus a taxi cab ride to get my van. Overall it cost around 220 dollars which I didn’t plan for. It’s good when traveling to put money aside for emergencies. It sucks that it happened, but having my car break down and being stuck 10 hours away from home, put a lot of perspective on the situation.

4. Experiences > “stuff”

This statement demonstrates that I would rather spend money on experiences than “stuff”. I tend to spend a lot of my money on clothes. However, I know in the long run, it’s better to spend money on concert tickets or a trip or gas to get somewhere because I will remember that experience forever. I won’t remember the outfit I was wearing when I traveled (unless it’s in the pictures we took).

There were so many more memories that I made this summer. This summer was full of firsts. First summer in Winona, first road trip, and first convention other than Convergence! It’s good to be young and to try new things. It helps to grow and mold the person you become.