June 2022

Jun 25

I decided to keep going with the blog posts because I truly enjoyed writing them. And, it’s a new push for me to keep writing and keep reflecting, skills I always want to be building muscles for.

I LOVE JUNE! June is special as the first month of summer, where slow evening barbeques and watermelon caught in bottom braces are yet fondly regarded; the summer lethargy hasn’t settled in (just wait for mid July). It is one of my favorite months of the year because summer is ripening. It also has just such a cute name (I would rather be named June than say, October or February. Let me know what you think is the prettiest month name and the ugliest).

Juicy of newfound routines, I always loved summer as a kid because it was a way for me to live exactly how I wanted to. With no school limitations and very few obligations, I was free to craft my day however I’d like: ice cream at Jersey Junction at 4pm, going for evening walks at Riverside park at 6pm, and snuggling with my parents to watch Jeopardy at 7:30pm. It felt like my own mini adulthood, especially when I got my license and was able to go most places I wanted to (I still have Indian parents, so this freedom could never really be fully seized).

This June was a month of sweating, working, baking homemade cakes, thoughtful and unthoughtful media consumption, learning about cooking and food, and building healthy routines.

I started my summer internship this month! It’s all very exciting and I really enjoy the people I work with. I think the most telling sign is that I didn’t cry on the first day of work, and I usually cry on my first days of everything due to overwhelming feelings and unmet expecatations. I’m having a lot of inner dialogue about the role of work in my life, how much effort I want to focus on my career, what particular career path I want to explore more, etc. My first couple weeks of work were plagued with a lot more distress than I’d like to admit- though I’m working at a company I’ve always dreamed to be at, there’s always what ifs to think about. Being remote doesn’t help. Also- the professional world is so foreign to me, despite being in business school. I know how to make a friend and overshare and ask you all the questions about what’s been on your mind and what new brand of sunscreen you’re trying, but being a coworker isn’t entirely that type of beat. I’ve had a LOT of thoughts about this topic and would love to discuss them with whoever. The biggest takeaway of all this thinking is something I already knew inherently but was confirmed recently. I went to a Q&A that the senior editor of Ezra Klein’s podcast gave. He mentioned how though now he has his dream job after switching from working in Big 3 consulting for a year, it’s still just work to him. The amount of fulfillment and joy you receive from your job is never going to be enough to tick all your self-care boxes. This made me feel loads better because I’ve been thinking so much about the type of design work I want to do and how it compares to the designing my team does at my internship. And when I start to feel like a fraud for not being a talented visual designer I stop myself because even if I was, I don’t think I’d find any more fulfillment in the work I was doing. In fact, it’d probably just make me more nervous and less able to focus on the other parts of design that I love. Again, lots of thoughts on this because UX is a funky field, so hit me up to talk more about design identity crises.

*almond cake with strawberry cream cheese frosting*

*vanilla cake with a layer of buttercream and ube frosting*

I signed up for a 30 day hot yoga trial subscription at a studio near my house, so June was a very sweaty month. Being a yoga girlie feels so inherent with the other habits I’ve tried to cultivate: being outside, listening to my breath, slowing down and focusing intentionality with the things I do. This whole exercise thing and how happy it makes you is still a new foundation in my life. As I didn’t grow up exercising or playing sports, only in 2021 did I really incorporate some type of constant exercise into (most) months of life. It really does make an immense difference. I’ve also been trying to walk my 10k steps on the days I don’t go to yoga because it’s a low stress but impactful workout! Plus, then I can listen to music or podcasts while getting fresh air. Speaking of music/podcasts, I consumed a lot of media this month, largely because I’m at home and it keeps me both thinking and entertained.

Movies consumed: Big Eyes, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, Drive My Car, My Neighbor Totoro, RRR, Kal Ho Na Ho, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

TV series completed: The Summer I Turned Pretty, The Sex Lives of College Girls, Jeopardy College Championship. Watching The Summer I Turned Pretty reignited the groupchat with my Indian childhood friends and we spent many characters expressing our thoughts on this incredible masterpiece. It’s tragic that this show was so good because it made me deeply nostalgic for childhood summers and crushes that used to consume my brain. That intensity is something that fades with age, and I miss the excitement and drama of uncut feelings. Maturity is overrated.

Books read: Talking With Strangers by Malcom Gladwell, It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover, How The Other Half Eats by Priya Fielding-Singh, The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. Have also started a cookbook collection! So far, we have Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home by Eric Kim and Salt, Fat, Acid, and Heat by Samin Nosrat. Cookbooks are underrated.

June is also so special because it rings in both Jon’s and my birthday, Father’s Day, and summer solstice. Many celebrations were set to this beautiful weather. I went to Ann Arbor for a delightful 21st birthday celebration which was exactly what I wanted- something lowkey with just the homies getting drunk and dancing. I also visited Pearl in East Lansing and we spent some much needed quality time together. We hit the town, went to a barre class, got crepes and coffee, and swam in a pool. With every year I grow more grateful for these friendships that have lasted my lifetime.

Thanks for reading and happy living!

Love,

Rachel

*we went to a barre class and it kicked our asses, this pic is for pearl’s CHAARG insta*

*went to hike at Rosy Mound and dipped our toes in Lake MI*

Rachel Thomas

June 2022

July 2022

Life Abroad: Week Fifteen

Let’s be friends!