Summer in Baltimore

The summer has begun, and I'm settling into summer life quite nicely. I have to balance between the freezing cold of the Alumni House (I have no idea why it's always so cold- menopausal women? penguins?) and the heavy humidity of outside, but other than that things are good. Today I got to do a phone interview with one of the executive staff members of Burning Man. It was cool to speak to her, and visit the website for hours and have it count as work. The Alumni House is shaping me into a little journalist, something I have no previous experience of yet am happy to become. It's also nice working at the Office of International Studies. I'm really big on travel, so even looking up program after study abroad program is pretty interesting.
Today I talked to the program director for the Mali study abroad program I'm going on in the fall, and right now it looks like I am going to be learning how to make bogolan, or mud cloth (think batik, but Malian). Also, it seems I will be learning enough Bamana to be competent, even without classes, which is good. If I weren't a French minor needing the credits, I would definitely take Bamana as my language option.
After a week in the office, it's nice to get away for the weekend. I go to Hampden, a fun neighborhood in northern Baltimore, to visit my boyfriend and some friends. It's a nice escape, plus pretty easy to get around. So far we've been to the Charles Village festival, Jazzfest in Federal Hill, and Honfest, right down the street in Hampden! Baltimore is full of festivals, though many of them are very similar. Still, it's fun to experience the sights and sounds and especially people-watch. It's also fun to have a full-size kitchen that I don't have to share with a whole residence hall full of people. And the grocery store is in walking distance! I'll definitely work on learning to cook better the rest of the summer. That and learn to ride a bike...
While Hampden is good, it's also nice here in Towson. The roommate situation is really good, and I have fun working out in the morning and then eating breakfast in our ENORMOUS common room. I also like going into town, the library will probably be my new favorite place to go in Towson (not like I had an old favorite place). Oh, and getting boba on the way back. A goal Tatiana (roommate) and I have set for ourselves is to find more boba, hopefully even good boba, in Baltimore. Does anyone know a good boba place?
Well, enough for tonight! I'll write more if anything exciting ever happen!