I started off this past summer with a few celebratory fist-bumps after finishing the last Spanish class of my life. The next few weeks I spent working in Brussels as an intern for a member of the European Parliament, specifically representing the southeast part of England. I lived with two different host families during this time and learned a lot about the history and culture of Belgium. This was my first time in Europe, and I spent most of my non-working hours on an unofficial diplomatic mission, promoting American values and superiority in various Belgium bars and pubs. Needless to say, by the time I left continental Europe they had all come around to the idea of a two-party political system, and had agreed that ‘football’ was played with shoulder pads and helmets, not with shin guards.

The rest of my summer consisted of working as an intern for Bank of America in St. Louis, catching up with good friends from high school, taming a wild stallion, and spending a few afternoons floating on local Missouri Rivers. I enjoyed seeing my family and friends back home while forming new opinions to write about for The Observer this year. Although this summer was great I’m happy to be back in action at BC, and look forward to junior year.