WHAT I DID OVER SUMMER BREAK

If you’ve been reading this column for a while, you likely know that each year I interview my daughter for an installment we call “What I Did Over Summer Break.” It has become a fan favorite, though I’ve mentioned before that it’s hurtful because it includes the least of my actual writing talent.

That being said, here we go: (note: per usual, this interview is sponsored by the word “like”)

J: Please tell the at-home audience your name and what grade you're going into.

E: Hi, I'm Evanjalyn, and I am going into ninth grade.

J: Wow… okay. So it is time once again for our annual installment of “What I Did Over Summer Break.” You know, we’ve talked a lot here about transition seasons and how they can be challenging for people. This has actually been a pretty significant transition season for you this summer, hasn't it?

E: It has, yeah, it's been pretty crazy. I mean, okay, so this summer I started a lot of new things and also just stopped a lot of things that had been like pretty consistent in my life. And then, of course, I'm going into ninth grade, so I'm going into my freshman year, my first year of high school, yeah. So it's just the whole situation is that I'm not necessarily scared of high school, or I wasn't necessarily like scared of these upcoming things; it's just that I know there's going to be a lot of adjusting…so it's just something I'm going to have to get used to, and I'm aware of that. I just don't know what that’ll look like yet. I don't know why, but it does feel like such a significant step.

J: I mean, you're leaving middle school, and you had a great middle school career. (Laughs) You were really accomplished, but now you're going to a bigger school, and for whatever reason, high school feels a little bit like, oh, this is a step into the rest of my

life. Like, the classes you choose to take in high school, especially the electives, really have to do with your interests, like things you might like to do as a professional or in a career. So it is a big move. Not to be intimidating, but are you sure you don’t want to just drop out? (Laughs)

E: (Laughs) Yeah, but it's a big transition. When you're a kid, you just like watch all these movies; it's like there's like a million about high school and having this amazing life. That's like completely like fictional, but…

J: I guess that’s true. There's no movie titled “13 Candles.”

E: Yeah, so it's like high school is this huge thing, and it, of course, only happens once in your life, so it's something that everybody looks forward to, even from a young age.

J: Okay, so did you go on any kind of vacation this year?

E: Yes! My mom has always had a bucket list trip to go to Spain, and this year it finally happened. It was really, really cool.

J:  What was it like when you were anticipating the trip?

E: I was kind of like busy getting out of 8th grade. I didn't really have time to adjust. And I don't want people to think that I'm like this, like richy rich…like a person who just gets to do this all the time. I was like, my parents saved this money for a long time. And Mom has wanted to go since she was my age in middle school. Like, this is a really, really big thing for us.

J: What were your overall impressions of the trip?

E: Well, my favorite city we visited is Barcelona. That was really cool.

We went to Barcelona, Valencia, and Madrid, and while we were in Madrid, we did um, uh

a day trip to Toledo. But my favorite place is Barcelona because of the Sagrada Família, which is like the biggest cathedral in the entire world. Yeah, it's literally 200 years in the making.

Its architect was Gaudí, who was like this, like really just crazy good architect, and it was really, really cool to see something that like… I don't know. It's just crazy to see something so intricate yet so huge. It was almost like powerful.

E: Okay, so I came home from the trip, and maybe a week or so later I started working on staff at On The Rock Ministries. Yeah, which is a really, really cool place in our hometown.

J: What kind of stuff were you doing for them?

E: I was doing a lot of work, doing a lot of like arts and crafts and stuff, but most of the time I was there, I was working at the soda fountain. We had ice cream and sodas, and a bunch of food. So I really, really enjoyed it, and I liked working with the kids most of the time… except when they were like screaming a lot.

J: So did you feel like you had kind of crossed over since you had your first job and got

paychecks and all that kind of stuff? Does that make you feel like, oh?

E: I mean, it felt like a new era when it started. I don't know, it was cool to get the paycheck, though. I really like working with people my own age and all the contemporaries. At least I have a few connections at the high school before I go.

J: And then, in the last few weeks of summer, what did you do?

E: I started marching band as a percussionist. It was really, really, really hard. On the first day, I thought I was gonna cry and jump off a roof and bawl every night, and only listen to Radiohead for the rest of my life.

J: So now that you've been doing it for a little bit, what's it like?

E: Um, it's okay. The first day, I was like, this is terrible. Why would anybody sign up to do this? The second day, I was like, Oh, this is terrible. I hate this, but it's a little bit better. And then we got back on Monday. Still terrible, but it's not as bad as it was on Thursday and Friday. You understand why it's like such a big commitment, with all the practice hours we truly need.

J: What are you looking for, study-wise or experience-wise, or culturally as you head to high school?

E: So I'm really excited. I'm excited to do something new. I like to switch it up every once in a while. So it's like… I'm so excited to just like expand my views and meet more people. Like, finding people who are really, really helpful to me in becoming the best me, and vice versa, you know? I'm excited to take more courses that align with what I want to do with my life and my career.

J: Hopefully, you won't be too important or too big to do this with us next year. I appreciate it.

E: It’s possible. Yeah, I mean I thought I was this year, but apparently not…

J: Anything you want to tell the at-home listening audience before we go live?

E: Yeah, be yourself…

J: Okay, friends, thanks for joining us. Thank you, Evanjalyn Jayne Webster, the 3rd, for

doing this with us one more year. How would you rate your summer as a whole on a scale from one to ten?

E: So, six-seven out of ten …

J: OK, thanks for that.

You can hear my full interview with Evanjalyn on the Hope for Humans podcast, available everywhere. It’s well worth a listen.

Until next month, let’s get on with doing the good we can do! See you out in the Ville.