Leia, 16, New York
HIKING
I’ve started to become more active this summer. I don’t have much money to go out and do things with friends anymore so we have to stay home and find something cost efficient to do. The other day my two friends Nikki and Houston and I decided to go on a hike and find this lake in our town we had never visited. We spent all day trying to find it, and when we finally did it was the most reliving thing we have ever felt. Despite all our scrapes and bug bites, it was worth it. It was a beautiful day out and we had such a nice time. After we all ran into the pool and went swimming. The perfect ending to a perfect summer day (and we spent absolutely no money).
Hiking with friends
BONFIRE
Since none of my friends (or myself) have much money anymore we can’t really go out and spend money to do things so we have to work with what we have. We’ve been having bonfires at my friend Houston’s house. We cook food and talk all night. We literally do not spend more than $10 (on the food) and have so much fun. It’s in the middle of the forest so we can be loud and not bother anyone. We like staying out there as late as we possibly can. My group of friends and I have gotten so close this summer because of our lack of money and I have never been happier than I am right now.
Cooking on bonfire
FREE CONCERTS
Free concerts are always nice, always. Jelly NYC put on these amazing shows every summer at McCarren Park Pool until this summer where they are now being held in a different location. Regardless, they get amazing acts to play for you for free. You enjoy the nice summer air and some of the best bands touring right now. One show I am really looking forward to later this summer is when Grizzly Bear play the Brooklyn Waterfront for free, the day before I start my first day of college. It will be the perfect ending to my summer. Who doesn’t love free stuff, especially when it’s good?
Free Concerts
I HAD AN ART EXHIBITION
I had my first photo show a few weeks ago. My photos were printed and mounted and put on display at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn during Northside Festival. There were six other photographers and we all had 7 photos hanging up. I felt so accomplished and so proud of myself. I was the youngest one showing. I had all my friends and family come out to see my photos. It’s so weird seeing them so big, they looked amazing. I was really able to take the time and appreciate what I’ve done for myself in the past four years. I thought about how far I had come, what I had been through, and realized how incredibly worth everything was in the end and that if I put my mind to it (as totally cliche as that sounds), I really can achieve it.
My art exhibition!
ROAD TRIPS/DAY TRIPS WITH FRIENDS
I just got back from visiting my friend’s house in Maine. I went up with three of my best friends and we stayed there for about a week. I had no internet and no cell phone service so it really was a “back to basics” type trip. We would spend all day on the porch playing music for each other, writing songs, sharing our favorite songs, going on walks, and swimming in the ocean. The drive up there from New York is 9 hours (not including traffic and rest stops). I’m the only one of my friends that drove up there with a license so I had to do all the driving in one day. It was hard work but I love driving for hours. You just get into this zone where you forget about everything and just listen to your music. It’s so relaxing I can’t even begin to explain. Spending time with friends like that, you really get to know them since you can’t really escape their company.
Road trip!
SPENDING TIME WITH MY FAMILY
Since I’ll be at college, away from my family starting in a few weeks, I’ve been spending more time with them. I feel like I need to teach my little sister everything I possibly can about high school before I leave, because I won’t be there for her when she needs me. We hang out almost every day doing little things together, but we’ve gotten to know each other much better. I’m really going to miss her and it hasn’t hit me yet that I will not be seeing her every day, that I won’t be able to talk to her about what’s going on in my life or hers all that often. It’s a weird thought, I’ve always had her there for me and I’ve always been there for her. Since I’ve been spending so much time at home, taking advantage of everything I have taken for granted my entire life, I’ve been with my family for much more amounts of time. We have dinners together now, and watch movies together as well. We all don’t have that much money to be going out with our friends all the time, and my dad no longer has a job so he is home a lot more often. We have all this time to spend together that we never had before and I am so grateful.
Family
