Updates, reflections and realizations

Dear friends and family,

I have learned, over the past 2ish months, that it is hard to maintain a meaningful, interesting blog. I haven't posted an update in a while because, frankly, nothing interesting has happened to me. I have been giving more tours and getting to know the newest batch of interns, but that's about it.

One might ask, "well, why isn't she out exploring the city, finding interesting things to talk about?!" The answer to that question is that I work a full-time job, and I am tired a lot. I feel like a grown-up. Aside from this stint in Venice being a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I am beginning to see my time here as a warm-up for the real world, an incline between college and life.

This thinking all started a week or so ago when the new interns arrived and nearly all of my friends left. The only intern left from June is Whitney, my dear friend from Lake George, NY. Besides general experience gained over time, Whitney and I survived Biennale opening week, including brutal 18-hour workdays (complete with 6-hour guarding shifts in heels and formal gowns). We are seasoned pros, and the new interns - sans Biennale bustle - are learning at a snail's pace. There is something to be said for being thrown into something and working your way through it. It makes you tougher and wiser. Whitney and I are - by far - the toughest and wisest interns. So, naturally, we get a lot of questions. And responsibilities. And headaches.

Even though it may sound like I am complaining, part of me enjoys the attention. I like knowing about the collection and how it functions. At the same time, there isn't much more for me to know; I am simply a doer and teacher at this point. I like learning, and I think that my complacency is related to the lack of things to learn at this point in the internship. My mind and body are ready for something else.

Never, not in a million years, did I expect to leave Europe happily. But I will leave Venice with a smile on my face and arrive in the States with an even bigger one. I will always come back to Europe, but I will always return to the States again. That is something I didn't expect to learn this summer. There is something to be said for home even if you tire of it sometimes. I will miss the PGC when I leave, but my time here is almost done. For now, that is...

With love,

Lindsey