I Have Never Seen Someone Eat a Bell Pepper Like An Apple Before

This weekend was busy and bittersweet, buddies.

On the Fourth, Caitlin, Karina, Madison, and I met up to go see the Fourth of July festivities in Boston! Okay, actually we went to Cambridge because we figured the main site of the concert, the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade, would be too crowded - this seemed to pretty much be the case because Karina couldn't even walk across the bridge from Boston to Cambridge since they closed it due to the crowds.

I don't know how well known the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is outside of Massachusetts, but basically every year the Boston Pops Orchestra (which is, like, a sister orchestra to the Boston Symphony I think) puts on a big free concert with fireworks at the Hatch Shell (this outdoor stage on a park called the Esplanade along the Charles River). They also get a few other artists to perform: this year it was Queen Latifah, Amanda Mena (a high schooler from a city near Boston who was on AGT), and Arlo Guthrie (Woody Guthrie's son!). Even though I've grown up so close to Boston, I've never gone to the concert because it's always super crowded and people camp out since early morning along the Esplanade to get a good spot.

Thankfully, we didn't have to get to Cambridge all that early, rolling in around 4 PM and hanging out along the waterfront until the concert started at 8. We were by this Yacht Club and there were lots of other people around, so we got to see/meet some cool characters. Like this man who brought two crock pots on to his Yacht - we debated stealing his boat or asking him if we could join him but we decided against it. Or the lady who I witnessed eat a yellow capsicum like an apple and then, moments later, start in on a whole cucumber. Or this absolute legend who was kind enough to take a picture with us:

Karina saw this picture and said: "Erin you look like you're having the best day of your life"

Mbates :-)

The fireworks were really pretty too. The announcers kept saying that they would be the "most dazzling fireworks you've ever seen" and I must admit that though I am always dazzled anew everytime I see fireworks, I would agree with that claim. We were so close to the water that we kept getting sprayed with firework ash but it was pretty spectacular nonetheless.

Yachts, styling courtesy of Google Pixel (not sponsored)

After the festivities finished, the T was free (For this we thank Madison, who we all know was solely responsible for this decision) and even though we were worried about the crowds we ended up being able to travel pretty efficiently - thanks public transit! I spent the night at Caitlin's to avoid the crowds going home, and I think we actually managed to get to bed by midnight.

The next day me and Caitlin tried to cram in a few things we had been meaning to do all summer, since we knew it was going to be one of the last times we saw each other this summer (she'll be back in Singapore once Naoni and I get back from Japan). We went to the MFA and looked at some of the cool instruments, and this awesome fashion exhibit on gender in fashion they had going on:

Then we headed to Faneuil Hall, where I picked up a couple last minute items for Japan and looked -fruitlessly - for some cute maple syrup bottles for my host families. We stopped in Chinatown for some Banh mi, then headed back to Caitlin's neck of the woods to get a watermelon for the watermelon eating competition we had been planning. Even after an emergency Target run once we discovered that the knife I brought was not up to the task of cutting the meat for our dinner, let alone two watermelons, we were having a pretty great time.

Karina joined us for the watermelon eating festivities and we each enjoyed a delicious half watermelon (Caitlin won the competition, it must needs be said), and afterward we enjoyed a delicious meal that Caitlin prepared for us. She said it was one of her favorite meals from home and even though she mostly intuited the process of preparing the meat, she was really happy with how it came out, and so were we. All in all, a pretty good day.

Our victims :/ we decided not to name them bc we couldn't afford to get attached

Karina digging in

she devoured it in seconds i assure you

the meal chef Caitlin graciously provided

The next day, I met up with Karina and Caitlin again, this time featuring our very own Naoni Rosemond! We caught up a bit in Caitlin's apartment, grabbed some bubble tea, and snapped this spicy picture of Rachel's secret side hustle:

I got to catch up a bit more with Naoni today because I met up with her and Caitlin in the morning and Naoni came home with me since we're leaving for Japan in just 3 short days (aaaa!!) Saying goodbye to Caitlin and Karina was the big bittersweet part of this weekend. I told Caitlin I would try to take pictures of any ads I see for the new Makoto Shinkai film that just came out in Japan while I'm there, and Karina and I wondered if maybe one or both of us would be bald next time we see each other (we decided it's okay, as long as it's baldness by choice). Interesting goodbyes to be sure (especially since Caitlin and I hugged and said goodbye "forever" at least three times this weekend), and it's still weird as always to know how different next year will be, but the passage of time...just passes anyway, huh. Hard to philosophize about it more than that sometimes.

Especially when I'm about to board a plane bound for Tokyo in less than 100 hours. Who knows where I'll even really be next time I'm posting, or with what wifi...hmmm

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Also look at this meme Caitlin agreed to do with me even though she didn't know what I was talking about. I've been planning this all summer. It's my proudest achievement of the past few months: