Final Post - IT'S OVER!

Well folks, I have officially gone a whole week without purchasing a single item at Rite Aid, CVS, or my biggest weakness; Starbucks. I would call that a huge accomplishment in itself. Before I would run to Rite Aid whenever I "needed" the littlest thing. I have learned to live with what I have and not spend money on trivial wants. My use of facebook was dramatically cut down over the weekend and I can honestly say that the food I ate over the past few days has been some of the best quality and lowest priced local food I have ever consumed.

Transportation -
On Sunday, my mother managed to get me in a taxi once again, after I had specifically told her about the purpose of my project. But, surprisingly, I was okay with getting into that baby blue Crown Victoria. I was tired and didn't feel like shlepping a huge L.L. Bean duffel bag onto the metro at nine am, in my Easter outfit. While this was yet again another low-point in my experiment, I believe that while these two trips in cabs over the past week could have been avoided; they were timely and efficient. I only used the shuttle once between Friday and Tuesday - a huge accomplishment! On Monday I decided it was necessary to make the trek to Whole Foods. My fridge was almost barren and I was in dire need of supplies. I laced up my sneakers and grabbed my debit card, iPod, and dorm key and was off on a jog to Tenleytown. The plan was to walk back with my groceries but I was a little overzealous in that thought. I had bought more than what was comfortable to carry back without my back giving out, again. So I used the shuttle as a means of transportation, but while riding the shuttle, I had a spurt of genius. Drum Roll, please...I should bring my bike to school. A bike is an easy, reliable, and energy efficient mode of transportation.

Food -
Since my food intake at the beginning of the experiment was a complete failure, I decided to go out with a bang and stick to at least one more day of vegetarianism. Over the weekend I was lucky enough to dine with my mother at local seafood restaurants and eat what is considered to be a local fish - rockfish. This is a fish a lot like sea bass, but with less of a carbon footprint, because it is caught in the Chesapeake Bay. On Monday, I was able to stick to a completely vegetarian diet, eating a protein bar for breakfast with a full grapefruit, a boca burger with spinach, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese (all accoutrements were purchased at a local farmers market). When 4 o'clock rolled around and I was beginning to become famished I reached for a Greek Yogurt and some strawberries. I ended my day with a meal of scrambled eggs over a large bed of spinach. It was a great way to end my day of vegetarianism and it really wasn't that difficult! "Meatless Mondays" will now be a staple in my weekly diet plan.

Consumerism -
Starbucks, check. Rite Aid, Check. CVS, check. I can honestly say that I did not purchase a single item from any of these chain corporations during the week and tried my best to contribute to mostly local markets. I feel that I have made a great improvement in this area. I realize that I do not need to have an iced chai tea latte multiple times a week or buy extraneous packs of gum or nail polish from Rite Aid or CVS. Over the full week I only purchased one plastic water bottle, which is a major improvement from the sometimes multiple purchases of plastic bottles in a day.

Technology -
While over the weekend my use of the internet was extremely limited, on Monday and Tuesday I spent the majority of my free time surfing Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter and Netflix. These are my top-visited sites to date. I feel that this was a very difficult part of my experiment because for every hour of homework I do on my computer I always reward myself with a few minutes (which oftentimes turns into hours) of online browsing. Yes, I realize that I am technology obsessed, but that is a common problem for individuals growing up in an era of extreme technological success and growth. However, I have come to understand that I feel more at ease and happy when I spend my time doing activities away from the computer. It is a very distracting yet helpful device.

Positive Impact -
This week I attended "Take Back the Night." It was a great experience that really hit home for me and many of my peers who attended. By attending this rally I felt that I was taking part in an important social movement in supporting women's rights. By just attending this rally I portrayed myself as an ally to those who have suffered from sexual assault, harassment, or rape. It was an extremely moving and unifying experience.

Health and Happiness-
I am a generally happy person, but this week I have tried to make time for myself in ways that I usually find little time for. I have committed myself to a daily workout routine and have found that I have more energy and have been sleeping much better. I love having "me time" while jogging through the streets of Northwest DC and exploring areas near the school. I have brought friends along on a few of my outings and have thoroughly enjoyed our time spent catching up and laughing together. But, I find that when I take the streets alone I am more focused on myself and meeting my goal of staying out for at least forty minutes. Ingrid Michaelson and Lady Gaga help make it easy for me to focus on my goal. I have come back from every outing feeling absolutely refreshed and almost like a different person. All my problems seem to have melted away once I return to hop into a warm shower.

Overall, I have learned so much from this experience. I now know that when I put my mind to it, I am able to live a more active, less popular culture obsessed life. One thing I wish I would have done was keep a real journal. But, maybe this will become my journal. We'll see how I'm feeling by the end of the weekend. But for now, A Bientot.