Summer Stories With ACES Upperclassmen

Summer, like all wonderful things, must come to an end. If summer is slipping through your fingers, ACES students Ana Phanjavidze ('23), Victoria Romao Nobrega ('23), Cecile Maxi (‘23), and Parizoda Axrorqulova ('24) have the ideal end-of-summer stories for you.

Q: Are you a summer person?

Vic: I am definitely a summer person. I love going to the beach and reading. Also spending time with my friends and family.

Ana: I definitely love summer but I still see myself as a winter person.

Parizoda: Summer is not my favorite season! I am an autumn girlie. Rather than going to the beach, I like to walk through Central Park with my cappuccino while the trees are covered in vivid yellow and orange leaves.

Cecile: Yes. Summer is my favorite season I was raised in Haiti and we only have 2 seasons over there.

Q: Where did you travel this summer?

Vic: I started my summer by going to Greece with the Honors Program, then I went home to Brazil to visit my family, and finally I spent a week in Argentina with my best friend.

Ana: I traveled to Greece and Georgia.

Parizoda: This summer, I visited Uzbekistan, namely the city of Samarkand. I hadn't been there in almost four years and was excited to go back.

Cecile: This summer I went to Canada, Chicago, Boston, and Haiti.

Q: What did you explore? Or what kinds of activities did you do during the trip?

Vic: While in Greece we visited many historical sites, the beach, and museums. In Brazil, I went to my mountain house and spent a lot of time with my family, and got to read a LOT. And in Argentina, I and my best friend went bar hopping (we are both 21 and the drinking age there is 18), and skiing.

Ana: I went to Greece with the Honors program therefore we explored a lot of cities, museums, archeological sites, local restaurants, and so on. In Georgia, I spent most of my time in my hometown but I also traveled in the mountain area, visited my favorite ski resort, and went to the Black Sea. 

Parizoda: I spent most of my time on vacation with my family. We did so many fun things with my cousins, such as going to an amusement park, discovering different landmarks, trying different foods, and attempting to learn how to bake.

Cecile: I went to a lot of family gatherings, so I mostly hung out with my cousins and got to know them better. We tried a lot of new restaurants, we went to the fair, the movies and concerts/parties.

Q: Who did you spend the summer with?

Vic: I spent most of my summer with my best friends and family.

Ana: I spent my summer with my family and my best friends.

Parizoda: I adore children, and I spent most of my summer with them. My young cousin is three years old, and I taught him how to count to ten in English during my visit. I also introduced him to American cartoons, and he is now fully Americanized ;)

Cecile: Mostly with family and friends.

Q: What was your favorite thing about this summer?

Vic: My favorite thing was to be able to travel again and see the world with friends.

Ana: My favorite thing about this summer was definitely the Greece trip. I got to travel in Europe with my best friend and made new amazing friends while exploring a beautiful country. 

Parizoda: My favorite part of this summer was getting away from the humid air of New York City. The air in Samarkand was dry and clean. I spent more time in nature and traveled to new areas.

Cecile: I think my trip to Canada with my little brother was my favorite this summer. It was filled with surprises, some bad but most of them were good.

Q: What is your best summertime memory?

Vic: I loved going to Greece with one of my best friends Ana, we made so many memories there and it was so fun. I also loved going to Argentina with my other best friend, I hadn't seen her in so long and we got to catch up ski and have fun!

Ana: Other than my memories from Greece my best summertime memory was being at the ski resort and watching a mesmerizing sunset in the mountains with my closest friends.

Parizoda: My favorite summer memory was when I finished fourth grade and we spent the summer hanging out with my friends and going to each other's houses. Also, during that summer, we had a lot of sleepovers with my cousins.

Cecile: I think doing tourist stuff in my own city for a couple of days with my little cousins was my favorite.

Q: What is your favorite summertime song/movie?

Vic: "The way that I loved you" by Taylor Swift (the queen herself). I was watching The Summer I Turned Pretty and it brought out so many memories about my teen years.

Ana:  My favorite summertime song was Late Night Talking by Harry Styles.

Parizoda: My favorite summertime song is “West Coast” by Lana Del Rey and my summertime movie is “The Notebook”

Cecile: Hmm I have a couple of them on repeat I should probably give you my playlist for that one lol. First class by Jack Harlow- Titi me pregunto by Bad bunny- it’s plenty by Burna Boy- Ku Lo Sa by Oxlade.

Q: What is your favorite thing about traveling?

Vic: Just meeting a new place and exploring it by foot. There is so much to see in the street and by just wandering around. Also the food! So good, eating in new places and discovering habits is incredible.

Ana: My favorite thing about traveling is that it makes me learn about myself more and also about other people, cultures, and places. I feel like I am gaining a new perspective every time I visit a new place.

Parizoda: My favorite thing about traveling is exploring new airports during a layover. This summer we had to stop in Turkey and I discovered how big the Turkish International Airport is it was fancier than Moscow’s airport.

Cecile: Honestly I hate taking the plane so it has to be trying new things and spending time with friends and family. It's really about creating new memories with people I care about.

Q: If you could relive one summer of your life without changing a thing, which one would you pick and why?

Vic: I don't think I could pick just one. I have had so many experiences and memories from different summers that I cannot just pick one. But for the past 4 years, this summer has definitely been the most remarkable.

Ana: I would probably relive the summer of my senior year in high school. I was already accepted to college, done with school, and didn’t have a single care in the world; therefore I spent the whole summer having fun, traveling, and relaxing.

Parizoda: I'd like to relive one of my childhood summers since I used to spend a lot of time outside with my friends when I was a child. We used to spend a lot of time in nature.

Cecile: Summer 2021- last summer despite covid was pretty good for me. I learned a lot about myself. I did a lot of new things that were surprisingly enjoyable, I spent more time in my home country and got closer to a lot of people.