I've been On-The-Go

I currently sit on a nice leather sofa in Spokane, WA, hours after completing the first half of this tangential trip to visit my dad's side of the family. Unfortunately I cannot breathe out of my nose due to this persistent cold. I enjoy sneezing as much as the next person. There is nothing like a good sneeze, but my nose is completely raw after the billion times I've sneezed today. To avoid sounding like a complete complainer and pessimist, I'll stay on the brighter side. Tomorrow will be a day for skiing in Idaho, always fun. Last time I skied was in Missouri on a fake mountain with fake snow. I had a blast on those artificial slopes, so I'm hoping that tomorrow's skiing excursion will blow my mind in the realm of winter sports.

I made the lemon meringue pie for Bonney-Cranston Christmas!

     Although the date for my departure for Rwanda is fast approaching, I am finding it hard to pump myself up or get hyped or feel more than modest excitement. It's not that I think that studying abroad will be dull; it's that I am not sure what to expect. Accordingly, I am not sure what to anticipate. I have great hopes for this upcoming semester, but they are generalized notions with few particulars or details. Actually, come to think of it, I don't really know all that much about what I am getting myself into with studying abroad. Go-ED has given out some information, but largely I feel as though I will be walking into a dark room with a tiny pen flashlight. Adventure indeed.

After a day of skiing on Schweitzer Mountain in Idaho

An old photo of me from Christmas 2006

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Snowshoeing can be fun.

Homecoming is a unique experience, especially when the place from which you are leaving also feels like home. Needless to say, it is good to be home (ironic that I went ahead and said it). On the plane ride home, I sat next to an African American couple, the man was in the army. I could not help but overhear parts of their conversation and the parts I heard made me internally chuckle. At one point, they were exclaiming how crazy the previous night had been. They apparently had been partying and drank a drink called '4 lokos' which blew their minds, maybe literally. My roommate once told me that drink is illegal in at least five states. I don't think they remembered much from the night after having drunk the crazy drink, but they sure were happy to talk about it.
     My father is really into snowshoeing so my immediate family and my uncle, aunt, and two cousins headed up into the mountains to walk around on snow with odd contraptions strapped to our feet. My favorite thing to do is to find large mounds of snow piled high, climb them, and then leap off them. Father Gary captured this image; I am happy with my jumping form.

Preliminary Post

I am actually still in Greenville, not yet even back to Seattle for Christmas. Not yet even to Washington DC for Go-ED study abroad orientation. Not yet studying and experiencing life in the Ugandan culture. The roads are icy here, and I just moved out of my house, almost slipping like four or five times. Although I do like snow and some of frozen precipitation winter weather brings, I wish the trees were not bare and sad looking. Crunchy snow and slip-sliding on the ice cannot complete with oak, cedar, and pine trees full of leafy brilliance. I wonder what kind of trees Rwanda has...