My visit to GMC

On Friday my family and I drove up to Poultney,Vermont to visit my new school, Green Mountain College. It was a beautiful summer day and the drive through Vermont was rather pleasant. The sky was bright blue and the mountains greener than ever. We drove through Woodstock, past the Brew Pub where we go every mothers day, through Rutland and then upon the small town of Poultney. There was something so calming about the small country roads leading to the college. I wasn't suffering from an my of my traditional "thinking about going to college" symptoms. No uncontrollable nervousness or feelings of being completely overwhelmed. In fact it was quite the opposite; I was feeling excited. Mostly because I am so relieved and grateful for GMC saving us from taking out all those loans...

Anyway, we pulled through the front gate and parked in the shade of a large pine. And because we are the most organized family in the world, we had forgotten the parking pass, and thus had no idea which building we were supposed to go to. So we checked out the main building (pictured below) to no avail. Luckily the campus is small so we quickly found where we were supposed to be.

  

 We new we were in the right spot because there was a sign board the said "Green Mountain welcomes" and a few names listed, including me own. How cool is that? It really feels like you're a person there- not just a number. The whole tour I just got the sense that you're dealing with people rather than some large institution.

So our guide took us around campus giving the standard college tour; showing buildings and explaing what the school has to offer. It's a sweet little campus, very compact and easily manageable. And the best part? Right behind the library is the school farm. As one who spends a large amount of time at farmers markets, this is such an amazing perk. I always wanted to be a farm kid...maybe this is my chance. Also there was a cute fluffy cat lurking in the garden, amoungst the sunflowers. And that there pretty much sealed the deal. This is the school for me. 

Here's the part of the post where I rave about all the cool stuff GMC has to offer and how excited I am about it and how proud I am of myself that I am indeed excited and not a nervous wreck. (Pshh no that's not a run on sentence...) So one thing I really love about GMC is how outdoorsy and hands on the courses seem to be. Just today I was registering for classes ans saw stuff like "back country cooking" and "intensive course on cheese making". Are you kidding me? That's incredible. Of course there are all the main academic classes as well, but most of which are focused on the environment. Which I absolutely love. 

This school represents everything I am passionate about and everything I want to become in life. It's green, it's big into sustainable agriculture, and it's outdoorsy.(you can rent camp stuff for a dollar a day!) 

It is small enough to build my confidence, and I feel I can thrive there.

I will indeed be writing about my college transition (I'm moving in the 1st) on a new blog, the name of which is still TBA. So check back! 

Dollars and Sense: Goodbye UVM...

These past two weeks have been some of the most stressful I have ever experienced. As you may or may not know, I am headed off to college in just a few short days. And these past weeks have been filled highly stressful financial debates and lectures. 

See for me, college was something I never really wanted (until now). Hence one reason why I took a gap year. At the end of senior year when I told UVM I was coming fall 2013, I felt as though I had just jumped out the way of a moving train. During the whole college process, my heart was never really in it. I couldn't get as excited and passionate about that wonderful chemistry program as such and so university. The only time I ever got excited was hearing about a schools exchange program or available outdoors clubs. Adventure and traveling was all I really wanted. During my gap year, I got just that. 

Then after orientation it slowly started to set in that this was all really going to happen. "I'm going to UVM" weren't just words anymore. They actually meant something. 

About two weeks ago the bill for the first semester came in. As we all knew it was going to. Going into it I knew that the ticket price for UVM out-of-state is $50,000. But throughout the college selection process, as I said, college never seemed like something that would ever become real for me. So neither did the money. However these past two weeks, the reality stuck. Hard. After all grants, scholarships and government loans, there was still a $28,000 gap to pay for freshman year. Just take a second to think about that. It's crazy. And the sort of loans you'd have to take out to bridge that gap are even crazier. 

The idea that my first year would cost that much increased my stress about 100 fold. It raised the stakes. It wasn't just worrying if I didn't like it or if I didn't like my roommate. It was knowing by going there, I was committing myself and my parents for 15 years worth of loan repayment. For ONE year. That idea of course stressed me out even more because it cost too much to worry about small things. 

Anyway, we kicked around the idea of just sucking it up and doing the 14 grand for the first semester (seeing as how I was all signed up) and then transerfing somewhere cheaper later. Which raised problems (and stress) as well. Ohio University, Lewis& Clark, University of Maine, University of Iceland...it was like the college search had started all over again.

To keep a long story of emotional woe short(er), yesterday we finally had a break through with this whole debate.

My dad and I decided to give Green Mountain College a call. A school that I had applied and been accepted to way back when during that whole process. I was always genuinely interested in GMC, but ended up saying yes to UVM because I had to choose something, and hey, they were in Vermont and the school is pretty well known. Anyway, we called them up and explained the situation and by noon they had put together a fantastic financial aid package. And we could actually get someone on the phone. AND they remembered me from when I applied. So throughout the course of Tuesday and Wednesday I accepted the package from GMC and officially withdrew from UVM. I have a campus visit tomorrow! 

Honestly, I feel so incredibly relieved. And not just because I saved my self from a life of paying back $200,000 in student loans (you're welcome post college me), but also because GMC is smaller. I am actually more excited now then I was when I was heading off to UVM. So UVM, thanks for it all, but you're too damn expensive.

This all has been so last minute and insane...but it all worked at so very well. So keep faith my friends. Good things do happen.

Take a Gap Year

*NOTE: yes, I do realize that my gap year is basically over by now,but this was something I had intended to share long ago. In fact I typed this months ago but for some reason only got to posting it now. It outlines my reasons for taking a gap year, and maybe will encourage others to give it a try if they so desire. Enjoy!


I remember one day junior year on high school, our guidance councilors came into our advisories and handed out sheets that pertained to “post high school plans.” And I remember thinking “great, they are starting this college stuff already.” They proceeded to talk about how junior year grades weigh heavily a colleges decision to accept or decline an application, and to just do our best this year with that in mind.
“And the pressure is on already”
Then they directed our attention to the blue sheet (blue-how different and exciting!). It had a list of things to keep in mind and think about for senior year when the college application process truly began. Then on that back it had more post high school paths. These included a vocational tech school, the Army, and a gap year. The guidance councilors read through each bullet, explaining further about them. When she began to explain about a gap year, My heart skipped a beat and I thought was “I am doing that.” That thought was my initial gut reaction.
 And you know what they say. Go with your gut.

I did. It was a struggle. My rational mind vs. my instincts. It was a battle of epic proportions. Eventually, instincts won out, by a slim margin. These next posts will explain why I decided to take a gap year.
 

A She&Him concert and my first time in the back of a cop car

You know what sucks? Knowing that you have done something totally idiotic when you generally consider yourself a somewhat intelligent person. Like, for example, getting on the wrong train and going to a completely different state. That kind of thing... Well let me tell you the incredible tale that was my July 10th. 

So last night my best friend Emma and I went to go see a She & Him concert in Boston. It was totally fantastic and I am still processing the fact that last night, saw Zooey Deschanel in person. (For those of you that don't know, I kind of love her...like a lot). It was a blast to hear my favorite songs up close and personal. They really are very talented...

We had successfully gotten there by train, but we were unsure of how we would get home. Take the 10:40 pm train to Kingston station and maybe miss some of the concert... or try and take the 11:00 pm Peter Pan to Providence and try an get a ride from there. So the whole concert we were waffling between bus or train...bus or train. In the end, we decided to go with what we know, and take the train. It would be more convenient for those picking us up, because Kingston is closer to home that Providence (ha!) (foreshadowing y'all)

They finished "Why do you let me stay here" in an exciting crescendo, then left the stage. Of course they would do an encore, but we had to leave then if we wanted to make that train. South Station was still 20 minuets away at least and the train left in 40... We "excuse-me'd" down the row of people then began our hustle back towards the station. It was lightly raining, and the smell of wet pavement hung in the air. As we skidded across the slick sidewalks, I could hear the encore song, "Sunday Girl" beginning. It reverberated and echoed off the surrounding buildings. While I would have very much would have liked to have stayed for that, I knew that we need to get to that train if we wanted any hope of a pickup. 

We made it to the station just as they were announcing the track number for the train to Kingston. We got on, grabbed some seats and bought our tickets. The whole way we goofed around, laughing and talking about the concert. Finally, the mechanic voice told us the train was approaching Kingston, the final stop on the line.

As soon as I stepped off that train, I had a feeling something was off. The parking lot was much to large...and where was the little building where you could wait? I've only been to the Kingston station a hand full of times, so I'd just figured they had done some serious renovations...

"Where's your mom parked?" Emma asked, looking equally as confused.
"Must be on the other side of the tracks." I said. She had to be right?

Then the train slid away revealing nothing but woods.  This was not Kingston RI. 

It turned out to be Kingston Mass, a place I did not know existed until last night. To make a very long story short, after much calling back and forth to our parents and saying "yes we know it was dumb" it was arranged that the Kingston police would pick us up and give us a ride to the station. From there, my dad kindly volunteered to pick us up. 

Around 12:30 am the cop came and we climbed in the back as instructed. Did you know the seats are plastic? There was never a time I thought I would be in the back of a cop car, but it was kind of cool. Quite the experience. It will make for quite the ice breaker for making friends at school...

Anyway, after quite a long drive (turns out the train station was in the middle of no where) we arrived at the Kingston (Massachusetts!) police station. We went inside and sat down on the scruffy looking blue upholstered bench and began our wait. Luckily, there was a whole rack of brochures about drunk driving, alcoholism, and other such lovely material. Ooh! And did I mention the cork board with the sex offenders on it? Yeah... 

But seriously, it was very nice of the police to come and get us idiots, and I do appreciate it.

 Around 2 am Emma and I got ourselves some dinner; M&M's from the dusty quarter machine in the waiting area. Yum! Despite being beyond tired, I think we had a pretty good time waiting. Mostly we just laughed at our mistake. Only us...

My dad arrived a short time later, and we finally arrived home at 3:45 am. I don't think I have ever been up quite that late before. The whole drive it was a fight to stay awake. There was no way I was going to sleep, if my dad had to be awake, I was going to be too. I don't think I had ever been quite so tired.
So Zooey, if you ever read this, know that I think you're incredible and it is that reason that this crazy adventure happened, and it was totally worth it!

Thank you for reading this story. I just think that it is so wonderfully ridiculous and pathetic that I just had to share. And it is just another reminded that life is a crazy adventure, so you just have to grab hold!

Moral of the story; Don't leave before the encore of a concert. 

Also, it might be good to actually know the names of the towns in you state...

It's Coming...

It sort of feels like I am in a car that's careening down a hill towards a cliff that drops off thousands of feet into black nothingness. Why you ask?

Because I am heading off to college in less than 10 days. 

Okay, so maybe I'm being slightly dramatic. But either way, there are times when I feel that way. I can hardly even believe that it is almost here. For such a long time college was this fictional thing that I merely talked about. Just some thing that I was doing at some point. But now it is going to be my reality very soon. 

I floated through orientation in a dream like state; none of it seemed real. It felt like just another thing I was doing. Not until I registered for classes did it really hit me. I was going to be living here...studying here. Taking those classes. 

That's when I started to freak out just a little bit. Sitting there, on the most comfortable mattress in the world (not), the fluorescent light flickering, bathing the white cement walls in a nasty yellow light, while all my peers were still at the block party,  I thought "well shit. I can't do this". In that moment it just all seemed so awful...all the the fears I had about college were coming true. 

It was really happening. There was no going back now; which at the time, was a panic inducing thought. Since then, I've gotten more used to the idea. There still are days when I nearly loose my shit because I think about how I won't be here to see the leaves change, or pick up my sister up from the bus, or go for a walk in the woods behind my house. 


But deep down I know that I can do this. And more so, I must do this. I need to go through this process of learning to be away from home a responsible for myself. Even if I don't learn a single thing from my actual classes (which won't happen of course), the experience itself will be worth it all.


So I am going to go about this is with the attitude that I had during my trip to Scotland. Take each day (and challenge) as it comes, do my best to enjoy and treat it like an adventure. As long as I can keep that attitude, I know I'll be fine. It will be a struggle though. For a whole year I have been removed from the college loop and as refreshing and empowering as that was, it seems odd to finally be looking over the precipice. Here's hoping it all goes well. 

Thank you for reading! Stay tuned because I am currently coming up with a name for a second blog I would like to start that will be dedicated to college times. (any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.)


 

Back in the USA!

It has been just over three weeks since I have returned from Scotland. Things have picked up where they left off and have been moving on swiftly. I still find it strange to return to all the normalcy after the amazing, life changing adventure I have just experienced. The first few days after I returned, I wanted desperately to do my "summing up/recap" of my trip while it was still fresh in my head, but things got in the way. I started back at work pretty much right away, then I saw a bunch of friends, then work... but now I have finally resolved to use this free morning to finally get to it. So here we go!

I set off on my trip very nervous and not knowing what to expect. I was excited at the prospect of adventure, but unsure of how I would navigate my way through it all. Nervous but excited. Anxious yet thrilled. 

I left Scotland with more confidence than I had ever had. With the ability to not care about knowing what to expect. With a whole new outlook and freshened perspective. But most of all, I now can say with confidence that I feel ready for college. Even excited. Which is pretty huge considering a year ago the very sounds of the word filled me with dread. 

I could write on and on and on in lengthy prose about the things I learned and influences this trip had on me, but instead I will do so in bullet points. That way it won't be to boring to read...

LESSONS/EPIPHANIES/THINGS ANNIE LEARNED IN SCOTLAND:

• Sometimes Scottish accents sound like another language because they are so heavy. This happened to me several times. 

• Cross that bridge when you get there. 
• This was the single most important lesson for me during my time there. I had plenty of, Holy shit what am I doing moments, and it was this idea that kept me sane. Whenever things seemed too big to handle, or overwhelming, I would remind myself to cross that bridge when I got there. For example, once I had settled in (which took a very short amount of time), I started thinking about how I would get to St.Monans. How would I figure out the bus? Would my bag fit? What if I missed it? I was worrying about something weeks away. Reminding myself to worry about it when I got there was the way I faced and over came each challenge. This method is going to be a huge help in the future too...

• Don't speculate too much about things that make you nervous.
• Sort of the same idea as the previous. Don't worry about something before you have to. Because you have no idea what to expect. You don't know what the future holds, so don't waste energy fretting about it. 

• Just go with the flow. Amazing things happen when you open up and see where things take you.  

• Carpe Diem. Seriously. 
•  “You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island of opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land; there is no other life but this.”
  ― Henry David Thoreau
• There is nothing to loose by living life with this attitude. I went about each day there like this, and it was amazing how good I felt . 
 

• Henry David Thoreau was right (as always).
• "Happiness is like a butterfly; the more you chase it, the more it will elude you, but if you turn your attention to other things, it will come and sit softly on your shoulder.”
  ― Henry David Thoreau
•  I was more content on the farm than I have ever been, because each day and I was solely focused on the jobs and nothing else. 

• I CAN do it. 
• This was another big realization I came to during this trip. Before I figured that I could travel on my own, but I wasn't truly confident I could. But I PROVED that I can. I navigated the buses, I got everywhere I needed to with no problems, and I made friends with complete strangers. I successfully did things I only had ever dreamed I could do. Small things, but none the less I proved to myself that I can do just about anything. That message is shoved in our faces all the time, but there is a reason for it. Because it's true.

That just about wraps up all the things I learned during my time in Scotland. Some where small, like how to properly plant Hawthorns, and others were big realizations about life, like learning how to overcome challenges. All in all, It was just an amazing experience. The farm was beautiful, Edinburgh was beautiful,  everyone I met was lovely and inspiring, and I can't wait to WWOOF again. 

And the best part, I feel 200 times more ready for college than I did before. 

Mission complete.

Back to the farm

In fact, I am actually back home, but I did not get a chance to blog about my return to the farm for the night and my travels home and I would like to...so here we go!

As planned, I left the cottage in St.Monans after lunch on Tuesday and made my way back to Craigencalt farm for the night. It was a gloriously sunny day, so after I finished packing my bag and cleaning the house, I went for one last walk along the beach. 

Isle of May hidden in fog.

I came back to the cottage, gathered me things, locked it up, and began to walk up Station road towards the bus stop.

This thing ways a butt ton.

The bus ride was pretty nice. I enjoyed looking out the window, noticing buildings, forests, and hills that I hadn't on the way here. It really is a beautiful place out there. Nothing but the ocean, farm land, and old stone buildings. Anyway, I arrived at the Kirkcaldy bus station and made my way to the rail station. It was sort of awkward pulling my giant bag through the streets, the wheels clattering on the brick walk ways...but it was a shot enough walk. So I managed to find the station and get my ticket. The ticket lady told me that the next train to Kinghorn was leaving in 5 minutes, so I quickly made my way up to platform 2. The train pulled up and I got on. I was just relaxing into my seat when the names of the stops were being called put. Kinghorn wasn't on there...

I seriously almost shite myself... But I tried to calm myself, just thinking that I will get off at the next stop and get a ticket to Kinghorn. yes, it means I would have wasted 2 pounds, but it was my only option. I was just formulting my plan while trying to slow my breathing as we began to approach Kinghorn. "Smooth going Annie." I thought...I was going to go right through where I needed to get off. Real smooth. 

I was just thinking all these things, when the train began to slow. Could it be? Was it actually stopping? Sure enough, it came to a full stop by the train station. I was rushed with an overwelming sense of relief. I wuickly sprang up and grabbed my rotund bag and started dragging it to the door. Another girl, around my age, also got up. I hesitated, intending for her to get out first, so my big bag wouldn't get in her way. But she just pressed the "open" button and said, "no, you go ahead". So I did. Once on the platform, I turned around, expecting to see her there, so I could thank her, but she had sat back down in her seat and the train began to pull away.

She had gotten up and opened the door, just to help me out. Maybe she saw how big it was, or my mini panic attack, but wither way, I am grateful random girl. Thank you. It was a kind gesture. That combined with the relief of not being on some train to God knows where, I was left feeling pretty good on my walk up to the farm.

When I arrived, sweaty and out of breath from hauling my bag, I found Adam, Rich and the new WWOOFers working in the jewelry shop. It was like no time had passed at all. It was very nice of them to let me come back for the night, so I put my things inside and came back out to help. There, I met Rob from Toronto Canada, one of the new WWOOFers. We chatted as we sanded some jewelry display boxes. It really is so cool to meet all these different people and learn their stories. Then, I met the other WWOOFer, Jamie, a girl from New Mexico. She has been traveling around Scotland since September with nothing but her paints and guitar. She doesn't have a return ticket, she's just going until she wants to return. I think this is so very cool. It's a fierce reminder that not everything has to be done by the book. By taking this gap year, I proved that to myself.

Anyway, we all got down to sanding. Rob, Jamie, Rich, Adam and me. Adam turned on some reggae and brought down some chips and beer. It was well past five, but we were having more of a chip'n'beer sanding party then actual work. It was a lot of fun.

Then at about half past, Rich and Adam started getting ready to go lobster diving. They offered to let us come along, and we all agreed. Around six, we all piled into Flora (Adam's van) and drove down to Burntisland bay. Adam and Rich got suited up and headed into the water. Which looked freezing. They had full wetsuits on; gloves, boots and hoods.

While they swam around looking for crustaceans, Rob walked around while Jamie and I talked. It was stange because I had just met her, but it felt like I had known her forever. Which is odd for me, especially considering I feel as though it takes me forever to become comfortable around people. But maybe I've gotten better at it since this trip. In fact, I know I have. Anyway, we talked about everything from the benefits of traveling to vegetarianism. Again, it was really cool to hear her perspectives on the matter and learn about her life. 
Then Rob and I talked for a while, mostly about langues. German in particular. Then Adam and Rich swam in, with 4 lobsters and a crab. They put them in a bucket and quickly changed into their clothes. Then we headed back up to the farm.
 

The catch!

Adam and the lobsters. Sounds like a crappy metal band name...

My room for the night!

Diana had this spot set up for me when I got there. :)

A room with a view.

About 20 minutes later, dinner was ready and we all headed up to the tree house. Our starter was the lobster that had just been swimming around in Burntisland bay not an hour before. Even though I live by the ocean, I never been big on lobster, but this stuff was really quite good. And it was even cooler to think that Adam and Rich had caught it themselves. Then we had our main course; vegetarian haggis. 
 

Dinner

After dinner, Jamie washed up. We ended up haning out until 10:30. I knew I had to get up early, but it was just such a cool/fun environment, I didn't want to leave. Jamie played Adam's guitar and sang different songs. Adam even broke out his didgeridoo for a little duet. It was quite the night. If you had asked me in the beginning of this year if I thought I would be sitting in a tree house, in Scotland, with a bunch of random people just hanging out, I would have told you that you were crazy. But I was. And it was awesome. 

I guess what I am saying is that this trip brought me so much. I went off and took this leap out of my comfort zone. And nothing but great things happened. I can confidently say that I feel more ready for college than I ever have before. But I will talk more about that in a "wrap up" post. So. Thanks for reading this one!
 

St.Andrews!

This morning I got up at my leisure and after breakfast I headed up to the bus stop to catch the 11:21 bus towards St.Andrews. There was an old man waiting too, and he started to tell me that he was going to St.Andrews to go boot shopping. Or at least that is what I thought he was saying... until he said he wanted to buy boots about ghosts. Then I realized he was going book shopping...not boot shopping. The way he said it made it very hard to understand. This is the second time that I have not understood someone because of a heavy accent. But anyway, it was really funny to see how cheerful he was about his "booook" shopping. 

The bus stop, where I met my new pal. :P

 The bus worked it's way through Pittweem and Anstruther before cutting up into the country side. About a half an hour of whizzing by emerald fields and old stone farm buildings and then the ocean became visible again. During the first 20 minutes of the ride, my water bottle was leaking into my lap, so it looked like I had peed myself. Luckily I noticed it before we arrived so it had time to dry. Real smooth...

As we approached, the town of St.Andrews cropped up. Right away I could see the spires of the university and cathedral, rising high about the rest of the town. I was flooded with excitement. I had applied to the university, I had looked at pictures and examined the area on Google maps. And here I was...only minutes away from actually being there. 

Then the bus pulled into the station and I got off and found my way to Market Street; the "main drag" if you will. It is littered will all sorts of shops, ranging from Starbucks to fancy restaurants, to golf stores. Lots and lots of golf shops. 

I walked all the way down to the end of Market Street, deciding to explore/sight see before any shopping. The coolest thing about today was how well I blended in to my surroundings. I had on my backpack and headphones my in, just like almost every other student in the town. It was so awesome...so I just pretended to walk with purpose and the effect was complete. Other tourists and students alike couldn't tell I was a visitor and I had no idea where I was going... it was brilliant.

Anyway, I found myself at the St.Andrews Cathedral. Photo time.

I wandered around there for quite some time before finding my way to the castle and harbor. 

St.Andrews castle.

Down to the harbor.

Love the color of the water.

I sat on the beach and had my- yup, you guessed it- nutella sandwich. Then I looped around, following a road that I do not know the name of until I came back to the town center. From there I went past the castle again and down the Scores. This street is lined with all sorts of buildings from the university. Each one architecturally cooler than the next. 

Coolest college town ever... ruined castle in view all the time.

At the end of the Scores, the sidewalk was suddenly mobbed with golfers. The old course was just ahead as well at the golfing museum. So I got out of there as quickly as I could. It's not that I don't like golf... I am Switzerland. Couldn't care one way or the other..but it was too crowded, so I continued on my walk about. I then went down North Street, where the main campus of the university it located. It is so pretty. The buildings are gorgeous... and it is such a great size. And they have a street called Butts Wynd on campus... Amazing.

Also, did you know that the university is the third oldest in the English speaking world? And that they were the first to allow women to study in the UK. Very cool.

hahaha...I almost tripped a whole group when I stopped to get this picture. I just had to...

 Then after walking down North street and all the university stuff, I did a bit of shopping on North Street. I had to consciously think about stopping myself from grinning as I walked around the streets. It felt so amazing to be there, it was all I wanted to do. I then went into a book store and the university store. And a coffee place. I have an addiction I think...
 

"Unusual items purchased for cash" umm...okay...haha

Some fancy latte thing!

Some dorms.

This is my "oh snap now I really want to go to University of St.Andrews" face.

View through bus window to St.Andrews.

When I got back to the cottage, I was totally buzzing. I don't know if it was the coffee (probably) or the excitement of my time in St.Andrews, but I felt awesome. I was so proud of myself. Mostly because, for the first time, as I roamed the streets around the university, I wanted to go to college. I actually felt excited at the prospect. I realize this may sounds silly... but for so long, the idea of college scared me more than anything else. But not so much anymore. So I was absolutely brimming with self confidence and pride on my walk to the cottage.

Anyway, I then went for a quick walk along the beach before coming inside and making dinner. Here come the photos:
 

I seriously love photographing this town.

Look at these rocks!

My new shirt! To a university I don't attend. :P

Tomorrow I travel back to the farm for the night, then it's back to the USA on Wednesday!