Old School "Blogging"

Wow. I haven’t blogged since April. That is officially the longest I’ve gone without posting an entry. Why? Two reasons,
1) Facebook
2) <-- p="" this.=""> I’ve gone back to “old school” blogging. Paper and pen. When you’re travelling pulling out a laptop isn’t always practical. For one thing the battery only lasts so long and for another, the time you do have in front of a computer is often limited to when you have internet access and can upload your copious amounts of photos so people can follow along on your trip. Or it was for me.

So where did we leave off? I finished my semester in Georgia with straight A’s. That put me on the President’s list which was a nice surprise. I worked HARD this semester. I’ve never taken five history courses at once. Heck, I’ve never taken five COURSES. In Ontario I only ever take four and one is usually French to break it up a bit. But yeah, five history courses and a volunteer placement and I managed to pull off straight A’s. Go me!

May 1st my best friend Meredith flew out and put up with me while I stressed out over final exams and then the two of us (more her than me) packed up my belongings, wrangled them all into my car and roadtripped back to Ontario. Roadtripped in that we stopped off in Washington, DC, NYC, CT and Boston, MA. I left her at the airport in Boston so she could fly back to BC and I drove the rest of the way to Ontario alone. I had six days in Ontario, three of which I spent running around Waterloo meeting up with people and doing administrative paperwork and three which I spent in Mount Forest relaxing, celebrating my friend Grace’s birthday and mentally preparing for My Big Trip.

May 20th I flew, along with 23 classmates, to Amsterdam. I’m not going to cover my whole trip in detail because most of my blog readers are FB friends with me and therefore know where I was. Basically Amsterdam ->Ypres, Belgium -> Arras, France -> Dieppe, France -> Brugge, Belgium -> Amsterdam.

 I had two days in Amsterdam after everyone else left which I spent with my friend Heather and then I started travelling on my own. To Paris for a week -> Luxembourg City -> Berlin -> Bremen, Germany -> Oldenburg , Germany -> Celle, Germany -> Rome -> Ortona, Italy -> Rome -> Cannes, France.

I’m in Cannes now and I’ll be here for the rest of July and all of August. I fly back out of Amsterdam on the 31st (still need to determine exactly how I’m getting back to Amsterdam). I’m working in Cannes. As a “family helper”. I had applied as an Au-Pair but the family that offered me a position has children who are older than me and really just need someone to help out around the house. I clean, iron and help with meals and generally just help out around the house as needed. In exchange I get a room with an ocean view, I take all my meals with the family and I participate in their activities, which so far have included going into downtown Cannes and going to the amazing open air market. Last year at this time I was reading a book by Peter Mayle called “A Year in Provence” and another one called “Why French Women Don’t Get Fat”. Now I am living in Provence (or just south, on the Cote d’Azur aka French Riviera) and living with French people who eat the way you need to eat to not get fat! My chronic, biggest worry is wondering what will happen in the future. Well there is NO way I could have designed this so it’s a sign that it’s really okay to stop worrying!!! My life is fantastic I only need to stop and think about the past few months or look out over the Mediterranean Sea to recognize that.

 So, that’s what I’ve been up to. Sorry it didn’t get written down here but…then again, I’m not sorry. I’ve been having too much fun!!!

It needs work...

I know I haven't blogged much. I've been writing, but writing papers. I'm up to my ears in them right now and I'm finally getting the nervous energy that helps me get them done. I have to share my experience today though. I went to see my advisor about the directed studies paper I am doing on Wormsloe. I submitted a draft to him last week and his assessment was "It needs a bit of work...before it can be published". PUBLISHED! Seriously. That is not what I was expecting to hear. He said I have more than satisfied the requirements for the course but he gave me additional feedback because he is encouraging me to refine my paper and look at presenting it at conferences and publishing it. And then using that as my writing sample for when I apply to grad school. He's encouraged me to consider grad school since I got here. In fact when I went to him a week before I turned in my draft and complained that I had too much material, his response was "just focus in on your main points and you can write the rest in your masters thesis" I admit I kind of laughed him off because I'm still trying to convince myself that a grad school is the path I want to take. Today though, after he had read my paper, and still keeps pointing me in that direction, I'm a lot more confident. It scares the crap out of me but it's also incredibly exciting. He gave me some great pointers about how to improve my paper and said that if I expand it, it could not only be published but also presented at conferences, which will strengthen my grad school application. Yikes!

This is hard!

I was really overwhelmed with the sheer volume of work I had last week (I still am but the deadlines have eased up so it's not as bad) and I caught myself thinking "this is so hard!" but then I stopped and realized no. It's not hard. It's a lot of work yes, but it's not difficult or unmanageable. Hard was being in Quebec where I had to think and communicate and learn grammar IN French. Hard is when you are so mentally exhausted that you can't even put together a coherent sentence. Hard is when you ask yourself daily if it was worth it and if you're going to survive. When you wonder how you'll look back on the experience because at this moment, you just want to curl up in a ball and cry. In Georgia I know what I'm doing. Yes there is a lot of reading and writing but I can do this. I just need to continue to apply myself and get it done. And stop whining. Because this is not hard.

My favourite moment of the week

My favourite moment of the week, this semester, is 3:45 on Wednesdays. Weird huh? Let me explain. Even though it's still two days before the weekend and I have classes on Thursday and Friday, I only have one class each day. The bulk of my week is Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. As well on Wednesday's I don't have anything scheduled after that last class finishes at quarter to four so I feel all of a sudden like I have TIME. It's rather wonderful. It's no secret that I have a LOT of school work this semester. I'm plugging through it but I have to be very dedicated and spend a lot of time on it. My friends don't understand the sheer volume of reading that a history student has to do, never mind one who is taking five history classes.

Today that awesome moment came early, when I got the email saying class was cancelled. It was like a present. Class is less than two hours long but all of a sudden I had my whole afternoon free. That made today feel like Friday which was pretty nice. I finished up a project I've been working on all weekend and then took my time doing some things around the house. I baked cookies in the mid afternoon and while I was waiting for them to cook I flipped on the tv. I rarely watch tv but today I turned it on and flipped through the channels (that is even more rare for me. I usually just check three or four that I know I like and then turn it off if nothing appeals). It turns out that the moment I chose to turn on the tv and randomly flip through channels, the new pope was just walking on to the balcony to make his first address!!! How cool is that? I didn't even know that "the smoke had gone white" because I had been offline and mixing my cookie dough but somehow I managed to randomly turn the tv on at the exact moment that history was being made. I was pretty happy. I also go to tell my dad who the new pope was (he was working and hadn't heard). I love being able to beat him to big events like that ;)

So, for a Wednesday, today was a pretty great day. I got the gift of time, which I used quite constructively, and I got to see the new pope announced. Nice.

WARNING: PMS and Midterms don't mix

This post won't be very characteristic of me, and may not even get published but I feel like typing it out anyway. The important thing to remember is that I am pmsing and in the middle of midterms and this is not aimed AT anyone, it's just an observation. PMS always makes me a bit homesick because my horomones are out of whack and it makes me less tolerant of things that wouldn't normally bug me. Today I've hit a wall on American Nationalism. I am tired of the narrow view that no one else (namely Canada) had any impact on world events. This approach doesn't surprise me and in a lot of ways I understand it. The US has a lot of history to cover without getting into what other countries were doing but I guess I'm feeling a bit homesick and I'm missing the broad inclusive approach that my courses at Laurier usually take. At home I do "North American Studies" which incorporates BOTH Canada and the US (and Mexico when applicable). Here it's ONLY about the US. And Britain, Russia, France and China but no reference is made to Canada at all. Even the Quebec Conference during World War 2. If you listen to my prof or read the text book Prime Minister WLM King wasn't even there. No wonder Americans don't have any awareness of Canadian involvement on the world stage. They aren't TAUGHT it.

The other thing I'm getting sick of hearing about is "states rights". Canada has this too but it's not fought as bitterly as it is down here. Half the cases we are studying in the Supreme Court (for my Constitutional History course) are about who has the most power, the individual states or the federal government, and it's exhausting...and we're only JUST hitting the Civil War. I don't know if it will get better!

Anyway, I'm looking forward to my trip to Europe because I will be visiting monuments and sites dedicated to remembering the CANADIAN contribution to the wars. I'm looking forward to that if only because I feel like my Canadian pride is being battered here in the face of so much American patriotism. I need to get past these midterms and start writing my essay on the burning of Washington. That should bring it back :D

Ebenezer, GA

 First off, I LOVE my coworkers at Wormsloe. They totally rock. Oddly I don't have pictures of us from today though. We had an awesome adventure but I was an idiot and forgot to bring my spare camera battery so the pictures of us are on another camera. But I'll start at the beginning...

Till now I have been working at Wormsloe on Fridays. I leave Statesboro after my only class ends at 10am and I'm usually there by 11:30. That gives me a good five and a half hours to work before the park closes at 5. Then I usually hang out in Savannah for a few hours, shopping or doing homework, before heading home. The only problem with only working Friday's is I generally always work with the same people and these people are not Paula. She and I have worked together a few times including at the Faire and we've been chatting a lot on Facebook. She's awesome and we decided this week that I'd switch my day to Saturday so we could work together (John doesn't really care, I'm just an extra body anyway so I can come, or not, whenever I want). This weekend we also had another reason. We decided to go find the site of the colonial settlement of Ebenezer on the Savannah River.

So we worked together on Saturday and then I went and stayed at her place over night so we could go on our adventure on Sunday. It was fun to just hang out an chat. We made dinner and drank wine and watched the history channel while talking. Sunday we picked up Jeri, another Wormsloe employee who I've hardly spent any time with, and the three of us headed up to Rincon/Ebenezer. The museum at Ebenezer doesn't open until 3 so we weren't really in a hurry. Because of that we stopped at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge for awhile. Paula and Jeri are both photographers so they had a blast with the birds and swamp lands. Like I said my camera battery was low and it was COLD out (somewhere around 40oF) so I stayed in the car but I still enjoyed the peacefulness of the place.

Then we headed northeast. Well...more north than east. I don't know what happened (and I had the maps) but we overshot our destination but about ten miles and then had to backtrack. It was really odd but I blame it on the not well labelled roads in the middle of nowhere. (it certainly wasn't MY fault, although they did blame the Canadian ;)) We arrived just as the museum people were opening the church for viewing. The congregation at this church has been meeting continuously since the Salzbergers arrived in 1734, the year after the first group of colonists arrived and settled the Colony of Georgia. The church was finished in 1769.
During the Revolution the church was used as a horse stable and the weather vane was actually shot by a British gun. The current weather vane is a reproduction but they shot it to make it look authentic!

We toured all around the site which still includes some of the original cabins, even though they haven't been occupied for almost a hundred years and took our time going through the museum. The two volunteers that were working were so excited that three younger girls, and history nerds from another site, were there that they ended up staying open an extra half hour because we kept asking questions.

 This cabinet is FULL of German language family bibles that have been donated to the site. There was lots of interesting artifacts and displays. I combed through them to find things that apply to the midterm I will be writing on Tuesday for Georgia History. That way it counts as studying right? ;)

Mostly it was just fun to spend the day with people who are as excited about history and exploring as I am. I hope we get to have some more adventures before I finish here!!!

Washington, DC 2013

So where did I leave off? Arriving in DC. Okay, so yeah, arrived, got checked in. All was good. I didn't officially decide that I was actually going until a week or two before I left so I ended up being in a hostel room with a bunch of strangers. It was fine. I've stayed alone in hostels before...although this was my first time in a co-ed room, but it worked out.

Monday morning we were scheduled to meet at the main hostel (we were divided between two and I was in the "other" one) at 10am to go to the Museum of National History. We walked from the hostel to the museum as a group. It wasn't all that far and it was a good time to chat with people. I connected with my friend Louise who I had spent time with in Quebec City and met two people that she had met on the bus. Jen and Taylor are both from Laurier-Brantford (a satellite campus) and they are really cool. This ended up being the group I hung out with most. Now I have to admit, I was a bit disappointed to not hang out with the other people on the trip but it's just so difficult with a large group and a very unstructured agenda and this way I got to see what I wanted to see. Still it was a tiny bit disappointing.

I could tell very shortly after arriving at the Museum of Natural History that it just wasn't my thing. I wasn't in the mood for dinosaurs and "man's pre-historic beginnings" so I convinced Taylor and Louise to go with me to the Museum of American History right next door. That was more like it. We started with an exhibit about the American flag and national anthem, which I really enjoyed since I'm hoping to write a paper on that topic, and then moved on to one comparing slavery and the Emancipation Proclamation with the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington.

The next exhibit was on the evolution of food in America and, just like Julie I got to visit Julia Child's kitchen. My friends didn't understand how excited I was and I'm realizing I haven't actually blogged about it, but trust me, I was excited :)

After the museum (and a little trip to the security office because I lost my favourite scarf :( ) we met up with the larger group again. Taylor and I were going to accompany the prof to the National Cathedral (while most other people either went to Georgetown Cupcakes or the Spy Museum) but when we realized how beautiful of a day it was, with a forecast of rain the next day, we decided to go see some monuments instead. I have been to DC before...briefly...in 2006 but we only had about two hours to drive around and see things. This time I was determined to get closer to some of the monuments. Specifically I wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam Wall and hopefully the Jefferson Memorial if it worked out.

So Taylor and I walked most of the length of the mall, past the Washington Monument, through the World War II Memorial, past the reflecting pool (which actually had water this time! It was being renovated last time I was in town) to the Lincoln Memorial. It was pretty cool to see. I really enjoyed seeing the spot where MLK Jr. gave his "I have a dream" speech and looking down the mall. We also listened to the Ranger give a talk which was really interesting.

The Wall was a little less inspiring but that is because I have no emotional connection to any of the almost sixty thousand names listed on it and I've been doing a lot of reading about memory and commemoration and had a lot of the dissenting opinions about it in my mind. That meant I looked at it a bit more critically, but it was still interesting to see.

After that much walking we were getting tired so we headed back to the hostel. We tried to take the subway but we were also trying to buy passes for the next day and our Canadian credit cards were rejected because we don't have zip codes...or the machine wasn't working. We're still not totally sure what was wrong but the attendant ended up giving us free one way tickets so that was pretty awesome. We had made plans to meet up with Louise and Jen for dinner. Two different people had suggested that I try out an Ethiopian restaurant when I mentioned I was going to DC so, on the advice of the security guard at the Smithsonian we took my car up to the Adams Morgan neighbourhood and went to an Ethiopian restaurant there. It was definitely an experience. Not the most amazing food I've ever had but I'd be game to go again. I think I enjoyed it more than they did but they were good sports. After dinner we went to Georgetown for ice cream. Well, we went in search of dessert and found the Haggen-Daaz store so ice cream is what we had.
Tuesday we met u for breakfast at PAUL, a french bakery suggested by the prof who coordinated the trip. I got confused on directions (I can handle the streets and avenues, it's the wacky boulevards that throw me off) so we ended up taking the long way there but that gave us a close up of the White House so that was okay. After breakfast we split up. Jen and Louise took a bus to Mount Vernon and Taylor and I finally made our way to the National Cathedral. It WAS raining, so it was a great day for it. The Cathedral was amazing. I'm really glad I got to see it. I think the thing that surprised me the most was how long it actually took to build. Something like 80 years but all in the 20th century. Wow. After the Cathedral (which we drove to, I have to admit, it was nice to have my car even though parking is crazy expensive) I dropped Taylor off at the Holocaust Museum and headed over to the Newseum (I think that's how it's spelled. The News Museum). I couldn't find any parking though and when I realized I was getting ridiculously frustrated and slightly irrational, I just headed back to my hostel and took a nap. It was a good decision. I'd still like to visit that museum but you can only fit so much in to each day.

We met up for dinner again that night. We had agreed earlier in the day that we wanted another ethnic experience but we wanted something close to the hostel. The first restaurant we came to was a Cuban one and it was FANTASTIC. Really. Great atmosphere, great service and delicious food. We did tapas style dining and there wasn't a single dish we didn't love. It was awesome. After that we kind of started walking...and walking...and walking. I wanted to see the capitol building and Taylor wanted to see the Lincoln Memorial at night...so we went there via the Jefferson Memorial...make that we WALKED there. To put it in perspective, the Mall, from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial is two miles...but we didn't walk straight there. Yes it was a long trip but we knew it was our last night so we just kept going. And then took a taxi back from Lincoln LOL

And that was about it! The four of us met up for breakfast again on Wednesday before they boarded the bus. Before I headed south I went back to Georgetown and checked out some of the stores there. I didn't leave DC till after 11 and since I had a ten hour drive back to Georgia, I pretty much drove straight through. I was surprised that I wasn't more tired than I was but I only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. I got home around 10pm and didn't sleep in all that much the next day. I didn't have class until noon so it wouldn't have been bad but still I was happy with that.

So that was my adventure in Washington, DC. This is technically my second time in the city and I'd love to go back again. There is so much to see and only so much you can absorb at once.

It's all a matter of perspective

Last weekend I went on a road trip. The History Students Association from Laurier was going to Washington, DC for their reading break and I decided to join them. Since my spring break here in Georgia isn't for another month, I cleared it with all my profs before I went. They were all really supportive of me taking the trip. (That's the problem with being a "mature" student. You actually care about going to classes.) The HSA was planning on arriving in DC on Sunday night so I decided to take a detour on my way up and visit...we'll call them acquaintances, in Hickory, North Carolina. That made it a LONG trip. I didn't really acknowledge how long but it worked out.

On Saturday I drove straight from Statesboro to Hickory. I had packed snacks and drinks so I really only stopped for gas and bathroom breaks. It was a miserable grey day through most of South Carolina and in North Carolina it SNOWED! Fairly hard. It made me glad that I got new tires before I left Ontario! I arrived in Hickory around 4pm and met up with people there. It's a little confusing but the people I was meeting was a pastor and his wife who is associated with both the church I attend in Ontario and the one back in BC. I have met them in both places but not really spent any time with them so when I called to say I was coming to visit, they didn't really know who I was. It didn't matter though. When I arrived they recognized me and in any case, they demonstrated some amazing Southern Hospitality and I get the feeling they would have acted the same even if we were complete strangers. They took me out for dinner along with one of their sons and his wife and kids and another couple from the church and then we all went out for coffee. On Sunday I caught a ride to church with another couple and afterwards a bunch of us went out for lunch at a Mexican restaurant. This is slightly off topic but going for Mexican after church is becoming a bit of a habit for me. That's where we went when I was in Ohio and the first time I went to church in Statesboro. I like it!

Anyway, at lunch I was talking with some people about my epic year. Being in Georgia followed by the study tour in Europe and three months in France. One of the girls who is quite a bit younger than me, but already married, made a comment about being a bit envious of my life and adventures. I couldn't help but stare at her and try to calmly explain that the only reason I'm going on all these adventures is because I don't have what she has (a husband and somewhere to settle). It was weird to look at someone and wish you were in their shoes while they are looking at you and wishing the same. Not that either of us would necessarily trade but I guess it's a matter of perspective. Or maybe the grass is always greener. Anyway it was strange.

After I said good bye to all my new friends I *flew* to DC. The front desk at my hostel closed at 10pm so I was really under a time crunch to get there. I'm glad the weather was clear and traffic wasn't too heavy because I wouldn't have made it other wise. It's not a process I'd care to repeat but I did make it with about five minutes to spare. And for the record, Virginia along I77 and I81 is beautiful! (it got dark after that but I'm sure it was pretty on the rest of 81 and I66 ;))

I'll put my adventures in DC in another post, with pictures. I didn't take any pictures in NC. Too busy talking I guess. Oops!

WinterJam 2013

For Valentines Day Kayla and I decided to go on an adventure. Okay, it wasn't only for Valentines, it just happened to be that night, but it was still a great excuse and something fun for us to look forward to. As soon as our classes ended on Thursday we hopped in my car and headed north to Augusta for WinterJam 2013. If you're not familiar with WinterJam (and I can't really say I was. I just heard about it on the radio) it is a huge Christian concert that features ten acts for ten dollars. No tickets, just ten dollars at the door and you pick whatever seat you can get. They generally sell out and there was a chance that we wouldn't get in but we decided to risk in and luckily we not only got in but snagged some great seats.

There was a range of acts. None of them are my absolute favourites although I really like Matthew West and I like him even more now. The headliner was Toby Mac. I'm not particularly a fan of his music but as we suspected, he puts on an a-MAZING show. I was pleasantly surprised by Jason Castro as well. Remember him from Idol? Well he has a new record and the lead single is "Only a Mountain" which I've heard on the radio and really like. I purchased both Jason and Matthew West's newest cd's for $5 each. The top photo is Jason Castro, still sporting the dreadlocks :)

 There were a number of other acts as well: Sidewalk Prophets,a rock group called "Red" that neither of us enjoyed. The pyrotechnics were cool but the music was just loud and we couldn't understand any of it (does this mean I'm getting old?) Jamie Grace seems like a sweetheart and she did a great job. The lead singer for "Royal Tailor" was an amazing dancer. He reminds me of what a young Michael Jackson would have been like, complete with the moon walking :) There was a local group called Capital Kings who were pretty fun and another group called "OBB" who did sort of a pre-show. The whole thing was hosted by the guys from NewSong and they had a set as well.

Overall it's just a great night of music. The speaker Nick Hall talked about "resetting" and "recharging". It was basic stuff but I enjoyed it. Kayla and I agreed that our favourite act was Matthew West. He had some video testimonials from the people who's stories he had based some of his songs on and they were incredibly moving.

As I mentioned, Toby Mac (left) puts on an incredible show. Even so we left a little bit early so we could beat the crowds because we both had class in the morning. I'm glad we went though. It was a ton of fun.

Wormsloe Colonial Faire & Muster

Have you ever had a weekend or an event where it was so perfect and dreamlike that you didn't want to take the time to try and capture it with words for fear that you wouldn't do it justice? Well that was last weekend for me.

In the past few years I have realized a lot of dreams but this one was extra special. How many times have I answered the question "History, what do you want to do with that degree? Teach?" with "No, I want to work as a costumed interpreter at a historical site". Well, I present this first picture. A dream come true.

Last weekend was the Colonial Faire & Muster at Wormsloe. I was mostly just an extra body, although I was "assigned" to the cricket pitch for the afternoons (more on cricket later) but I didn't really stay there because they had lots of people and there were things I wanted to see. I think the most dreamlike part of the weekend was when I'd be looking at something or standing by a house or cannon (like the tourist I am) and someone would ask if they could take my picture. ME! My picture!!! *I* am usually the one taking pictures!!! It was awesome.

Of course I wasn't the only reenactor. All the staff were in costume (on the left is my boss John and in the middle is his boss Chris) and we had a bunch of local reenactors who only come for the Faire there as well.

Mostly I just spent the weekend helping with whatever needed to be done. On Friday John and I moved hay bales and barrels, washed 40 pounds of oysters, and I raked a bit and Chris taught me to play cricket.

During the fair I helped out a lot in the Visitor's Centre in the mornings, played cricket (some) in the afternoon, and wandered around handing out programs/taking in the festivities for the rest of the time. In the photo above John and Chris are marching in the noon day parade. It happened both days and there were speeches by reps from the Georgia Historical Society and reenactors portraying General Olgethorpe and John C. Freemont (the featured Georgia Historical person this year) as well as various sponsors. Following the speeches there was a musket firing demonstration although those went on all day along with cannon firing.

This is Chris's son Wyatt. The cutest colonist there!!!

Of course, like any good event, the real fun started after we shut the gate. (Remember that I live a good hours drive from Wormsloe). On Friday I went in as soon as my class was finished and then came home around 6pm or so. John told me I could leave earlier (because I usually end at five) but I told him I'd finish what we were doing and then head out. He laughed and replied "right, because you're getting paid and everything" (which of course I'm not. My intern-suretudeness was a big joke all weekend. That is John's way of combining "Intern" and "Indentured Servant".) Saturday after we finished a bunch of use went into downtown Savannah for dinner. Almost all the staff were there, some volunteers and many of the reenactors. I drove a few of the people that were there from out of town and by the time we got back to the site it was after 10pm. I could have driven home. I wasn't actually all that tired and that was the original plan but when I heard that a few people were staying in the museum overnight, I decided that sounded good for me too. I borrowed some blankets that John had in his truck (he went home for the night) and a pillow from Adam and Adam, Jesse, Paula and I slept on the floor in the museum over night. It was a literal "night at the museum" and it was fun. Low key. I mean we're historians after all. We argued about our favourite presidents! And Jesse read us Mark Twain from his iPhone. It wasn't the best sleep I've ever had but it was far from the worst and even though I had to run to Walmart in the morning to buy a toothbrush, it was worth it. Plus I saved a ton on gas.

So that was my weekend. The best part? Just being there. Being around all those people who love history as much as I do and LIVING what I'm learning. At the end John asked "So is that it? Will we see you again?" I told him that until I'm forced to go back to Canada he can expect to see me every Friday if they want me. And even if they don't, I'll still hang around :D I've way exceeded the 10-12 hours that I had to do for my course (heck I had that by noon on Saturday) but I love being there and I think they kind of like having me around as well :)

The Joy of Saying YES

This is fun. I already do this somewhat at Starbucks and other places but I'm really being stretched at Wormsloe. Today I arrived and John suggested I help Chris at the Cricket pitch. Me? Cricket? SPORTS? Sure! Why not? LOL It was actually a lot of fun. I have the basics of the game figured out and I managed to hit the ball a few times too. I'm not a horrible "bowler" either (bowling is what they call pitching). Tomorrow I'll be helping there for the better part of the afternoon. Okie-dokey!

Then I donned some colonial clothing and basically just shadowed John for the day. We went and picked up some barrels and hay from the maintenance area and dropped them off around the park. (Throw around 20 pound bales of hay? Got it.) And I raked some and swept the stage and then went with John to buy a 40 pound bag of oysters. I let him carry them but I carried the empty coolers and we got ice from the big house and then I stood and sprayed them all clean. By the time I left at six I was soaked but it was so much fun it was okay. I'm usually only there till five. Around 5:30 John mentioned the time and said I could leave any time. I just shrugged and said "Meh, all my friends are gone this weekend so I'm just going home to do homework. I'll stay and help finish with these. Besides, it's kind of fun." He laughed and said "And the best part is, you're not getting paid!"

Maybe that's the key. There's something fun about doing volunteer work but I think that if I can be paid to do random tasks like this, I'd like it just as much. And I'd be just as willing to help out with whatever it is that they need me to do. Just tell me where and how and I'll get it done. Not super fast and maybe not perfectly but it frees other people up to do other things. After all, that's what an indentured servant does...although he started introducing me as "intern" today and that definitely sounds more official ;)

Exploring Savannah

On Friday John asked me “so what do you do on weekends in Statesboro?” I laughed an replied “um…get out of Statesboro?” Now that isn’t always true…actually…it is. LOL This is my fourth weekend here. On the first weekend I went into Savannah with Kayla, Ben and Max. On the second weekend Kayla and I went to Florida. Last weekend I stayed in Statesboro which was fine but I have to admit, I went a bit crazy. So yesterday I headed into Savannah again. Kayla was doing part of her volunteer placement and I didn’t really talk to anyone so I just went on my own which was good. It was funny, as I was leaving I thought to myself, “I should take the route I took the first time” (sort of a secondary road rather than the main interstate that I take to Wormsloe when I just want to get there) but then I decided against it. Except as I was debating with myself I somehow took the wrong road and ended up on that other route anyway!

Anyway, once I got to Savannah, I stopped in at the visitors centre (something I’ve been meaning to do for weeks) and then actually drove right through Savannah to Tybee Island. My goal for the day was mostly just to explore. To get a better feeling for this city that everyone speaks so highly of and to see what I could find. I had some school work with me so my ultimate goal was basically just to find a place to study. The first place I pulled out my books was on the beach at Tybee. It wasn’t particularly warm but I was dressed for the weather and the sun had some heat so it was okay. I think it if it was much windier I wouldn’t have been able to handle it but as it was, it was almost perfect. The beach has these swings along the dunes and I claimed one and set up camp. It was lovely to sit and enjoy the sound of the waves while reading. I was there for two hours (which is how long my parking spot was good for) and then I headed back into Savannah.

I parked up near Forsyth Park and explored down from there (down means towards the river which is actually North but it’s how the city works). I wandered through the park for a while, watched some firemen playing Frisbee for a bit and made my way towards the main fountain. There I noticed that a wedding was just about to start so, along with a bunch of other strangers, I took a seat and watched. I had my book out and I was reading but I ended up chatting with the lady beside me (not during the ceremony of course ;)) and got some tips on places to see and to go eat in Savannah and the area. Once the ceremony was over and I had read a good bit of my book, I continued on my wandering and explored the four most northern “Squares” that Savannah is so famous for. I eventually want to see them all but not all on the same day. Breaking it up is good.

I had packed snacks and food so I had been eating all day but by that time I was a bit chilled from being outside so I decided to find something more substantial than the salad I had left. I ended up finding an “Atlanta Bread Company” which is very similar to Panera and I had some delicious butternut squash soup and half a Panini sandwich there. The best part was it was really quiet so I could spread out and get even more studying done. I have my first midterm on Wednesday so I need to spend as much time as I can going over things. Going to Savannah didn’t give me a huge amount of study time but I sure was able to enjoy what I did have. And I am sticking to the pledge that I made even before I left Ontario - that I wanted to make a point of getting out of Statesboro and getting to know Savannah. So far so good. 

The Truck Got Stuck

I'm trying to decide how to approach this entry without making it a novel. I guess with basic facts. Part of my  exchange is the Directed Studies course I mentioned in a previous post. Part of that class is a volunteer placement. I did my homework before I left and landed the most fantastic PERFECT placement for me that I couldn't have even dreamed up. When I suggested it as an option I hadn't even considered that I would get it or that it would fit me so well. But I did, and here I am. I am working as a volunteer (or, as I like to refer to myself because it is historically accurate, as an Indentured Servant) every Friday at Wormsloe State Historic Park in Savannah. Today was my third visit. The first two were sort of orientation. Taking tours, reviewing the information about the site (which conveniently is exactly what I'm learning in class all week) and getting to know people. Today, in anticipation of the Colonial Faire next week, I had some "get your hands dirty" kind of labour. A site beautification project (that makes it sound cool LOL) which essentially was raking an area outside of the visitors center and piling the debris in a truck. I filled that truck bed three times! I am SO sore now but it was incredibly rewarding work. I was able to spend some quality time with my supervisor John while we were riding in the truck. I am writing a research paper based on Wormsloe and he gave me some good information and resources to check out. The third time we went to empty the truck I went with a guy named Jesse and we had the unfortunate experience of getting the truck stuck. John and I had unloaded so many leaves that when Jesse backed onto them and then tried to pull forward, there was no traction. We tried putting boards under the tires but ended up having to have someone pull us out with another truck. Oops!

Anyway, even though I spent four hours raking and scooping debris I enjoyed every minute of it. Wormsloe is incredibly beautiful and peaceful. It brings out a poetic side in me that I didn't even know existed and just being outside in that wonderful space was amazing. I have already been fitted for colonial clothes for the Faire next week. I don't know if I can communicate exactly how excited I am with words. Being in costume at a historic site is something I have dreamed of for YEARS. It's my goal with my education and the type of work I want to do. Yes this is only a volunteer placement and it's only for a few months but it will go on my resume and help to get me a job like this full time. In the meantime, I'm going to live my dream at this amazing place.

One more paragraph. I mentioned in a previous post that I have "found a name for what I want to do". Essentially it's "Public History". That is the term I have been looking for. The best way to describe Public History is "history that is outside the classroom or academic sphere". It's a similar discipline but with a focus on making history more accessible to the public (pretty simple right?) This includes historic interpretation (where I am focusing for the most part) but also includes museum and curatorial work, some forms of archaeology, as well as documentary film making and even corporate or government historians. It's an incredibly broad filed with a ton of opportunities and I'm super excited about it. As I mentioned the professor that is serving as my advisor for the paper on Wormsloe and who got me the placement, is developing a Public History course at Georgia Southern for launch in September. He's really encouraging me to consider applying when I'm finished my undergrad. I have to admit I'm not stoked at the idea of more school but at the same time, I am freaking LOVING this work and I can actually see myself considering something like that. The fact that it would bring me back to Georgia and is generally funded, only makes it more appealing. But that's way down the road. When I finish in Georgia I still have two years of school. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy every minute of my time here, even if it is raking and getting trucks unstuck :)

CCF

Before I start talking about my program and plans for the future I want to talk about some of the friends I have made here in Statesboro. I mentioned Kayla before and as I suspected we have definitely become good friends. She's great at getting me out when I could just hibernate in my bedroom doing school work and I'm thankful for her. Lots of people have commented that they are surprised that we only met when we arrived because we've clicked so well. One of the things she convinced me to do was to join a group called CCF or Christian Campus Fellowship. I'm not involved in any groups like that back home for a few reasons. #1 is I HAVE a church family and I'm very well connected with them. #2 is the time factor. I have so many other commitments that joining another group just isn't a smart move.

Here however, my time is just taken up by classes and school work. The other factor here is that the drinking culture is VERY prevalent. I mentioned my roommates in a previous post. They have obviously now arrived and I'm slowly getting to know them. Rachel is a Caucasian native to Georgia and I've talked with her the most just because our schedules seem to coincide the most. Terri is Black and I think from South Carolina. She goes home on weekends a bit more and I haven't talked with her that much. In any case, on Thursday I mentioned to Rachel that I was going out that evening. I knew she was as well because I had heard her discussing it and when she responded with "oh, where are you going (meaning what bar). Maybe we'll run into you!" I laughed and said "probably not, I'm going to bible study." It was funny. The point of that is to say that if you don't drink in Statesboro there's not a ton to do so it's nice to have connected with a good clean group of kids who aren't interested in drinking.

We've attended a few events with them. The first was a trivia night which I of course loved. My group won (Syrup Monkeys rule!) The second night was the aforementioned bible study and that is every Thursday night. The theme for the bible study is "Jesus at the Movies". The first week was just an introduction and this week the movie was Hunger Games so it was really interesting. The themes centered on sacrifice, how Katniss offered herself instead of Primrose, and living boldly. This style of bible study is different for me but I'm appreciating it.

Friday was an all-nighter at the CCF house. I was there till 11ish and then I begged off. I'm too old for shenanigans like that :P This morning Kayla and I accepted an invitation from two freshmen to attend church with them. It was nice. Different from what I'm used to in that it was a very contemporary service but it was good to be back in a worship service on a Sunday morning. I'm sure we'll continue to hang out with this group. Most of them are from the state of Georgia so it's nice to get to know some "locals".

Class Breakdown...or are they giving me a breakdown?

Wow. Two weeks since I blogged last. Well, that feels about right. That's when classes started and I have been BUSY. This is my first time actually trying to juggle five classes and I am so incredibly thankful that I'm not working on top of it. A part of me misses it like crazy and I almost applied to the Starbucks on campus but then common sense prevailed and I realized how crazy of a move that would be. The weather has been a bit cooler so I've mostly just been going to classes, coming home and doing readings and then hanging out with friends. Here's a quick review of what I'm studying.

The US as a Young Republic 

I have this class M/W/F from 9:05-9:55. It kind of stinks to have an early class like that but so far it's kept me on track with getting to bed at a decent hour which is nice. It's also my only class on Friday's so that isn't too bad. The prof is pretty cool. Extremely knowledgeable and enjoyable to listen to except he is LOUD. I'm not sure if he's used to lecturing to survey classes or what but in our small 20ish student class, sometimes he just hurts my ears. He's interesting though and I really like this time period so I'm glad I'm taking the class. I have one major research paper due for this class and I'm still debating my topic. I have a few ideas though.

US Constitutional History

M/W 2:30-3:35 This prof is hilarious. Foul mouthed but not in a particularly offensive way. We just sit there and laugh all class. It is an incredible amount of information because I'm learning the Constitution from scratch but we have a good text book and his lectures are easy to follow. We have two case briefs for this class. I haven't even looked at the topics of mine yet.

Georgia History

T/T 12:30-1:45 This class is a massive amount of work. We have online and text book readings assigned for each class and we're tested in class to confirm that we've done the readings. We have a MASSIVE primary source research project and paper as well. The class is fascinating though. The prof (my only female one) is fiercely loyal to Georgia and specifically Savannah at the expense of Atlanta and all other states. It's a lot of fun. 

US as a Global Power

This class is just once a week, on Tuesdays from 6:30-9:15pm. It's long but the prof gets off topic a lot with little stories and anecdotes so it's not like he's lecturing the entire time. He is really funny as well. I make a point of bringing a handkerchief to class because I'm often wiping away tears from laughing. This is class is probably my most intense as far as course work. Three book reviews as well as a major research paper. I haven't even begun to think about what I'm going to write about so that is a bit scary. This class focuses on the 20th century and I took a similar one from a Canadian view point so it's really interesting. It's the most contemporary time period so it's a nice change. 

North American Public Policy Issues

This is a directed studies class which means we only meet a few times during the semester. I have an academic advisor though and I'm checking in with him regularly on the research paper I am writing. This is hands down the class I am most excited about. I could talk about it for forever but, as my Global Power prof says, to make a short story long, this prof is currently developing a Masters program in Public History and is working really hard to try to convince me to apply. I'm not convinced yet (and that wouldn't be for two years anyway) but this man totally gets me. I feel like I've finally found a title for what it is I want to do and he completely understands my goals. It's awesome. A part of this class is my volunteer placement which is it's own bundle of awesomeness but I'll save that for another entry.

So there, that's my five classes. Four major research papers. Three book reviews. Two case studies. Midterms and finals in the first four. I can do this. Gulp!

Georgia Southern Day One

Well, as you can guess I made it the rest of the way to Georgia without incident. I stayed with Pam, who I know from ScrapShare in North Atlanta on Monday night and finished the trip on Tuesday. I got to Statesboro around 1pm but it took the better part of the afternoon to figure out my way around, get my parking pass, check in, get my room key and then go and figure out phone issues. I'm not super happy with what I have set up but I picked up a bug along the road and I'm not feeling particularly well so it will do for now.

Today was our first day of orientation. It was a lot of sitting and listening. We got some questions answered but a lot of it was just officially repeating what we've already been sent. The international program is quite small, about 40 students over all and only 10 or so are exchange students so we got to know everyone quite well. So far I have clicked best with another Canadian (of all people :P) named Kayla. She actually lives next door and I can tell we're going to be good friends. Neither of us are into partying and we both want to explore the area as much as possible. I'm looking forward to hanging out with her more. There's also a girl from Denmark who is super nice, two guys from the UK, Zack is from England and Ben is from Scotland. They both have super thick accents so it's a lot of fun. There are two students from Morrocco and some from Nigeria but I didn't get to talk to them very much. Maybe tomorrow. All the staff are super awesome as well. Everything you've heard about southern hospitality and friendliness is true. They just embody it. I'm ready to start classes but I guess we have some paperwork to get through first. We have two more days of orientation although tomorrow is only a half day and Friday is a general session for all new students at GSU (international or not).

I will have three roommates as well but I'm not expecting them to show up until the weekend because classes don't officially start until Monday. That will be a whole new adventure. In the meantime I'm just working on settling in a little bit and finding my way around. It's going well so far!

Update from the Road: Kentucky

Have you ever planned for and imagined something and then had it play out so exactly as you had hoped that it ends up feeling a bit surreal as it happens? That's what the first two days of this trip has been like. I crossed the border at Detroit without issue, met a friend for lunch in Ann Arbor and then made my way down to my first stop in Ohio. There I stayed with friends and had a wonderful time. I got to see the people I wanted to see and spend time with the ones I wanted to spend time with and this morning I packed up and hit the road again. From Ohio on I don't know exactly what to expect but I'm okay with that. It's pretty much a straight shot down I75 and I'm travelling with the oh so helpful advice of "if you get lost you may as well turn around and go back to Canada" :P Anyway, I am feeling very peaceful right now. Yes I am excited but I'm not at all nervous and even though I don't have it exactly planned out, I know everything is going to play out exactly as it is supposed to.

Happy Birthday Ashley

I wrote this post on Friday night but I didn't have internet access on my computer until now. 

I’m having a horrible time right now with missing Ashley. Sunday would have been her birthday and she passed away just a week later. That makes this the first anniversary of her death. I don’t think it would be nearly so bad if I wasn’t heading out on an adventure so similar to when I went to Quebec. When I went to Quebec I didn’t know I would be living with two other students, never mind ones who became such dear friends. How can you miss someone so much when you only knew them for such a short time? These past few weeks I have found myself composing countless emails, texts and Facebook messages to her in my head. I know she’d be ecstatic about what I have planned for this coming year and I wish I could share it with her. It’s not like I don’t have hundreds of other friends but Ashley was special. I think when someone dies they achieve an immortality and their significance in your life grows. I think nothing of shooting off a quick message to any number of friends or family members and getting a short reply, but knowing I CAN’T with her is hard. Instead I have to allow the memory of her short but bright life, inspire and encourage me. Know that she is looking down and cheering me on and look forward to the new friends that I will make that have the potential to touch my life as she did. 

One Word 2013

I've been participating in the "One Word" challenge for a few years. I was introduced to it through Ali Edwards and I posted this definition a few years ago: "A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow." The idea is that you pick a word that gives you a tie post for the year. In the past I've used: Peace, Dream, Discover and last year my word was "Abide".

2012 was a year for Abiding. Waiting patiently. Doing what needed to be done and laying the groundwork in order to make 2013 an epic year. So my One Word for 2013 is ADVENTURE. I think it's rather appropriate. I'm leaving for Georgia in two days and in May I fly to Europe. This will be a year I will look back on for all the memories and I can't wait to start making them :)

Happy New Year!

Just a quick update. Yesterday was New Years Eve and I spent most of the morning packing. I worked from 1-9:30pm. It was a weird shift because it was fairly quiet but then when we were ready to close it got busy. Rather annoying. Plus my coworker was fighting with his boyfriend (via text) so he was in a bad mood so it wasn't my favourite shift ever. Anyway, we got out just after nine and I headed up to my friends place in Guelph (about a half an hour north of Waterloo). When I arrived the group of people there were playing Cranium. They threw a question at me just as I walked through the door and I answered it correctly so both teams started arguing over "who got Heidi". That was a good ego boost :D

It was a nice relaxing evening. We finished the game (my team won), visited, played some crokinole and then the guys broke out the guitars and we ended up sitting around and singing till midnight. One of my friends is a FANTASTIC picker so we were singing gospel songs at a super fast pace. It was a blast. We did the big countdown to midnight and I texted a few friends (while everyone else kissed :P) I left sometime just before 1. It was a wonderful way to ring in the new year.

For the past few years my friend Leasa has hosted a New Years Day get together and has invited me. Of course I was always back in BC so I missed it. This year I was in town and I told her I wanted to collect on the rain check. Turns out she didn't plan a big bash so it was just me, Leasa, her husband David and their two adorable children. It was actually perfect. We just visited for most of the day and had a big lunch of homemade pierogies and farmers sausage from Saskatchewan. David's dad joined us for dinner as well and he's a Newfie so he's a ton of fun :)

David and Leasa live about an hour south of me and I have another friend in the area so I stayed at their place until 7ish when my friend Nate finished a family dinner and then I met up with him and his friend who was visiting from Peterborough. It was funny because the friend and I spent the whole time going "Oh! You're THAT friend" to each other because Nate has talked a lot about each of us to the other :P It was good to spend time with all these people. I'm definitely going to miss them while I'm on my Grand Adventure but Nate's coming to Europe so I'll see him there.

Happy New Year! Here's to an EPIC 2013 :)