Where in the World?

I know my actual GPS coordinates seem to be ever changing, but as of Monday I find myself staying relatively stationary. I left Washington DC on Sunday and arrived at Bread Loaf School of English campus in Vermont on Monday for the new student orientation. I don't really know where to start in telling of my travels. I'm so "in the moment" here, it seems like OBX and DC were so long ago. Anyway, the week following all my sunny beaches and relaxing days in North Carolina, my friend Kassie and I drove further north to spend some time in Washington, DC. My Uncle Doug and Aunt Sara were kind enough to let us stay at their place for the week. Kassie and I had a great time. Granted I got grumpy while driving, but if you've ever tried to navigate the streets in Washington you might feel my pain. But once we got the hang of things (thank goodness for the Metro) we started knocking out the tourist sites. We went to all the museum and monuments we could. We even drove out one day to Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington. It was all so much fun and fairly educational. My favorite place of the trip was probably the National Museum of the American Indian. Not only was it nice that it is brand new so not a lot of school tours were there, but it also had so much enriching information about culture and the plight of the American Indian (if I'm allowed to call it that). I was fascinated. Everything seemed representative down to the layout and architecture of the building. We also ate in the cafeteria that featured authentic dishes to different regions and tribes throughout North and South America. Awesome!
Once all the site seeing was through, I took Kassie to the airport on Friday. I hope she wasn't too worn out from all the traveling. Sometimes vacation can be so tiring :) Maybe we should go again.
Grandma and Grandpa Snow came back to DC from Delaware on Friday and flew out Saturday. It was fun to spend some time with them before they flew out. Doug and Sara had a great dinner on Friday night with G&G Snow as well as Sara's parents. I had never met them before so that was fun too. On Saturday I spent the afternoon/evening with my friend Casey. I know him from my last two summers at camp. He joined the Navy and is stationed in Arlington, so it was great to spend time with an old friend too. Overall the week was amazing and I can't begin to thank Doug and Sara enough for their hospitality. They did so much for me.
On Sunday, they sent me on my way with my atlas in hand and a route to follow (it was pretty twisty and windy with all the road switches). I stayed over in Newburgh, NY for the night and finished the trip on Monday after paying nearly 25 dollars in tolls along the way. I had no idea that Northern New York and Vermont are so beautiful. The word beautiful doesn't even begin to capture it though. For the first time on the trip I felt home again as I saw mountains on the horizon. And even though there are lots of trees, I also didn't feel trapped by them like in other parts of the U.S. The campus here is an old Inn converted into a college campus. It has many side buildings for housing and one for classrooms. We also have a theater were the Acting Ensemble will put on The Changeling for us at the end of the summer. I'll take pictures soon and post them.
Classes have been great and most of the students here are teachers as well. Out of the 250 students, about 90 percent of them are teachers. It is awesome to get the chance to do so much collaboration. I am also on the wait staff here, which adds its own element of interestingness. I work every meal for about an hour and a half. So far it seems like just as I start to get something done after a meal I am back in the dining hall. Though, I can't complain too much. The food here is nothing less than gourmet and I'm being introduced to foods that I've only ever heard about. Also, the rest of the wait staff is so much fun. We are forming our own great little bond.
So moral of the story, I am certainly enjoying myself. I feel extremely blessed to be in this situation. Be advised I have no cell reception, but we do have campus wide wi fi if you ever want to email. Well, love from Bread Loaf Mountain :)