The Arrival

I love airports. I love feeling like I'm on the move-- going new places, doing big things. Just a face in a sea of people traveling towards any one of a million different destinations. Maybe it was my incredibly stable Midwestern (Go Hoosiers!) childhood that made me crave the freneticism of Anywhere Else, or the fact that in the past 5 years, I've barely spent more than two consecutive semesters in the same place. Whatever the origin, I relish the opportunity for learning and growth presented by unfamiliar spaces. So when I got the email confirming my acceptance to the LAKES REU, I was beyond thrilled to be given the opportunity to study and play for 8 weeks in Wisconsin.

 As I walked the few meters from the baggage claim to where Nels, Amber, Zayyan, and Vienna were waiting in the car, what struck me first was the humidity and the heat. This was supposed to be the North!!!! I had just left the absolute hell of Southern summers behind. Or so I thought. Apparently, as I learned later that night over delicious pizza and the company of my 7 new pals, the heat of last Sunday was a once-or-twice-a-summer event. And sure enough, the next morning included a chilly walk to class in a sweater and jeans. The hour-or-so drive from the airport to dinner was longer than I expected, but proved to be a hidden treat. With Father's Day tattoos being given in the back seat, and the openness of the landscape rolling by the window (something I hadn't even realized I missed from my childhood in Indiana. In North Carolina, you never really get an expansive view of the sky, the trees grow too thick) I got a little time to prepare myself for the dinner, and the summer, ahead; because I spent a majority of the time between finals and my departure preparing for the upcoming Fall Semester that I'll be spending abroad, the drive was a great transition to focusing my attention on this summer's work--which is super exciting and sure to be a lot of fun.

While the hour time difference proved to be a bit difficult to adjust to (I feel lame even admitting that) in this first week, getting to know the area, the mentors, and my fellow participants has been a lot of fun, and I can't wait to see where this summer takes us all. I haven't taken as many pictures as I normally might, but I'm going to sign this post off with one of my favorites so far: a shot I took while being pulled in a wagon on the back of a tractor from the 1950's driven by one of my fellow students.