Maine-Bound

Hello!

I'm going away for the summer, from Pennsylvania to Maine, and I figured I would give blogging a shot, thinking it'd help me to keep in touch with family and friends. I'm working in an Americorps conservation program, and I'm not exactly sure how much computer access I'll have. But hopefully I'll be able to update fairly regularly through text messages, just to let you know what kind of work I'm doing and how I'm faring.

What's on the agenda: a twelve-hour car trip tomorrow (so I can have the car for the summer and explore the gorgeous state of Maine on my days off), and then a three-day orientation. (Please, no icebreakers involving "a word that describes you that also starts with the first letter of your name.) Also, the orientation includes a full day of First Aid/CPR. I hope there's nothing about getting limbs cut off. I'm a little squeamish . . .

My mom and aunt are driving up with me (and flying back), so they get to go to Bar Harbor, ME while I'm in orientation. I'm jealous. That is one of the first towns on my list of places to visit. Apparently they have whale watching tours and a ferry to Nova Scotia (Canada is awesome). Another city on my list is Camden. While shopping for steel-toed boots, I met a nice gentleman who hailed from Maine. His sister owns a store called The Smiling Cow, which apparently has a beautiful view from the back porch.

How I've done so far: The program sent an equipment list (full page front and back), so between the last day of school (which was only a week ago) and today, my mom and I have tried to gather everything I've needed. The hardest thing was probably my steel-toed boots. I have big feet for a girl, and there wasn't enough time to order any in my size. So I was forced to buy men's boots, but getting a boot that fit my feet longways and width-ways was tricky. I ended up going to (only) two stores and trying on about ten pairs before I found a relatively good fit. The good news is now I've got sturdy boots that'll get me a good decade of wear.

It turns out I'm not the best packer either. I kind of knew this from moving in and out of college - I tend to toss a bunch of loose things into boxes. My spatial skills aren't the best, so we'll see how long I last when I'm out on my own and have to find things at the bottom of my pack! The worst part of packing? Deciding which books to take. The one I absolutely could not leave behind was Little Dorrit, by Charles Dickens. But it's massive - 844 pages - and it's going to be a pain to try to shove into my pack. I have no doubt that I will eventually end up sacrificing something vital in order to have my Charles Dickens, though. :)

But really, who can live without Charles Dickens? From here on out, I'll do my best to update often. I'll probably update from the road tomorrow. Until then, live long and prosper.