Blogs from Rochester, New York, United States, North America

I had a family reunion in Florida for a couple days, so I had to fly out from Rochester. We had a VERY long day of driving from Vermont, where we drove through some Amish country. Rob was quite amused by the horses and buggies driving alongside the car. That day, we finally bought a cargo carrier for the top of the car, followed immediately by a group squabble of how to appropriately secure it to the roof. I’d say we spent a good hour in that Kmart parking lot in the middle of nowhere New York. Time well spent, I’d say. However, we got the cargo holder on, found a campsite, and rolled into Sodus Point, NY around 9er. Carol in the office gave us the old lecture about how we had to be quiet ... read more

The first couple days of my trip have been beautiful and quiet. A usual day consists of morning lecture, mid-morning tea and biscuits, and inspections of sea creatures in the mudflats of Moreton Bay. My marine biology class is so interesting - who considers going out to the beach to collect sea cucumbers, hermit crabs, or spaghetti worms, class? It's great. I am living with all my friends from HWS and Union. Can't wait to meet my host family tomorrow and head off to Brisbane to see the city!... read more

New York state. Not to be confused with New York City. I'll be headed there next week. Today, with Mark, we were going to do a little bit of touring and photo shooting. Artistic photography, with an edge. From this I would learn something. I need to invest in a better camera than my simple point-and-shoot. So firstly, we drove to Letchworth State Park. A beautiful park in New York state, considered the Grand Canyon of the North-East. This is where we saw quite a few waterfalls. A very photogenic area. We tried out some of our 'art' here. The area was beautiful at this time of the year. I think I'm glad I came during fall. Or autumn. I'm developing a bit of an American vocabulary here. Bright yellow tree leaves were fallen everywhere. The ... read more

“Do one thing every day that scares you.” (Eleanor Roosevelt) While I don't think it's absolutely necessary to SCARE oneself, I think of this quote as stretching the limits and going places I have never been--literally and figuratively speaking. Take my travel radius for example. Myrtle Beach (SC) - Minneapolis (MN) - Bar Harbor (ME)...that's about to be fixed! I have no idea what to expect. For the first and last time (...sorry Canada, you don't count in this instance), I will set foot on foreign soil with not one iota of experience and few preconceived notions. I'm quite curious! We'll also be finding out how 'well' I can speak Spanish verrrrrrry shortly. ;) Ciao for now!... read more

Three weeks til this Rochesterian gets to soak up some rays! I can't believe we leave in just a few short weeks. The time there will fly as we have class or excursions every day but one, I believe. Looking forward to spending some time on the Mediterranean before embarking on the rest of the travels!... read more

1 Spain meeting down, 1 to go this Sat. My GISP (Graduate International Studies Program) co-conspirators and I will also be discussing our itinerary post-España! * I know who my roommate will be. * I know who my Spanish professor will *not* be. * I think the professor who is not going with us thinks the world is out to get us. I'll be ok. Really. * I will not wear stilettos and trip on the cobblestone streets. I promise (that I won't trip on cobblestone..). * I also promise I will not blow up my hair from using a flat iron from home with the converter plug.... read more

Once again we are enjoying living close enough to visit family. March 6 was Naomi's 4th birthday so we headed there after church on Sunday night. We got to Clark Summit, PA in the midst of a snow storm. Monday morning we woke up to 14 inches of new snow. We decided to venture out thinking the main roads would be OK. BUT we were mistaken. For the next 100 miles we inched along wondering if we would be the next casualty. Taking an exit and turning around was not an option as the exits were worse than the road. However, when we hit Syracuse and headed west it got better and by the time we came home on Tuesday, all was clear. We had a great time with Brad, Mel and kids. Naomi loved having ... read more

I've showered, cleaned the fish bowl, packed my cell phone and charger, packed the retainer, transferred money, packed the laptop, and am now fully dressed other than my socks and shoes. I'm about ready to go. Unfortunately, I have to drive myself to the airport, so it makes the trip a little more intimidating being completely by myself. However, in a way it is better because I don't like goodbyes, even if they're temporary. The trip is only supposed to be about 13 hours, which is remarkable compared to my last time overseas with the total travel time being 21 hours. I managed to get a good flight for one of the cheapest prices! Go figure. At about 12:30pm, I will be taking my first plane to the Atlanta airport. Once I am there, I will ... read more