Blogs from Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, North America - page 10

Since November when I first applied to study abroad for my last class of my undergrad degree, a lot has happened. I got accepted into the program, got my passport, paid for the program, bought hotel and plane ticket. This week, being spring break, I finished the last bit of preperation. I bought my text book and turned in all the health forms. I have 56 days to go and I am excited about this new challenge. I will get to go places that have biblical meanings as well as others that excite me, such as Petra! Through this blog, i plan to upload pictures daily of where I am at and what I have done while on the trip. In the next 56 days I plan to talk about the places I am going and ... read more

Posted by: Onaxthiel: The night was a bit long for me, with neck pain waking me up for about three hours in the middle of the night. The night was much warmer than our last outdoor stay in the Great Smokies. The temperature barely dropped below freezing, and given that we were car camping this time rather than backpacking, both of us were bundled up quite warmly. In the distance a set of dogs had an ongoing howling contest for most of the night, finally ended by what I think was a bobcat or panther screeching them into silence. Or eating them. I'm not sure which. Eventually, I took some muscle relaxants and went to sleep until a bit after dawn. The morning arrived with a heavy fog in the valley in front of us, and ... read more

Day 6: We found America for Sierra. The quintessential all-American town is Sidney Nebraska, home of Cabela’s sporting goods. This is another of many dying agricultural towns of the Midwest. Felt like we were driving through a graveyard, with the markers the dead family farms - heritage barns collapsing and paint-peeling houses boarded shut in the midst of GMO corn and other crops planted right through the lawns and up to the doors. Then occasional mega silos and metal warehouse barns signaling the true owners of the prairie. With the fog settled almost on the ground it was just plain spooky and depressing. I wanted to play Ferron for effect, but we settled on boozy Edith Piaf instead. Cabela’s has pulled Sidney up and out, a mega employer like Walmart distribution centers we see. They hire ... read more

January was a busy month! Long hours of packing up all of our earthly belongings and cleaning out the house, trying to sell the darn car, making travel arrangements, and several fun (albeit emotional) going away parties. Our co-workers treated both of us to drinks and lunches, and each of our families threw us very nice going away parties. We just wanted to say thanks again to our parents, families, friends, and co-workers in providing so much help and support to each of us so we could make this journey to New Zealand. We both appreciate everything you have done! The photos with this entry are from our going away party at the DiGiusto house. (I think we forgot to take our camera to anything else!) ... read more

After a rough week, I spent the weekend in Indianapolis with my Dad. He was visiting for a conference, so I got to stay at the Hilton. Much nicer than the foul slums I've been staying in to save money. Now I'm in eastern Tennessee, straddling the Smokey Mountains between Knoxville and Chattanooga. Both of those cities are less interesting than Nashville. Not suprisingly, they provided a challenging work environment as well. Even so, this job is so much less stressful than it was in the early days. I don't know if its me or the places (likely both). When I think back to my first days in Louisville, its difficult to believe that was part of this same trip. I feel like an honorary resident of this entire region. The people here in the South ... read more