home again home again

I went home to VA last week (albeit briefly) and forgot to have any sweet tea. Sacrilege, I know. But I did have Chesapeake Bay steamed crabs, and encountered beach traffic on I-95 both Friday and Saturday. So 2 out of 3 summer rituals in Virginia were successfully upheld. Thanks to my parents who are probably reading this with their new and exciting broadband.

We're about to get a grocery store right by my office. It's slated to open later this month (probably when all the students come back). My excitement can hardly be contained, because it means an end to the weekly Rite Aid trips. These usually culminate with bags of hot fries for me, pork rinds for my colleague, and too much chocolate and/or soda. This week, we had a taste testing of the new Sour Patch kids in fruit shapes. I'm hanging my head in shame as I write this. Once Fresh Grocer opens, there shall be healthier lunches and snacks around here. I will need to vacate my desk around September when the new AmeriCorps person comes in. Right now, the top middle drawer holds office supplies, the bottom right drawer contains files and important documents, and the top right drawer is home to my snack collection and extra plastic bags I keep meaning to recycle.

If you just read the above paragraph, you may realize that a new AmeriCorps person will be starting here in September, meaning that I am no longer in AmeriCorps. My term ended two weeks ago and it hasn't really hit me yet. I'm still doing the same basic things (teaching summer programs to middle schoolers, helping out with the home visiting paperwork, living in the same place, etc.). I'm waiting for it all to sink in: no more member meetings, no capacity building sessions to plan, no Dexter St. parties or cookouts, many fewer rides on the last bus home. Sigh.

Thanksgiving break review

Going back home to Virginia really made the differences between here and there all the more obvious. Of course, VA means old friends and family, while Philadelphia equates to over a million strangers and a few dozen acquaintances. But there are other things. Driving in Virginia is fun, for one. Even with a stick shift. The amount of traffic in Richmond and its suburbs is incredibly smaller than Philadelphia and its suburbs. I rode around with my Dad on Friday and braved the Black Friday crowds to buy greeting cards and my first pepper spray. Dad actually reached for the enormous can of Bear Repellent first (we were at a hunting/fishing geared outdoors store). On Saturday, my Mom lent me her car and I zoomed around, listening to Talking Heads and Bob Dylan. I slept a tremendous amount, going to bed around 11PM and waking up around 9AM each day. I helped cook and bake food for Thanksgiving, much to my Mom's surprise and delight. Despite having no cell phone reception at home, I still managed to take a long-distance call and dial out to other people. I neglected to take any photos, but rest assured they all would have been of family, friends, adorable pets, and late autumn in the woods. One caveat about Richmond: people can still smoke in bars, which leads to everything reeking of smoke. Then again, the beer there is at happy hour prices in the city.

I was fortunate enough to take a train in between RIC and PHL both ways, which made my vacation that much more relaxing. No stop and go traffic on I-95, no driving late at night to avoid said traffic. Just me, my iPod, some books, and many other passengers. It was a step up from last year's epic 14-hour rail journey on the Vermonter.

I posted more photos from the month of October: Enjoy.