cheers

So far..the Alaskan experience has been everything I could have imagined and more. It is hard to stay connected back home though. I've spent the last 9 days in a rigorous Wilderness First Responder course which requires 80 hours of training. Therefore, in my free time I am checking in with my family, studying, trying to make connections/friends with my roommates and my fellow exchange comrades, and trying not to get too lost. Postcards are especially appreciated, I received my first one today and I intend to reply promptly! I have met loads of great people, and have unfortunately picked up strange terms such as, "I need to use the loo" or "let me know when you wanna head down to the pub". I feel as though I am constantly looking back to home, constantly on Facebook trying to determine when my friends back home arrived at school, and constantly updated with APO emails and reminders of when the first BAM practice will be. I do miss home. I miss being surrounded by my brothers and advocating for what is best for our group and our community; I miss showing up 5 minutes late to a BAM practice and no longer receiving a glare because my tardiness is expected; I miss the Thai food and Bruce's; I miss receiving Dove Dark Chocolate quotes and eating Sour Patch Watermelons on a monthly basis; I miss having someone read what I write before I submit it; and I miss watching twisted dark dramas that make absolutely no sense by the end. Although I miss all of these things, and although they can never be replaced, I know Alaska has more to offer me and I simply cannot wait to seek a great perhaps.

day seven

Seven bears sighted in seven days.

Man, Alaska is quite the experience. Other than 9 hour days filled with wilderness first responder training, I feel as if I have been running around non-stop since I arrived in Juneau. But it is absolutely gorgeous here. I can't quite capture the image of mountains that rise up out of the water. It is unlike anything I have ever seen before. I'd love to have photos printed and mail them home to friends and family. Unfortunately, I haven't received any letters or packages from anyone! I hope this changes soon, it's hard to keep up with life back in Maine when your only resource to find out information is via Facebook. Please everyone, feel free to text/call/write me, I would love to hear from you!

I'll try to post more frequently!!

Auke Bay

day two

Well day two started out a little rough. I decided I needed to go to Walmart after realizing that I didn't have any toothpaste or shampoo and conditioner. So I embark on this journey to Walmart with an exchange student from Austria. We get to Walmart and I kept telling myself not to buy too much, only the essentials because I need to be able to carry everything back. Well, let me tell you this, I went overload! I could barely carry my newly bought items back and Walmart is cheap as hell, so, of course their bags are cheap as hell! After the fourth bag broke on me on my mile, uphill hike back to my apartment through construction, I wanted to break down and cry. Let me just say that, this is quite a pathetic reason to cry and I won't get too into it but there were other circumstances that had occurred and this was icing on the cake. Well what did I do? I couldn't carry the bags back, they were too heavy and my items kept ripping the bag and crashing to the ground. So, I left my bags with a construction worker on the side of one of Juneau's main roads and walked to my apartment in order to grab a duffle bag so that I could carry all my belongings back. And then I cried. Again, pathetic I realize, but I believe it was necessary. After that I began knitting a scarf waiting for my roommate to return home from work and then we went out to SE Waffle Co., where we had dinner and were finally able to connect!

Let's hope that day three starts out how day two ended!

home

Hello everyone!

I just wanted to let you know that I have arrived at my new home for the next 10 months! I have set my room up, I met one of my roommates, I grabbed coffee from a local coffee shop, I have toured my campus, and I have gotten one of those student ID's (crappy photo and all!). I am not feeling homesick (yet!), let's hope it stays that way! There are still many items I need to pick up at the store before I can really call this place home, but I encourage all of you to write to me in order to help with the transition. I'd also like to mention that I would appreciate snail mail over e-mails. I will continue to post photos so that you can continue to follow me on my new adventure!

I look forward to hearing from you!
Sam


Snail Mail:
Samantha Hall
4300 University Dr.
Juneau, AK 99801

E-mail:
samantha_grace11@yahoo.com

Facebook:
Samantha Grace