What is up, my blog readers? Guess where I am. THE EAST COAST!!!!! I'm not actually back home yet, though. I'm currently sitting in the Atlanta airport waiting for my flight to start boarding. I've got some time so I figured I would go ahead and write my final blog post. First off, these flights have been the most turbulent flights I have ever been on. I'm not sure if there really was something going on in the air or if my pilots really just wanted to get to where they were going. The pilot on my first flight said we were going to make it to Seattle in 2.5 hours. That flight is usually close to 4 hours. Sure enough, we made it to Seattle over an hour early. My flight into Atlanta was the same way. That flight is usually five or six hours depending on which way you're traveling and we made it here in four hours. I did see two little girls in the airport whose roller bags doubled as scooters so they could move around the airport on wheels. It was pretty cute. I'm really excited to be this close to home. Only one more flight and I'll be there. Although I am excited to be home, I did have a great time while I was in Alaska. It had its ups and downs but I am glad that I did it. I discovered that I wanted to move to Alaska. I learned how to drive in literally all weather. I discovered a love of Thai food. The one thing that probably surprised me most about being in Alaska was discovering that I don't actually hate the snow. For years and years I claimed that I hated snow because it prevented people from doing anything. Being from the south, this is our reality. If it snows, everything shuts down and we all stay indoors. In Alaska, that never happens. Once it hits -50 degrees, some businesses will tell employees not to come in and schools will make classes optional, but nothing actually shuts down. I embraced the snow and learned how to function in it. How many people in South Carolina can say that they know how to drive on ice and snow while going the speed limit and without sliding off the road? Probably not many. I am now able to say that I can do that. I can also drive around the bends and curves of the Parks Highway going upwards of 65 mph, and I can drive in the pouring rain. I feel pretty accomplished because of that. Although I didn't get to do all the things that I wanted to do while I was here, like hiking, skiing, kayaking, swimming in the hot spring, or going dog sledding, I still had a good time. I spent a lot of time with family that I don't normally get to see. I learned how to cook some amazing food. I tried a new job that I definitely was not qualified for. I got to see some amazing scenery. I was able to focus on a different area of law while attending classes at UAF. I really do think that this was a great experience. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to come here experience Alaska for more than just one month. My flight is going to start boarding soon, so I should probably go. This has been amazing and I hope that you all have enjoyed following me on this journey. Bye!
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If you have been keeping up with my blog, you know that my brother, Billy, was visiting up here for the summer. In the past, I have fought with my siblings a lot and we never really got along great. Since I've been in college, my relationship with my brother has drastically improved. It was so great to see him again after having not seen him in 6 months. We hung out, ate a lot of food, cooked a lot of food, and watched a lot of Master Chef together. Who knew that my brother and I would be sitting at the kitchen table eating steak and potatoes while watching Master Chef? Definitely not me. We had a lot of really great discussions while he was here. We talked about where we wanted to be after we both graduate next summer, our relationships, and food. We talked about food a lot. I'm really proud of my brother and the person that he is becoming. He has lots of goals and aspirations, and he has a direction for his life. It was awesome to sit down with him and talk about all this stuff. He's graduating from high school in June with certificates in welding that most people his age wouldn't have. He wants to make his career in welding and is already making plans of where to go to do that. I'm really happy that he knows what he wants to do, because I definitely don't. After being on a fast track to a degree in criminal justice starting in high school, I still question whether this is something that I want to do. After working in a bakery for almost half a year, maybe I'll find more satisfaction in becoming a baker or a chef. Who knows. I'm so glad that I got to spend quality time with my brother. Although we did have some serious conversations, we also had some fun times. Any time that one of us had cookies, we would take one and place it on the other person's shoulder. There was also a lot of smacking and shoving involved. Whenever we would walk by each other, someone got shoved or smacked. It was pretty funny. His plane flew out this afternoon around 3. He called me once he got to Seattle. Apparently the flight was not a good one. We do not take kindly to screaming children. He has very little patience for children just like I do. Hopefully his next two flights will be better and he makes it home safely. I fly home in ten days. Woohoo. Very excited. Tonight is my last shift at work and I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked in the bakery. Yes, that job was stressful and had a lot of downs, but there were some ups mixed in with the downs. My managers were proud of the product that I was putting out, and honestly, I enjoyed it. I really do love cooking and baking. I still hate doing dishes, but I love making something delicious. After I get done working, I get to start packing and cleaning. I need to start packing my bags, shipping stuff to Columbia, and cleaning my room and the truck. I will post again next week to reflect on my time here in Alaska and wrap up this blog. It's been fun.
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AuthorStudent at the University of South Carolina studying criminal justice, French, and psychology. Archives
August 2019
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