Charlotte: Chill

I arrived in Charlotte Wednesday afternoon by way of Rock Hill and a fabulous, drawn-out lunch with Jeff, a fellow Bridges counselor, at Majistic. No, that's not a spelling error - the restaurant really was called Majistic. Upon finally moving to the North Carolina sector of my trip, I went straight to a country club - my first time! (We don't really have too many country clubs around these parts in West Virginia.) I met Sarah, with whom I would be spending a couple of nights, as well as her younger sister and her best friend, both of whom I had met briefly during the school year, at the pool.

We stayed there for a while before going back to her house to change, and as they left for choir rehearsal, I showered and headed to Fort Mill to see another great friend, Michelle. After we turned down one restaurant for their lack of veggie burgers, we decided upon Salsarita's Fresh Cantina for dinner, which was delicious, I might add. We then toured the old Richmar Fashions building (YES!) and played with her dog, Buddy, a bit before I decided that it was probably time for me to return to the Queen City.

That evening, Sarah and I watched a few episodes of Friends Season One and chatted before it was time to go to bed - like most "normal" people, she, too, had to work in the morning. Per usual, I slept in as she got ready and left the house, leaving me to get ready to meet my good friend, Daniel. He picked me up and we headed to the South Park Mall, which was much more fun than I had anticipated. We purchased some trusty bamboo fishing poles, to be used when I return to the country next year, and made good use of the cushioned benches in the mall hallway as well as in department stores.

Daniel dropped me off at Sarah's around lunchtime, so she, her sister, and I set off to picnic at Freedom Park. We even took her dog, Joey! It was very humid/hot/rainy, so we didn't stay long, but it was fun while it lasted. We went back to her house and she tattooed my right leg in Sharpie as we watched more Friends.

She was then picked up for a date, so I headed to Misenheimer to see one of my two wives from the 2007 Mission of Peace, Chelsea, at Pfeiffer University. I met some of her friends that I hadn't on my previous trip (that brings my total of acquantainces up to about half of the campus population - just kidding, Chels!) and we went to a grand dinner at...WAFFLE HOUSE! haha We hung out in the apartments for a while, and then I went to work with her the next morning before leaving around lunchtime.

I arrived back in Charlotte just after Sarah and her sister got home from from work, and the three of us decided to go to the pool with Andrew again. After that, we watched MORE Friends, ate some of the scrumptious vegetable lasagna and drank some of the southern-style sweet tea that her mom and sister, respectfully, had made for me, and then decided to go downtown a bit later via the tram for dinner. We ate at Brixx and had a grand time, then they gave me a tour of the area, including the Epicenter. Finally, after a brief stop to see her friends at Andrew's house, we went back to her house and watched Paris, J'taime, which she had been borrowing from me for...oh, a few months. The next morning, we all left the house as Sarah left with her sister and mother to watch her dad perform in a play and I headed to Raleigh/Durham.

Charlotte was another great stop on my tour - it was more familiar than Columbia, but not as so as Greenville. I got to see many friends in the three or so days that I spent there, which was wonderful. Despite what residents said, there was always something to do, even if it just involved relaxing, sitting, and catching up. I felt at home there, and I'm glad that I got to see so many people - even if, per usual, I could have spent even more time with them.

Columbia: Hospitality

I arrived in Columbia Monday evening and was greeted with squeals, hugs, and lots of food. My freshman year roommate, Ann Tipton (affectionately known as "Tip") and her family were waiting to share with me a delicious homemade dinner and then a tour of the Columbia area, highlighting Forest Acres, Five Points, downtown and USC, the Capitol building, and some art by Blue Sky. Later that evening, Tip showed me her debutante dress, and then we talked until we fell asleep.

I slept in while she went to work the next day, and my friend, Jay, picked me up for lunch. We ate at Hooligan's, which had been highlighted the previous night, then drove to a Marble Slab for dessert before meeting Tip back at her house to chat and play with her dog for a little while. All too soon, it was time for Jay to go to work and for me to meet my Camdenite friend, Morgan, downtown at a coffee shop called Cool Beans. After the cashier/barista helped me via Twenty Questions to decide on ordering a mocha frappe and I enjoyed said beverage, Morgan and I parted, and I went to Miyo's restaurant to join Tip and her family for her mother's birthday dinner. They had many vegetarian options.

We could not finish our food there, so, of course, we went to Baskin-Robbins' $1 Scoop Night for dessert. Yes, that's right - I had lots of ice cream that day. We went back to their house and everyone - Tip, her parents, her sister, her sister's boyfriend, and I - played Scattergories and Apples to Apples before I told everyone goodbye. Tip and I stayed up late talking again, and then I slept as they all went to work in the morning again. I left mid-morning, leaving their poodle, Philippe, to hold down the fort.

I greatly enjoyed my second trip (and the first during which I'd actually spent any time there - I went to USC on a college tour during Bridges this summer) to Cola. I found the city to be charming and fairly easily navigable; plus, everyone was just so NICE to me there! Once again, I didn't get to visit everyone, but I am definitely glad that I did get to spend time with some of my favorite people before I leave them for three months. (In my defense, Morgan is actually leaving the country, too, and for longer. So I'm not so bad, right?)

Greenville: Familiarity

In one of my new favorite books, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert relates an anecdote of being told that every city has a word - you know, that one adjective, noun, or verb that just seems to fit the city, everyone in it, and everything about it. She then searches for her own word. I cannot yet narrow myself down to one; however, I have decided that I will try to label my trip chapters as such. For each portion of this "Farewell Tour," as my father has taken to calling my week-plus excursion, I will try to come up with a word. As the first example, for Greenville, I chose familiarity, because, really, it's been my physical home for the last year more than anywhere else.

I began my road trip with the arrival at my brother's abode. Whilst there, I took a nap, met his new roommate, and made some CDs for my ensuing trip. I then traveled to the summer residence and internship homebase of Melissa, my RA/Big Sister. I dropped off my things and went to a movie with a fellow Bridges counselor, John Odell. I then returned to Melissa's to find that a mutual friend from the Atlanta area, Kelley, was in town visiting some other friends and had stopped by to visit us. We chatted and laughed for a while and mingled with Melissa's housemates; then, Kelley left, and we went to bed. In the morning, Melissa had early morning duties while I slept in, got myself ready, and then met her at the office. I ran some errands, met my brother again, and then spent some time with another former counselor, Shira, before heading out to Cola.

All in all, my time in Greenville went by quickly, as I fear that my time at each of my stops will, but I enjoyed it very much. I could have spent days more there and seen others still employed at the university and such, but my schedule did not permit for that - believe it or not, I do want to spend some time at home, in my own bed, before I leave for three months. Anyway, I got to see some great friends and tie up some loose ends before my departure. I will miss the city; I look forward to my return in the winter!

Road-trippin'

Usually, the family beach trip signifies a break in my summer, the time at which I stop (or at least slow down) on my camp-going and friend-seeing and head home to West Virginia to relax for a few weeks (or start soccer practice) and spend some time with family and hometown friends before school starts. This year, however, is a bit different.

I will not be going to school this fall in West Virginia, nor South Carolina - August 18, I will depart to attend SuDa, a. k. a. Soochow Daxue, a. k. a. Suzhou University for a semester. I will be gone until the 23rd of November; as such, I am now embarking upon what my father likes to call my "Farewell Tour."

Instead of riding back home from the beach with my parents, I caught a ride with my brother back to my college town to visit some college friends. This evening, I am departing to see my freshman year roommate and her family; Wednesday, I will begin to slowly make my way back up north, stopping in various cities and towns along the way to cram into about five days as many visits as I possibly can. Even though I return to the States around Thanksgiving, I won't be down South until spring term begins in January, so this is my last chance to see some good friends for six months or so.

I will try to update as much as I can on my activities and whereabouts for the next week. Until then - please keep looking for my computer! I'd love to enhance these posts with some photos. ;)

K-a-y-a-k is a palindrome...

I started off this summer with a kayaking trip through a marsh, and the ensuing weeks did not seem to hold very much good luck for me. Thursday, in an attempt to change my cosmic karma, I went kayaking through a new marsh.

My brother had been toying with the idea since we had arrived at the beach a few days earlier, but he had yet to decide on a date and time for sure. Thursday morning, I was abruptly awoken and asked if I wanted to go - upon my agreement, I got ready in about thirteen minutes and reported to the sound.

As we set out, I noticed some key differences from the last time that I was in a similar situation: a.) I could not steer with my feet; b.) I had no snacks. Of course, many things struck me as familiar, as well, as I strained to remember how to hold the oar, what kind of stroke to make in the water, and how to sit properly in the vessel.

We ended up not actually making it very far in the marsh, as it was low tide. However, it was fun and a good workout, and we saw some interesting birds and fish. And as far as the change in luck theory: so far, so good. (Knock on wood!)