July 23, 2011

Sweet Virginia

Part of the degree requirements for a Masters of Education with a specialization in school counseling is that I attend a quarter of my classes on campus at Liberty University located in central Virginia. At first I thought it would be somewhat of an inconvenience because all other courses I can take online from anywhere there is hi-speed internet access. After attending these intensives, however, I am glad for these requirements because I can meet others in my program, learn counseling and education skills requiring personal interaction and make new friends from all over the country!


I decided to polish off two of the one-week intensives this summer which meant staying in Lynchburg for the entire month of July. Fortunately, new-found friends agreed to let me stay at their house which saved me from having to pay a bundle on hotel bills. Besides, it was a wonderful opportunity to get to know some undergraduate students also attending Liberty, not only witnessing their talents as they are involved in music ministry but their love of barbequing and setting things on fire (like backyard fireworks on the 4th =)




This may seem a little strange, but I have to mention something about my discovery in the Madison Heights area near our home. I feel like an explorer who discovered something amazing... but then I'm sure a lot of people feel the same who venture to the La Carreta restaurant. There's a lunch deal that I simply cannot believe. Imagine a platter-size plate of pico de gallo and cheese, taco, chile relleno, beans, and another dinner plate of salad, guacamole, tomato-cucumber-onion medley and bowl of chips with salsa for $4.36 including tax. Obviously this is a two-course meal for me and I take half home so, in essence, a lunch there ends up being $2.18 including tax! Can't beat that when you're on a student budget. I'm glad Virginia went Mexican =)

And I can't post an entry on my time at Liberty without mentioning the incredible free facilities available to faculty and students at the Liberty Mountain Snowflex Center. Picture this: close to the campus on a nearby (what Virginians call a) mountain is a lodge with year-round skiing and snow-boarding. You ask how can they offer skiing and snowboarding all year, especially in the 90+ degree days of summer? Well, the runs are made of a synthetic material designed to simulate the slip and grip effects of snow. Snowflex has a water misting system that keeps the surface moist, enabling skiers of all ages to venture to the slopes till midnight most every day of the year!







Regardless how intense these on-campus classes are -- and they are called intensives for a reason -- it is definitely wonderful to recuperate with facilities like Liberty Mountain and local restaurant deals afterward!  I'm actually kind of sorry there is only one more on-campus course required in my schedule =)

July 22, 2011

Are We In Korea?

While in Lynchburg and during my visit to Raleigh, I met close to 20 mostly former TCIS employees; people I worked with at the American school in South Korea. This truly was an added bonus to my stay in Virginia this summer that reminded me how fortunate I am to have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many quality people!

Sally organized what we called a mini-TCIS reunion. Friends from Illinois, Minnesota, Georgia, North Carolina and Ontario all drove or flew in to not only celebrate the 4th but share memories of Korea, life in the dorms and, of course, Korean cuisine =)




Actually, our reunion turned out to be a momentous occasion for me: it was the first time I had a strawberry sundae!

Yup, you heard me right. For those of you who know me well, know that I am not a fan of ice cream... it has something to do with its frozen temperature and persons chewing it. I've been in therapy for years over this issue and it must be working because I actually took the plunge and ordered one.

I told the lady at the big ice cream cone (stand) that I was willing to order the sundae if she could add more strawberries, cake and whip cream than ice cream. Well, she promised but didn't deliver. Hence I am left holding the biggest strawberry sundae with I-don't-know-how-many HUGE scoops of ice cream!  Even the veteran sundae eaters had not witnessed sundaes this size before.

Not believing in wasting food of any kind, I actually finished most of it... and liked it! Turns out the ice cream was soft enough to let melt in my mouth, thus avoiding the need to chew and any further therapy =) It's a brand new world!

July 09, 2011

Raleigh?

Believe it or not, early knowledge of Raleigh North Carolina was limited to what I learned on the classic Andy Griffith show. Every year Barney Fife would venture into the bustling city of Raleigh for his annual vacation, writing postcards to friends in Mayberry of his ventures in the big city. As I remember, the highlights for him were staying at the local YMCA, catching the daily special at the diner, eating tapioca pudding and heading to bed no earlier than 11 or 11:15 pm! I guess I had to find out for myself what all the excitement was about... turns out there are all these things to do in Raleigh and MORE!

Truth be told, since I was already in this part of the country taking a couple intensive courses at Liberty University in Virginia this July, I thought I would drive the three hours to Raleigh for a mini-vacation over an extended weekend. Once I went through my contact database, I found near a dozen friends to visit from former days at TCIS (school in Korea) who were available and wanted to get together.

The first stop was at the Blanchard household where we enjoyed an evening of catching up and reliving old memories. Ed and Patty are former dorm parents of a boys dorm in Korea where I helped on weekends. I believe this was the first time we were able to sit down to a quiet meal without dozens of teenagers hovering over waiting impatiently for us to finish our dinner. Typical of teenage boys, they were always done their meal within minutes and, as a rule, we had to wait for each other to finish before leaving the table. Those of you who know how I like to take my time at the dinner table can imagine how frustrated the guys would be with me as their waiting took valuable time from video games and other pressing matters.

Anyway, back to Raleigh...

Since I wasn't overly thrilled about the idea of staying at the local Y as Barney did some 50 years ago, I looked around for a good deal and came across a room at the Wyndham located in the newly developed Research Triangle Park. What a wonderful hotel and area of Raleigh. As I understand, this business suburb houses large international corporate headquarters such as IBM, Dupont, Cisco and Bayer and has the local services to support it... like the Cheesecake Factory!



Between connecting with friends and experiencing restaurants I haven't been to since the days I lived in Denver, I was able to visit the State Farmer's Market and historic downtown.





What a wonderful laid-back city, with the trolley system, historic buildings and even Saturday afternoon events on the lawn of the state capital and nearby park. For instance, I was able to observe animal rehabilitation workers showing us a number of birds they are treating. It's the first time I've been able to get within 3-4 feet and learn about a variety of falcons and hawks... absolutely beautiful creatures! Did you know they can hear your heartbeat?






So after my four day mini-vacation here in Raleigh, I can see what Barney saw in this place. It's a bustling city with a small-town feel which truly suits my style. Maybe I'll follow suit and make this my annual vacation spot?