“There’s a place up ahead and I’m goin’ just as fast as my feet can fly
Come away, come away if you’re goin’, leave the sinkin’ ship behind.” Up Around the Bend – Creedence Clearwater Revival

(August 2015) – PHEW! What a journey. Home smelled sweet as did my own bed! I had a very warm welcome when we arrived back at the homestead:

Madame Mouffette had missed me while I was gone. I had been burdened with the uncomfortable feeling of guilt throughout the duration of my absence because she was unable to accompany me throughout my travels. She did manage and was happy upon my return.

We did roll through the Smokey Mountains on the way home.

Believe it or not, even though I have lived in NC my whole life, I had never visited these wondrous mountains. It was a pleasant site indeed. NC has a lot of history and culture.

I rested for two weeks before I had to pack up my life and move it to Greensboro, NC. I applied and was accepted into the University of North Carolina at Greensboro into the Professions in Deafness program. My goal in the beginning was to study interpreting but later changed to Advocacy Services for the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing. It changed my life completely but I will get into that in further posts 🙂

I acquired an apartment on the west end of the city in a nice neighborhood.

I brought my animal children with me (of course) and we settled into this new life.

The newness of it all took some adjusting. It was difficult for me, in the beginning, to acclimate myself to this new university environment. At 34 yrs old, I was thrust into a sea of 18-22 year olds with the faint awkwardness of others wondering how old I was. I had two of my young classmates ask me on the 3rd day how old I was. It was awkward to say the least. Though, after some time I adjusted and have since come to embrace my age. The knowledge and comforting thought I have used to stifle off the awkwardness is to know that when you hang around younger people you feel younger yourself. This can be a blessing and a curse.

At the end of the day, the education you receive is all that matters. If we’re having fun learning then how much can we really complain?

*Featured image from http://www.wikiwand.com*