Pennsylvanian fall

Changing leaves on Mount Nittany

It's time to get caught up on my blog - have you missed me?! :)

The snow is now falling in Pennsylvania and since winter is not my favorite season, I'm going to try to remember the warmer weather by writing about the beautiful fall season! One of the reasons I love autumn is because of all the hiking opportunities. Let's face it - hiking in the summer can be disgusting. You have to deal with heat, humidity, mosquitoes, ticks and more. Hiking is the spring is not much better because trails are often muddy or flooded. However, the fall is a whole different story! The cooler weather and changing leaves makes for a much more enjoyable day of tromping through the trees.

I learned shortly after moving to PA that there are many hiking trails near State College but so far my favorite is Mount Nittany. Mount Nittany is a short drive from my apartment and the 20-minute climb to the top allows for great views of State College and surrounding Happy Valley. There are several trails on the top of Mount Nittany and many overlooks. I climbed around Mount Nittany several times this fall and can say I have successfully conquered that mountain!

In addition to hiking, I spent the fall season exploring my new home and surrounding cities. State College is basically located in the middle of nowhere, with the nearest sizeable cities a 2-3 hour drive away. Although State College is a fairly large town, the surrounding cities are pretty small. Their small size, though, doesn't mean they don't have anything to offer! I've enjoyed exploring the cutesy shops and unique museums by myself but also with family and friends who have visited me.

Now we move into the winter season and I'll have to see what PA offers besides snow and cold. More coming soon!

Overlooking the nearby farm fields from Mount Nittany.

View of Penn State's campus including Beaver Stadium from Mount Nittany.

Me hiking Mount Nittany!

Farm fields in the Valley with mountains in the distance. So pretty!

On the road again - one month after SAS

Believe it or not, one month ago today I disembarked the M.V. Explorer to end the summer voyage. I want to say "Where has the time gone?!" but to be honest, I've been so busy since I left the ship that it almost seems my time spent working for Semester at Sea was part of another life!

So, what have I been up to since disembarkation on August 21? I am happy to announce I accepted a position at Penn State University. My title is Education Abroad Advisor and I working on September 15. It was a pretty quick turnaround - after I got off the ship, I had to find a place to live in State College, PA, pack up all my belongings and move halfway across the country again.

Packing up the truck.

I was the only one small enough to crawl under the car to hook it up. Lucky me!

Ready to go!

Luckily, I was able to find an apartment and most of my belongings were still packed from when I moved them into my parent's basement before starting graduate school. After a somewhat minor accident with the moving truck in the Chicago suburbs, my dad and I made it to PA and I got all settled into my new home. (Somewhat minor accident = having driver's side mirror broken by a passing semi. I consider this a minor accident because no one was injured. However, not being able to see along the driver's side of the vehicle, plus having to have the mirror fixed in a town nearby Gary, IN, caused this accident to lead to the scariest hour of my life.)

Despite busily rushing to another job and area of the country, you may be wondering how I'm adjusting to life back in the good ol' U.S. of A. The answer is: overall, pretty well. However, here are a few things that have been challenging.

1. Grocery stores: These are WAY too overwhelming. No one needs that many options for cereal, spaghetti sauce, etc. More is not always better.
2. Cooking: Between grad school and living on Semester at Sea's ship, I have done very little cooking in the past two years. Unfortunately my cooking skills did not magically improve during this hiatus. My first dive back into the cooking arena was making pizza for my dad and I when we arrived in PA. I left the cardboard under the pizza and could have burned down my apartment. Not a great way to start off my cooking career again!
3. Commuting: Where is my five minute commute of running up the stairs to my office on the ship? You mean I have to drive or take the bus for 20 whole minutes?! Not cool.

Below you will find some pictures on my new apartment. I still have a few things I'd like to do, but for the most part I'm feeling settled.

The dilemma now is: do I continue on with this blog about my exciting new life in rural Pennsylvania or end it on a high note with all my Semester at Sea travels? The answer is unknown at this point so check back every now and again to see what I'm up to in PA. OR better yet: come visit me and we'll find something blog-worthy to do! :)

Living room of my new apartment.

View as you walk in the front door of the apartment. I have a big patio with nice outdoor space.

Kitchen and dining room.

Bathroom. Small but just enough space for me.

Bedroom. I still need to hang up a few more pictures in here.

Bedroom in my new apartment.