This past weekend was a very busy one. It might not have been quite "sleepless" but I definitely feel the lack of energy so far this week. Anyway, it was totally worth it! I feel like this was my first real opportunity to get off campus and explore the surrounding areas in Georgia. Friday night was awesome because some of my girl friends and I went to see Pitch Perfect 2. It was just as funny as the first one and therefore totally worth the crazy movie ticket prices.
On Saturday I signed up for a FLETC sponsored kayaking trip down the Altamaha River which is the biggest river in the local area. We kayaked 9 miles one way, stopping in the middle for lunch on a sand bar. Mosquitos and sunburn were plentiful as well as rumors of alligators - although we never saw one of those. Several of my classmates went on the trip and we had a ton of fun! After lunch a strong head wind hit and it was quite a struggle to paddle up river to the bridge where we were to disembark. Our "lazy, effortless" float down the river turned into quite the arm workout... (in the picture is me and my suitemate, Bonnie)
On Sunday, I got up early again and drove into Savannah, GA with a different group of my friends from class. One of them used to be a History teacher so he agreed to do research and prepare a tour of the city for us! We were so lucky to have him do that for us because it was free and very informative. He recommended an amazing place to have breakfast before the tour and then we spent the rest of the day walking around the city and learning about its history.
I enjoy eating at restaurants off campus over the weekend. It helps keep my palate sane. The food here is terrible so eating out is important whenever the opportunity presents itself. I had something totally different for breakfast in Savannah - a sweet omelet. It was like an apple pie folded up inside egg. There were sliced apples in a cinnamon sugar sauce with cheddar cheese mixed in. Surprisingly yummmm!
Above is a picture of one of the town squares. This one is where they filmed Forrest Gump. The famous bench has been taken down to reduce traffic congestion but this is also a good example of all the green space sprinkled throughout the city.
Above is a picture inside Savannah's main graveyard. The head stones stapled to the far back wall are there because the city planners couldn't figure out what graves they belonged to. After the Yellow Fever epidemic this cemetery became a mass burial site. There are many more bodies buried in the cemetery than there are grave stones. Another reason for the confusion is that the Union soldiers who camped out in the grave yard at one point and defaced many of the stones.
The tile/mosaic pattern below shows "A View of Savannah in the Year 1734". It's hard to tell but the city is laid out in a very methodical, square, organized pattern. City planners come from all over to study its layout because there is so little traffic congestion and tons of green space.
Also on the tour were several historical buildings including the Savannah College of Art and Design and a gorgeous cathedral named after a saint who's name is escaping me at the moment...
I'm so glad I got a chance to visit these new places and to have fun with my new friends. It's crazy to think that I've already been down here for 1 month! Time is flying by and I'm going to miss these crazy people when August rolls around. Fortunately, one key lesson I learned from my first academy is to enjoy every moment and to savor the good with the bad because once its gone you can't get it back. And although this situation is different because all of us here already have permanent jobs, I still never know when I'll see or talk to these people again. Anyway, moral of the story is, live every moment as if its your last, savor each day, and don't take anyone or anything for granted.
