Journeys for Knowledge

Just like last year, I made my brief trip home in May to see my family and get back in touch with my American lifestyle. Having been away from home for over a year, the transition was jarring to say the least. Among all the aspects of home I missed, one of the biggest was easily the California mountains. As such, my parents and family friends took me up to Mount Shasta for a weekend, to enjoy the mountain air and peaceful surroundings. This was a bit difficult due to my massive exhaustion and jet lag, but by the end of the trip I was feeling rejuvenated.

One important thing to note is we made this same trip last year, but at that time California was still suffering a drought, so the summit area was dry and rocky. This year has plenty of rainfall for the state, so when we returned to the summit region I was shocked to find ample amounts of snow all around, even at the beginning of summer. After my time in sunny Okinawa and a dry winter in Cambridge, it was the first time I was seeing and holding snow in several years. Just another shocking reminder of how far away from my old life graduate school is taking me.

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