February Break

Every year there a few times where Okemo Mountain and surrounding towns explode with people. I'm not talking about a few more people, no I'm talking about thousands of people. In a town where the local high school looks like a freshman box dorm this is a lot of people. Usually these skiers from 'down country' (aka anywhere south of Vermont) come for the weekend, we tolerate them because we know they bring a serious amount of cash to the region and without them Okemo wouldn't stay open during the week for all us locals to enjoy it, but on school break week they're here all week long including both weekends on either end.

The two weeks a year where the locals want to pull their hair out are the Christmas/ Holiday Break and February Presidents Week. I didn't know this but not all schools in the states have a break in February to escape the winter blahs and go somewhere sunny, warm and full of sand. Although there is a large percentage of the population who feels that they would rather go skiing in the mountains. I live here all the time so vacationing here in February doesn't seem to be very exciting, but I could see where going somewhere different from your home during the break is pretty cool, even if it's just for a few days.

The towns surrounding ski mountains during this time triple in size, all the grocery stores are empty, there is huge amounts of traffic, and the local bars are full of Jersey Shore wannabees. Don't get me wrong, there is a certain entertainment value that is if you can find a way to get around the traffic. Skiing is something that I love to do, and more people coming up experiencing that and sharing it with their kiddos means there are just more people for me to share one of my passions with.

One thing that I do not do on either of the breaks is go skiing. It loses that meditative value when you have to dodge hundreds of people going down the trail. I'm faster than the average skier on Okemo, and the break weeks feel like I'm playing frogger only on skis.

So yes people from not Vermont, please come skiing but you'll see me out there next week.

Success

A couple of days ago I was out at a bar with some friends of mine and I saw someone who I recognized. He was a person who I had known a long time ago. Unfortunately, he was 'that guy' at the bar. Completely drunk, going up to people and talking about nothing, making a scene. He recognized me and came over we started talking he asked how I was doing since I was back from Africa, told him I'd still been bouncing around and that I was going to Alaska in the spring. He then said something along the lines of 'wow you're doing better than I am. I've never left this place and you've gone out and traveled everywhere!' Statements like this always make me feel a little awkward, people who say they're envious of the life I live, or say 'I wish I could do that'. Because, while the support is nice and welcome, I want to tell people to stop being envious and just live like I do if they want to so bad.

Another thing that's going on this picture is that me and this person both graduated from the same local High School down the street. We can't 'start over' here. People who we wish didn't know our business, people see us for what we were not what who we are now, there are some things that never going to shake. One of mine is I'm known as either 'Jasons little sister' or 'Johns daughter', I'm rarely just Melissa. All us kids growing up in rural Vermont always wanted to 'get out'. There aren't really a whole lot of jobs that are glamorous to a 16 year old kid living in Belmont, Vermont. I wanted to tell him that southern Vermont was just a place and it wasn't a defeat to still be living in the same place that you went to high school in. It's different when you discover a place than if you're born into a place. But that place you discovered, someone at one point felt stuck there and wanted to get out just as badly as you wanted to get into it. Where you are, you're attitude depends on if it's heaven or hell.

But then this begs the question what is success and how does one measure it? There are lots of people who I think of as successful. The guy at the bar I know has two children, wouldn't that count as successful? Owning your own business isn't that successful? Having roots in a community isn't that successful? Success isn't always determined by the money in your pocket or how free your appear to be. Everyone I've ever met is successful in one way or another.

Valentines Day

I realize that this is a little late in posting, as the la jour d'amour was 4 days ago. I'm not dating anyone, so I naturally was alone on Valentines Day. Don't be sad for me. It's ok. I've been single for awhile and right now in my life being in a serious relationship would most definitely hold me back rather than push me forward. I'm too much of a free spirit, bouncing around from place to place, it wouldn't be good for a significant other who stays in the same place all the time.

But I've spent a few Valentines Days alone in the last couple of years, this holiday more so than other throws into sharp contrast who is single and who isn't. I'm truely not bitter about it. Let me tell you about my Valentines Day progression to where I am today:

There were a couple where I expressed my huge dislike for the holiday sort of anti-Valentines Day... where you look around and everyone is a couple, you want to pop the balloons and then steal the chocolates, you also want to tell everyone they're cheesy and insane to like this kind of crap, but secretly as always with projecting, those are the people who really want someone to shower them with affection and buy them cheesy balloons and be handed heart shaped boxes full of chocolates.

Then there's the denial Valentines Day, where after having your angry Valentines day the year before you're not as angry about the whole thing and just pretend like it's just another day, blatantly ignoring the fact that red is everywhere and there are little cherubs floating around with naked bottoms carrying a pint sized bow and a quiver of arrows tipped with hearts instead of hunting razors. Maybe you're in the denial phase because you're tired of being angry at all the couples for a full year worth of holidays: 'I'm going to his parents for Thanksgiving.... let me tell you what *insert boys name here* did for me on my birthday!... We celebrated Groundhog Day together its was wonderfully romantic'. Whatever the case may be you're still a little tightly wound inside but you'll relax on the 15th when all the cake will be on sale.

Somewhere along your Valentines Day line you find a single person who is also jaded with the holiday and you decide that you are going to have a great time as single people to distract yourselves from the reality that you are in fact single in what appears to be a world of those in love. You go around with your single wing-man to every bar in town and get a beer, drunkenly walking over cobblestone (I've spent a few nights in the Old Port) perhaps doing the drunk-walk with your friend as it's more difficult to walk over cobblestone than it was when you went into the bar. You laugh at all the couples, all the people wearing red, and decide that Valentines Day isn't so bad when you're drunk. Another thing that you and your single friend might do is buy a box of red wine and a straw each and have a Harry Potter movie marathon with the sleeper sofa pulled out so that you can each stretch out and snuggle with your blankets. You might also be knitting. (<3 u Sarah)

There are of course the years where you wonder if a certain someone will pull through and call, if you'll receive flowers from someone unexpected, or if someone does something which makes you look at them differently. Hope all you want, 9 times out of 10 it's not going to happen, we live in reality not Disney.

You might ask what I did this Valentines Day. I was once again, alone. My single friends were all doing something else. I had the day off. So I decided I'd pamper myself a little and be my own Valentine. I cooked myself a delicious meal, and made myself a cake. I then watched a movie and knit. No wine to mull the senses nobody but myself to share it with. But I did fully appreciate the work I put into the meal, I was knitting socks for myself and even though I had made a cake and had only one piece it was still worth it. I wasn't jealous of others who were sharing their day with significant others, let them. I also received calls from my immediate family. My Valentines Day was pretty darn good. I then brought the cake into work and shared it with my co-workers who were appreciative of the gesture. I shared my Valentines Day with lots of people rather than exclusively just one.

Valentines Day is hyped up in the media as being a holiday for just lovers. Not so. I shared my Valentines Day with people who I care about, my family and then later my co-workers. Maybe next year if find yourself alone on Valentines Day I recommend pampering yourself and appreciating who you are, and then sharing it with a few others. It's much easier to pass out good vibes than to feel sad about the whole thing.

Plane Tickets

I've never in my life bought a one way ticket to anywhere... until a few days ago.

Buying a one-way ticket in my mind is risky. It almost implies that you won't come back. Of course this is far from the truth. I do plan on returning because I have a job right after I get back from Alaska (located in New Hampshire) which starts in September. I'm going back to doing what I was doing before, teaching kids about nature. I really enjoy working there, but I'm also glad I get to have another adventure in the summer. It's almost like I'm making up for one winter spent in Benin.

My flight out is a little interesting. It's almost as if in south eastern Alaska (or maybe all of Alaska, I'm not sure) there is a you-just-can't-get-there-from-here attitude. Worse than Vermont and almost rivaling the bush taxi system of West Africa. Here is how I'm getting to Juneau:

1) Driving to Coventry, Vermont where I'm entrusting my car to my grandparents (thanks guys!)

2) Drive to Burlington where I will catch a flight from Burlington to JFK in New York City.

3) Stay the night at my friends apartment in NYC.

4) Wake up really early and get on a flight going to Seattle.

5) People watch for 4 hours.

6) Get on plane going towards destination

7) Flight goes to Ketchikan

8) Flight then goes to Sitka

9) Flight goes to Juneau

10) Sleep in Juneau

Here is where the plan breaks down. I could either take a little plan from Juneau to my job or I could take the ferry. Neither has their schedules up for the date that I need so... I'm going to have to wait a little while. Although I've been promised that you can do it day of. If it gets to two weeks before I leave and still nothing, I'm just going to call and see whats the deal.

This trip is looking to rival some trips I've had tooling around in Benin trying to get from Point A to Point B. At least I have a better chance of things going right in the states.

Planning for Alaska

While I am here in Vermont my head is in Alaska. Like I had before joining the Peace Corps, I'm hearing in my head 'what did you get yourself into?!' Of course before any new beginning there's a little back pedaling. I'm a drifter and a dreamer, I lead a manageably unstable life. Most people who know what I do think it's fascinating that I've been able to live in this non traditional manner, but they don't find it cool enough to do themselves. I understand, having that security of knowing that you're going to be living somewhere for a year, signing a lease, fully unpacking, having your things on the wall... however, I don't need that right now. I don't need to set down roots now. This does not mean that I rush into every new opportunity without a little hesitancy.

At first the whole 'live on a glacier, work with sled dogs, hand out puppies to tourists' sounds AMAZING but after mulling it over for a little while I'm beginning to see how intense this has the potential of being. They asked if I could wake up early, not a problem, working as a breakfast waitress has trained me to be on my game in the wee hours of the morning. Working in the wilderness, I've done that. The things that are now seeming to be daunting are the 1:10 human dog ratio (I thought just woody and buster were a handful!), necessary equipment includes a -20 sleeping bag, holy moly that's cold, and commuting via helicopter once a week into town to shower/ restock on anything I'm going to need (hope I don't forget anything!). Just getting there is going to be a journey in itself. If I have to go to Skagway instead of Juneau I fly into Juneau, then take a ferry to Haines, then from there take a ferry to Skagway. This traveling looks as if it might rival my journey from Cotonou, Benin to Rutland, Vermont. While I've taken some nastier bush taxi rides this is going to be up there with some other travel extravaganzas. Once it takes me longer than 24 hours to reach a destination I know it's going to be a story.

I know it will turn out fine, but these are things that are running through my head mixed with the excitement of a new adventure.