Oy, this story is long.
Right. So, I met the Roises, and they are all very nice. I enjoyed the few days I had with them. They had an appointment in Portland for Nelly, so they left Monday morning. They let me stay at their house while they were gone. That first night was not so great; it hit me all at once that I was alone and far away from home. I was tired out from travelling and I didn't know anyone there. And I was hungry. That tends to make everything worse. So I ate some dinner, drank some beer, and went to bed.
Next day I was feeling better, and I had a good time at the conference. The speakers were hilarious and very good. I met a nice lady from Texas and she took me under her wing for the rest of the trip. She's six feet tall, so we got along very well. We ran around all over downtown Moscow; we saw the Kenworthy Theatre, NSA, Mark Beauchamp's bookshop, Bucer's, the local Greek restuarant, West of Paris...it was fun. I met some people from NSA, and they were all very kind. They were genuinely interested in me and my plans. Moscow is a nice little town; I'm really looking forward to living there for a couple of years.
I caught a ride up to the airport in Spokane and flew home on the ninth. It was so nice to have such a short trip. Even my layover was pleasant! I met an NSA student in Virginia (Alexander) who was there for a short visit. I saw him again in Idaho, and he gave me a ride to the airport. His brother, Nate, was on the same flight as I, so we got to hang out a bit. We had dinner and beer together in Colorado and talked about school and the Lord of the Rings. It was nice. It was nice to finally get home, too. I was home in time for my birthday, and I get to sleep in my own bed now, in my own room with my own books.
Quite a journey, eh? I don't know if I'd like to ever do that again, but it was interesting. And it makes for some great stories.
There it is. Questions?
07 September, 2007
06 September, 2007
Part Two
Oh, goodness! I didn't realise that I'd left you all hanging for so long! I'm terribly sorry. I know how awful it is to be waiting on the edge of my seat, as it were, for the end of a story. So let's see, then....where was I?
Oh, yes. Lisping Hippie. My train left Havre, Montana at around two o'clock in the afternoon, and was scheduled to arrive in Spokane, Washington at around what-the-devil-am-I-doing-awake o'clock. Spokane at two a.m. What fun! But before I got to Washington, I got to spend hours and hours sitting next to Lisping Hippie. He told me all about Jesse James and how misunderstood he was. He told stories of his bike-riding adventures. He stole my camera and took a picture of me with it-- I kid you not. Thankfully, I didn't have to spend the entire ride with him. God was merciful to me and for a while, I got to sit in two empty seats out of LH's sight. I think he was one of those people, you know, the kind that have your insides shuddering and trying to run away? One of those.
Another one of God's mercies is that trains serve alcohol. It tends to dampen the shuddering-and-running feelings for a while.
When I finally (and forever!) got away from Lisping Hippie, I had a nice long wait in the Spokane bus/train station. It was there that I slept(ish) on a very uncomfortable bench (they try to make it as uncomfortable as possible, you know) for a nine-hour layover. I met a nice(ish) girl there, Girl Who Can't Say Three Words Without Cursing. She had just had a miscarraige. She was a strange person. Sad and apathetic at the same time. It's odd to write this part of the story, after so much of it has been tongue-in-cheek, but there it is.
It was an uneventful (yay!) ride to Moscow from Spokane. I finally got to Moscow at about 11:30 on Saturday morning (the fourth). Claire Roise picked me up and she was a very pleasant person to meet after all of the crazy people I met while using public transportation.
I am going to stop once more, but I promise I will continue tomorrow. I promise. If I remember.
Just kidding! I really will. Really.
Oh, yes. Lisping Hippie. My train left Havre, Montana at around two o'clock in the afternoon, and was scheduled to arrive in Spokane, Washington at around what-the-devil-am-I-doing-awake o'clock. Spokane at two a.m. What fun! But before I got to Washington, I got to spend hours and hours sitting next to Lisping Hippie. He told me all about Jesse James and how misunderstood he was. He told stories of his bike-riding adventures. He stole my camera and took a picture of me with it-- I kid you not. Thankfully, I didn't have to spend the entire ride with him. God was merciful to me and for a while, I got to sit in two empty seats out of LH's sight. I think he was one of those people, you know, the kind that have your insides shuddering and trying to run away? One of those.
Another one of God's mercies is that trains serve alcohol. It tends to dampen the shuddering-and-running feelings for a while.
When I finally (and forever!) got away from Lisping Hippie, I had a nice long wait in the Spokane bus/train station. It was there that I slept(ish) on a very uncomfortable bench (they try to make it as uncomfortable as possible, you know) for a nine-hour layover. I met a nice(ish) girl there, Girl Who Can't Say Three Words Without Cursing. She had just had a miscarraige. She was a strange person. Sad and apathetic at the same time. It's odd to write this part of the story, after so much of it has been tongue-in-cheek, but there it is.
It was an uneventful (yay!) ride to Moscow from Spokane. I finally got to Moscow at about 11:30 on Saturday morning (the fourth). Claire Roise picked me up and she was a very pleasant person to meet after all of the crazy people I met while using public transportation.
I am going to stop once more, but I promise I will continue tomorrow. I promise. If I remember.
Just kidding! I really will. Really.
05 September, 2007
Sorry, Mrs. Badgermum!
I'm sorry I haven't finished the story of my trip...I'll try to finish it tonight when I get home from school!
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