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Well, the first phone call home last night went well, especially compared to last year's sob-a-thon.
There were still a few tears, but mostly because she was exhausted. Turns out that UGA's campus is SO big and SO spread out that she must walk for what feels hours and hours and hours to get to her classes.
The Duke TIP program is such that they're always supervised and shepherded around. So they get up, get walked as a group to one dining hall at 7:30. (where I have been assured once again that the food is SO MUCH BETTER than ASU) She then leaves at 8:35 to walk to class with her group. This class is so far away that it takes them 25 minutes to get there, and then it is on the top floor of a five-floor building. Obviously they must rappel it. And there are HILLS. Not big, steep, roll down and have fun hills like ASU, but HILLS. Hills one must walk over. That are all uphill and no down. (to be fair, she is a Floridian. Hills are pretty well unknown down here, existing only artifically on the Pinellas Trail--better known as "pedestrian overpasses"--and they kick my ass too since I'm not used to them)
The way she was talking last night, in tone and language, one assumes the paths between the buildings at UGA involve crossing rope suspension bridges hand over hand, climbing sheer cliff faces (again, only up) and long swaths of desert inhabited by starving predators that regularly pick off the stragglers. I have a visual of them crawling down the path on their stomachs, passing by the bleached bone rib cages of the occasional grazing animal or freshman gleaming in the sun.
After three hours of class, they then must WALK ALL THE WAY BACK for lunch. Then they WALK BACK AGAIN for more class. Then at four, they WALK AGAIN to their dorm for an hour of free time. Then they WALK AGAIN to get food. And then WALK AGAIN to the dorm for study group.
Once a week, they have RC group night, where their residential counselor will take them to do something fun with just her group of nine or ten kids. Last night was Liv's night so the RC had them WALK off the campus AT LEAST A MILE (can you hear the aggreived tone in her voice? Thom and I were working hard not to laugh) to a Ben and Jerry's store, where the ice cream was really good, but if they'd known they'd have to WALK for it, they would have passed, and then they had to WALK at least a mile back.
I tried to change the subject, "Well, you said the food was great? What did you have for dinner?"
"The food IS awesome. I had fetticini alfredo, fried okra and nachos."
"That's balanced. Not." (although as a meal spanning multiple cultures AND health violations, it is interesting)
"I don't care. I walked three hundred miles today."
"Oh."
"I'm going to lose fifty pounds here! None of my clothes are going to fit!"
"Well, that's what you wanted, right? You said you wanted to shape up over the summer."
"Not like this."
Thom interjected, "But if you lose fifty pounds, you get all new clothes!"
"You're a buttface, Poppa."
"I was just trying to make you feel better, because you know you're stuck up there for three weeks."
"I know. You're still a buttface."
"Okay."
So now I'm working her first care package. She asked for candy--gummy worms. I'm going to grab her some dark chocolate Toblerone (they have it for $1.25 (?) at Aldis, so what better excuse to stock up!) and a cute card and maybe a book or new stationary.
I am also going to look for a new snowglobe to see if that cheers her up since she collects them (Every time anyone goes anywhere, I always ask them to look for a snowglobe for her. The furthest one she got was from Italy from the leaning tower of Pisa. A friend went to Japan and said they don't have them there, and then when my brother in law went to do missionary work in Nicuragua, he said they had no clue what they were. But I keep bugging--a coworker is getting her one from San Diego this week, which is pretty awesome)
Anyways, I know some of you know her and might want to send a note--here's the info:
Duke TIP: Child's Name
C/O Dr. Elizabeth Connell
323A Aderhold Hall
Athens, GA 30602
When she writes back, expect to hear all about the marathon distances she has to cover on a daily basis. I sort of can't wait to hear about it again tonight so I can ask her if they have to carry oxygen tanks near the summits of those hills she has to climb. (because then too I will be a buttface. Can't have Thom hog all the glory.)
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