So, I am new at this whole technology blog thing but I have decided to give it a whirl.

Having now been on the road for about a month and half staight, I have come to realize what a unique experience it is living out of a suitcase, waking up unsure of where I am and feeling perpetually lost-literally. Along with these rather disconcerting sensations come the benefits of traveling. Firstly, I have now visited a number of cities and towns to which I have never been and have the colorful privilege of learning about them through the eyes of teenagers.

Secondly, I have to say, and hopefully this won't jinx me, that these trips have renewed my faith in humanity. Over the past couple of years, I had found my faith in my fellow homosapiens waning, to say the least. In general,though, people are friendly, honest and, when you are lost in the woods of Maine, helpful.

Thirdly, I have truly come to appreciate the physical beauty of America. This country is truly stunning, ranging from the flats of Indiana, to the rolling hills of Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, to the green-ness of Vermont and the terrain that belongs only to Maine. At a time when being an American doesn't always feel like something I want to shout from a mountaintop, seeing the natural beauty of our nation renews my pride and my drive re-claim this country as my own. And lastly, being on the road has simultaneously challenged my ability to laugh at myself and/or the situation and increased my ability to laugh at myself--and let's face it, others.

On this trip, I have encountered a pick up truck chock full of Amish men- beards, hats, overalls and all-tooling along the highway. I have been in an accident, surrounded by true Downeastern old men dressed in camo and hunting orange, speaking a language I think was English but that is yet to be determined. I have sat in the squad car of a Maine police officer who told me of his dating history with red heads--he prefers us, apparently. I have ridden in a tow truck to Enterprise car rental with one of those Downeasterners, squeezed into the cab with a shot gun and the loudest CB radio known to human kind. I have arrived at Enterprise after this surreal experience, walking into an office full of young, hot guys in starched white dress shirts and pressed slacks, creating their own special reality in Bangor, Maine. I got sick from Cracker Barrel. I have had many cars honk at me and flip me off on their way by because I just never know where I am going (I just wave back and smile). I have been perpetually confused with the representatives from the Wheaton College in Illinois. I have laughed with my brother in Pittsburgh. I was welcomed into the homes of close friends. I walked trepidaciously through the streets of Squirrel Hill. I cried in my car when I discovered I had to work on my one full day home after three weeks on the road. I have had the pleasure of getting to know my co-workers (who are pretty damn cool, I have to say) over the telephone since we never see each other. I have attended the coolest, hippiest state fair ever. I have sat at the counters of numerous small town diners. I have been honored with the details of the lives of strangers. I have talked to some of the coolest high school juniors and seniors anywhere! I have visited private schools with nicer campuses than most colleges. I have visited a private school with a zoo! (Oh yeah, you read that right, a zoo full of real zoo animals.) I have been shown love and support from my closest friends. I have called my parents almost everyday and possibly worn out my welcome. I have watched the Red Sox lose. I am watching the White Sox....win?

All in all, these trips to the mid-west, mid-Atlantic and New England have been fun, interesting, tiring and so very worthwhile.

Oddly enough, I am getting used to that sensation of not being sure where I am when I wake up and it just doesn't bother me anymore. I just flip on the radio,, search the low 90s, high 90s, find NPR and wait for them to tell me where I am on this particular morning. However, if the hotel chains decided to mix up their lay outs, bed linens and curtains a bit, it might be a little easier to figure out my location. That said, these hotel rooms now feel like home because I have basically been staying in the same room the whole time. I am getting used to having zits constantly because the water is different everywhere. I may or may not be helping Starbucks and Barnes and Noble stay in business with my penchant for steamed milk. But most of all, when I finally rest my head, night after night, on my own precious pillow, and wake up to my own red curtains, I will feel so lucky. Lucky, or blessed, to have a place to call my own, a sense of humor, an appreciation for the beauty of my country and a few good stories to share with those of you who read my blog.