Soaking Up Saturday

I am not a morning person, and today started out with me feeling somewhat grumpy, because I wasn't able to sleep in any later than I have been the past week - in fact, I got up earlier than usual. I went through the first part of my morning regretting signing up for the trip to Newport today, but my feelings quickly changed as I went to breakfast at the V-Dub with some friends and then got on the bus. The day turned out to be fun and relaxing, and it was a good chance to explore Newport.

Abi, Iris, and I spent the day walking around Newport and looking in the shops there. We didn't have a concrete plan in mind about what we wanted to do, but I had heard the view of the ocean from the Newport beaches was beautiful, so we ended up walking about a mile and eventually reached a beach on the opposite end of the town. It was a long walk in the heat, but we were able to stop and rest there for a while. I stuck my feet into the Atlantic Ocean, which whetted my appetite for my trip to the beach tomorrow with the rest of the Brown II cohort. It was weird, though enjoyable, to be at a beach that was actually hot and where the water was a reasonable temperature. In the Bay Area, my beach trips always end up being cold and foggy, and although this is atypical, I have grown accustomed to it.

We relaxed at the beach for a while, and I found a crab shell on the shore. I was also interested to notice that the water was a murky brown color, which I later figured out is the red algae blooming in the ocean. At about 2:45, we hiked back to meet up with everyone else on the day trip. The buses took everyone back to the dorms at 4:00 PM. The rest of the day was low-stress and relaxing; I got to interview my mom for a class assignment, and had a chance to do laundry as well. I really enjoyed interviewing my mom regarding her views on women, feminism, and leadership, because I hadn't discussed these topics with her before and she had a lot of great things to say. I realized once again how accepting and reasonable my family is. I also had fun listening to some of my mom's childhood stories.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is stormy in Providence, but we are taking our chances that the forecast will turn out incorrect and are heading for the beach anyway. It will be an adventure, and I'm looking forward to it! I am amazed that tomorrow will be the beginning of the end - our last week in Providence. My experience here has been eye-opening so far.