That’s us with Tita Sally, Perze’s second degree cousin who’s studying at the graduate school SIT in Vermont.  She recently arrived in the US in the beginning of the fall term so last weekend was the only open window for us to visit her.

It was actually a great weekend for us to visit because the weather permitted us to experience fall in Vermont.  We stayed in their graduate dorm building, which really allowed Emma to meet so many people.  During our stay there, she hardly wanted to stay with us in our room to rest; instead, she was hanging out with the dorm residents, talking and playing with them.  Imagine?  Without intimidation, she carved pumpkins with them, watched DVDs and even handed out Halloween treats by sharing her bag of packed m&m’s.  And every morning, she’d wake up early so she could play with the residents again and say hi to them as they passed by our room.  To her disappointment, weekend mornings mean sleep time for students.

Due to her hanging out, she learned more about carving pumpkins, and she had her first experience with pumpkin art.  We simultaneously learned how to open up the top of the pumpkin, scoop out the seeds, and carve out a face (with the help of a pattern and carving tools).

Speaking of pumpkins, that Saturday, we devoted our trip to attend their biggest Pumpkin Festival in NH.  Hundreds of people donated carved pumpkins and I’ve never seen so many orange orbs and people walking around in honor of Halloween.  In was in the center of this quaint town that had all these cute little stores and cafes.  People set up food booths, jewelry booths, crafts…etc.  It just felt poetic and exciting watching so many people.  People, I noticed were so nice too, giving allowance to Emma’s balloon that would hit them, or letting her in front of the line for her cotton candy.  Stuff like that…made me rethink the cultural attitude of NJ/NY.

             

The rest of the trip was great because of the rest and getting to know Ate Sally more- her studies and ministries.  She’s really someone to respect for her achievements in outreach.  It’s good to have conversation about ministry goals and open up questions to approach.  I appreciate that type of serious dialogue.

Overall, the four.five hour drive was worth it.  And Em had such a keen time meeting new people, making new friends, and acquainting herself with her Tita.  By the end of our trip, she wanted to stay there and carve more pumpkins.

To see our full album of our Vermont Trip, you can visit our Photo Gallery and click on the 2008 album.