Tag: explore

Checking off the list(s)

· Leave a comment ·

Well, we have hit our 3 month mark of living in Vermont, so I find this to be a good time to evaluate my feelings about the move.

To be honest, it feels like we’ve been here a lot longer than 3 months. Perhaps that’s because we’ve witnessed the change of seasons, in kind of a drastic way. We drove into Vermont during a snowstorm on February 18, and today on May 26 the high will be 73 with sun. And in between then and now, we’ve seen lots of rain. I didn’t know how much rain this area sees before moving here. I’m not complaining, I do like gloomy weather as long as I get to have a sunny day to break it up, but I just wasn’t aware that it is one of the cloudiest places in the country. It ranks just below Washington state. Please don’t let that deter you from visiting, it’s still absolutely beautiful. I am so happy to see green and flowers on the trees and fresh green grass, so I can thank all this rain for that! This time of year, you can see why Vermont is the Green Mountain state.

Also, the warped time perception may have something to do with the multitude of tasks I have checked off my “to do” list. I mean that literally. I love and absolutely require lists to keep myself organized and moving forward. I’m kind of forgetful, so the moment I think of something I need or want to do, I open Google Keep and add it to the corresponding list. That includes administrative tasks that have been necessary for the move and settling in, but I also have a Vermont “bucket” list full of places I want to see and things I want to do. I’m also using Google Maps to mark certain places as “want to go.” And I just downloaded Google Tasks to give it a spin. Yes, I am a bit of a Google fan-girl.

Just a snippet of my completed to-do list

I’m happy to say that my “need to do” list has shrunk considerably. We have officially sold our house in Jacksonville, we got our Vermont ID’s & license plates, we’ve settled into our apartment and scoped out our local amenities. I still haven’t found my regular hair place. I visited a nearby stylist, and during my appointment w/ the owner of the salon I made the mistake of telling him that I didn’t know what I wanted done w/ my hair so I trusted his expertise to give me a good cut w/ no instruction. I thought – he’s the owner, I’m sure he knows what he’s doing, so what could go wrong? I walked out of the salon with considerable length taken off, which doesn’t bother me in the slightest, and LOTS of product in my very zhuzhed up hair, which is definitely not my style.

Not so sure about this cut

No big deal, I would wash it all out. But when I stepped out of the shower the next morning, I saw that the cut was uneven and I had just the slightest impression of a lady mullet. Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but I wasn’t particularly happy w/ it. So I’m still on the lookout for my hair person.

I’ve settled into my regular routines now and Andriy and I find plenty of time to continue to explore our surroundings. So this place feels more like home every day. I’m feeling very comfortable. And every day I find something that makes me so happy I live here now.

I’ll share more soon about the fun things we’ve been doing. Next weekend we have plans to go camping at a state park near Waterbury and we just booked a place in Maine to celebrate our summer anniversary on June 15. I LOVE having these awesome things to look forward to. That’s what summer is all about!

Greetings from a new Vermonter

· 2 Comments ·

Well, we did it! We’ve talked and dreamed and schemed about it for so long, and after 5 or so years, we finally moved to Vermont on February 18. That means we’ve been here for about 3 weeks now. Let me fill you in on what’s happened since then.

We arrived in Burlington on February 18, after two long days of driving our two vehicles, packed w/ our basic necessities. Our temporary abode is a 3 BR 1 BA house, provided by the University of Vermont Medical Center, my new employer. The house is literally right next to the hospital. For now, my daily commute is a 5 minute walk – nothing wrong with that! The house is fully furnished, which means we were able to leave our furniture back home in our house on Randall Court. (It’s currently up for sale for a very reasonable price – tell your friends and family! 2 Randall Court ) Unfortunately, it also means we had to leave Frodo behind temporarily, so he’s staying with the Fluhrs for now. We’ll head back to Jacksonville over Easter weekend for a quick pickup of cat and furniture.

Miss you, pal.

For now, we’ve settled in well at our temporary digs. Andriy and I both started our new jobs on February 25. I’m an inventory controller in the central sterile department at UVMMC. Basically that means I make sure all surgical supplies are stocked and that our inventory levels are appropriate. It’s very focused work that demands constant surveillance, so that means my days go quickly. I like it so far – plus I get to wear scrubs, which is basically like wearing pajamas at work.

Andriy is working in accounts receivable for Cabot Creamery in Waitsfield, Vermont. If you have never tried Cabot cheese before, I highly recommend you pick up a block of Cabot Extra Sharp or Seriously Sharp Cheddar the next time you are at the grocery store. It’s so good.https://www.cabotcheese.coop/

There is a lot to do here, even in the winter, so we’ve taken full advantage of that since we’ve arrived.

Week 1: Familiarize ourselves with our surroundings.

We both had a week before we started work, so we used that time to find out important and useful places nearby. Places visited in our first week included the nearby post office, grocery store, pharmacy, car wash, department stores. We also started the search for a more permanent living space. We decided to rent our first year or two, so we visited a handful of apartments before finding one in a good location that we both agreed on.

We also had the opportunity to go cross country skiing for the first time. We learned about a free ski rental day at nearby Bolton Valley Resort, and decided to check it out. It was awesome!

  • Having a blast on Bolton
  • Andriy in action

Week 2: Get to work

We both began work on February 25, so that meant the start of new routines. My work day begins at 7:00, and Andriy has a 30-40 minute commute, so that means we’re up early. The first week means lots of orientation items and learning how to do our jobs, so it’s exhausting and kind of scary, but necessary.

This also was when the 2nd stage of culture shock started to hit me. My honeymoon phase was over and I was beginning to experience homesickness and frustration. Thankfully, my time in Peace Corps prepared me for this, so I knew it was a normal step in adjusting to a new place. Getting into a regular routine is essential to adjustment, so having a regular work, sleep, eat and relaxation schedule helps.

We also signed a lease for our new apartment in Williston, just outside of Burlington. We will be able to move in April 1. It’s in a very nice area with modern amenities. More photos of this to come!

Week 3: Setting the routine and exploring!

Thus began our second week of work. We were settling into our new routine, giving us a sense of normalcy. This is essential to moving onto the third phase of culture shock, which is adjustment.

I felt the desire to get out and see more, so my plan was to stay busy and go see and do some very “Vermonty” things.

Andriy came home with 2 free tickets to the University of Vermont men’s basketball game vs UMass Lowell, so we went and cheered on our local top-ranked college team – Go Catamounts!

One of the Vermonty things on my list is to visit a sugar house to watch maple syrup being made. We visited nearby Palmer’s Sugar House yesterday to watch how it’s done and to try “sugar on snow.” This is basically snow (or shaved ice) with maple syrup poured over it. They served it in the traditional Vermont way, with a donut and a pickle. Weird, I know. We learned that the sap isn’t flowing yet due to cold temps, so we’ll plan a visit to another sugar house sometime in the next couple of weeks.

We ended our evening w/ an amazing meal at Guild Tavern. This farm-to-table restaurant specializes in wood grilled steaks and burgers. I ate the best shrimp I’ve ever had. It was pricey, but worth every cent. Highly recommended.

I’ll share more of my Vermont experiences as they happen. Check back later for more adventures!