Boise

After we got back from Jackson Hole, we spent the rest of the break in a suburb of Boise called Meridian. The guy I was staying with spent the next few days showing me around town, and there were quite a few many sights. The first place we went was Bronco Stadium, where the Idaho rival Boise State plays. They are known for having a blue field, or "smurf turf."

After that, we went went to a place called Table Rock, which was at the top of a large hill overlooking the city. Riding up the switchbacks to Table Rock reminded me of the Hollywood Hills because of the way the houses looked situated in the hills. At the top, Table Rock was surrounded by rolling hills on one side and a valley on the other.

After Table Rock, we went to an old jail called the Old Idaho Penitentiary, which is a place I had seen on tv to be haunted. Of course I wanted to check it out. I didn't see any ghosts, but it was a very cool place that seemed to be stuck in time.

After that, we drove through downtown and saw more sights, like the state capital building, which looked similar to South Carolina's.

I really enjoyed my spring break. It seemed like we were constantly on the move, which was good because I only have a limited time out here. Hopefully I'll be back someday.

Spring Break Pt I: Jackson

My spring break started on Friday, March 14 after my last midterm. I was heading down to Boise with one of my Beta brothers and his friends who had a car we could ride in. It was a 6 hour drive, which is much longer than I am used to, but it was very scenic as well.

After we got to Boise, we went to my brother's house, which was in a suburb called Meridian. The next day, we picked up one of his friends, and headed out towards Jackson Hole, WY. Another Beta lived across the border in Tetonia, Idaho, and was letting us stay at his house so we could ski at the #1 ski resort in the nation for two days. The ride out east to Tetonia was not as scenic, but still cool because of all the windmills I saw.

When we finally got to Tetonia, we were astounded at the house we were staying at. His backyard view was amazing as well. The Grand Tetons were rising out of the landscape.

We got up early to go skiing the next day, and it was a huge mountain. The slopes were very steep, and this was only my 3rd day skiing ever. I had a lot of fun though because there were just so many trails to get on. The next day, it was heavily snowing the whole time, which was really cool, just hard to see anything.

 

We spent the first few days of spring break skiing and exploring the town, basically going non-stop. It seems like we spent a whole spring break there,  but I am going back to Boise for a few days to explore there and spend the rest of my spring break.

Skiing

This past weekend, I went skiing for the first time. Ever. When I try to explain to the natives here that I have never been skiing, they simply cannot believe it. Many Idahoans learn how to ski concurrently with learning how to ride a bike. I might be a little behind the curve. Anyway, three of my Beta brothers here took me to a ski resort in McCall, Idaho called Brundage. Taking the 4-hour trip from Moscow was my first time away from the Palouse area, or the rolling hills characteristic of this section of North Idaho. I got to see farms, mountains, and valleys on my way down.

Luckily, one of my brothers had a condo in McCall, which was very convenient for us.
The next day we drove to the mountain, and instantaneously I was awestruck by the scenic views, as well as how fast skiers were coming down the mountain. One of the guys helped me through the basics on the bunny hill, which was very helpful. I was by far the oldest learner on the bunny hill, which made me feel self-conscious at first, but I got over it by thinking, "Hey, I from South Carolina!" Having skis on your feet for the first time is a strange feeling, and took some getting used-to.

Surprisingly to the people around me, ski-lifts are pretty scary the first time. I know, it seems ridiculous, but the chairs come in fast and then they go really high. After the guy helping me grabbed my coat and pulled me forward so I could make in to the chair in time, I knew I had to learn quickly.
Turning back and forth down a steep hill was the hardest thing to learn, and took me the rest of the first day to do so.
After the first day, I was totally exhausted, and was extremely sore the next morning, but I still strapped on my gear. The second day was better because I already had the basics down. I spent the day on a much higher, more difficult section and did surprisingly well.

 I really enjoyed my time skiing, and I hope I get to do it again.

First Snow Day

Today was my first snow day in Idaho. I opened the curtain around 7:45 this morning to see this sight:

Now, back in South Carolina, "snow" days were mainly just ice days, with no real powder actually present. This, however, was the powdery stuff. Naturally, because I saw snow, I went onto my email to see if class had been cancelled. In South Carolina, if we simply see snow, class is automatically cancelled essentially. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Idaho. I still enjoyed seeing all of the sights covered in blankets of snow.

In the distance, the Idaho water tower is covered in fog:

Here is the courtyard of my dorm complex:

The Beta house was also a great sight:

I have gotten down the names of most of the guys in the chapter, which is a good accomplishment because their chapter is very sizable. They are very friendly guys, which is helpful as I try to get to meet and get to know them.

In the afternoon, the snow started to melt, and then it began to rain. However, once evening fell, the snow began to as well yet again. I don't know if it will snow again tonight, but I can be quite certain that class will NOT be cancelled tomorrow.

Beginnings

Hello again! I have now been in Moscow, Idaho for 24 hours. When I arrived last night, it was cloudy, and it was already dark by 4:30 pm. Fortunately, today was relatively clear. On a bad note, it was very, very windy. The weather would have been all right, except the biting wind made it seem much colder. I spent today walking around campus in the daylight to get my bearings. The buildings are all very modern-looking and quite large. Here is the Admin Building.

Here is what my dorm looks like:

Here are some other campus sites:

Here is the athletic complex, the Kibbie dome, as well as a view from the top of the hill and a football practice field.

The really cool aspect about Idaho is that a Beta chapter exists here. I have gotten to meet their president, as well as other guys, and they are a really good group. It's nice to have a home away from home. Their chapter house is nice as well.

Almost there...

Hello all! My name is Cameron Polomski, and I'm a junior at the University of South Carolina. I am participating in the National Student Exchange at the University of Idaho for Spring 2014. My journey began yesterday, January 10, at 5 a.m. Eastern Time, and after many a delay and layover, I arrived in Seattle, Washington at 11:45pm Pacific Time. Fortunately my cousin, Eva, lives in Seattle, where I stayed for two nights before my flight to Spokane on Sunday morning. All day Saturday, I was taking in the sights and sounds of Seattle. The day started off raining. I can't say I was too surprised, knowing a bit about Seattle weather before I arrived. The rain obscured "scenic" overlooks into the downtown area and Puget Sound, so we continued on our way. After eating lunch at a local Vietnamese place, the sun came out and I finally got to see some sights:

After, I went down to the old market place to see what it was like. That part of the city had been there for over a hundred years, which was apparent in the old-timey fashion of it. We happened to be there during a Seattle Seahawks playoff game, and the natives are crazy about their Seahawks. Seemingly every shop owner in the marketplace had a Seahawks hat or jersey and/or a radio to listen to the game while working.

 Another interesting thing about the downtown area was the "green" presence of mind. Wherever there was a trash can, compost and recycling bins were closely attached. The city takes pride in the fact that it has good air quality and minimal trash for such a large city.

Although Seattle was cold and rainy while I was here to visit, I greatly enjoyed everything it had to offer. I hope to be back someday. Next stop: Spokane. Then I take a shuttle headed for the final destination, Moscow, Idaho.