My day started on a Wednesday around 6 a.m when my insufferable alarm clockwould not stop yelling at me to wake up. It was move-in day, so getting out of bed wasn’t too difficult considering my excitement to get the day going. 

I got up, stuffed a few last-minute items into my backpack, and headed downstairs to the kitchen to find my mom brewing her daily latte. 

“Believe I have everything,” I yelled from the front door as she prepared her breakfast. A banana and peanut butter on toast will usually do for her first meal of the day. 

After many long hugs from family, I shoved some full backpacks and pillows into my car, and by around 7 a.m. I was on my way to Vermont. It is always a weird feeling leaving home for school, and you would think it being my third time I would be a bit more used to it, but I wasn’t. 

I’m not. 

It’s not a long drive, only about five hours from home, but six if I decide to take a long stroll through the Target in Plattsburgh to pick up things I “can’t get in Canada.” I was nervous about driving by myself. I had never gone more than two hours alone in my car. The night before I made sure to make a playlist to keep my journey interesting, consisting of Tyler Childers, Chris Stapelton and Zack Bryan. 

I’d say I was taken care of so, I started to drive. The first hour, the weather wasn’t great. It was cloudy with very minimal sunshine. Every once in a while, a handful of raindrops would splatter onto my windshield but had a short stay thanks to my squeaky wipers. 

Once I got to the border, it was smooth sailing. It was early in the morning, so theborder security officer who let me through was very chippy, handing my papers back with a smile which is usually a rare occurrence. I was very excited for the remainder of the trip ahead. 

There are two different ways to school, although both are backroads passing through small towns with big antique shops along the side of the roads. Driving through winding forests then nothing but flat fields 10 minutes later keeps you more focused on the road. 

You can do a lot of thinking by yourself on longer road trips like this one. Your mind starts to wonder, as did mine. I swear I’m not crazy, but I did have a few pretty good conversations with myself. So good I was convinced I could start my own podcast, new ideas for episodes popping in my head as I was driving past farmland and abandoned homes. 

At one point I passed the Amish in a horse and buggy. I smiled as I drove past them, veering into the middle of the two-lane backroad, making sure to give enough space between my small car and the large carriage. I continued driving, pondering. I continue thinking about having a podcast, then explaining to someone that I was talking to myself about having a podcast. I swear I’m not crazy. A little while later, I finally hit the main highway. This was a much more scenic route although it did not last as long as I’d liked it to. I was surrounded by towering mountains of trees, mostly pine, I believe.

They surrounded me, not in a way that I could reach out and touch them, but they seemed much further than they were. It was pure green for what seemed like forever with a few small lakes here and there. About 45 minutes later I was saying goodbye to the smooth roads and back on the pothole-filled ones. 

More farms, more small towns, and a lot more of nothing.

That’s the beauty of taking the back roads to a small town. There’s not a whole lot going on, which is peaceful. But coming from Canada’s capital, it’s a bit boring. I could tell I was getting close to my destination as I passed a familiar taco truck and gas station. The taco truck is recognizable since there is nothing around it. Literally it’s in the middle of a field. I was relieved to see that truck, a landmark to show my proximity to my home for the next 10 months. 

I entered the highway once again, but this time I was getting closer to school. Now that I knew exactly where I was, I could shut my gps of, feeling like a local. 

About five minutes later I was getting off exit 5 and creeping my way through town and into my new home for the next while. At last, my journey came to an end, and a new one began.