We started our day by going to downtown Vicksburg! It had a really nice view of the Mississippi River! Our first stop was at the farmers market. There were like 7 pop ups stand selling watermelons and jam/jelly. The jam/jelly was probably the most popular item that majority of the booths was selling. Our next stop was the highly popular coffee shop, Highway 61. I wasn't feeling like coffee this morning so I got a strawberry pineapple smoothie which was very tasty! The coffee shop is small but it has cozy feeling to it. Everything in downtown Vicksburg is small because the whole entire town is like 3 blocks. After that we went to an art gallery attic right above the coffee shop. It was jam pack full of art but expensive. Next stop we went to the book shop just to take a look around. It was very clean and modern. In the small town of Vicksburg, there was a library! So we definitely stopped there, got library cards and checked out a few books and movies. After the library, we started to feel hot and hungry so we stopped at a rooftop restaurant. It was a bit pricey, but it was worth the scenery! I got grilled cheese with fries which was like the only thing I could eat. And when in the South, it's 10x butter and oiliness! So I got to watch those extra carbs and fat when I order! (Sorry Mom and Dad! I know that was unhealthy decision making! But you'll be satisfied with my decision after in the next paragraph.) After lunch, the owner of the building (it's a multi-complex building with a bank on floor 1, and apartments from floors 3-9, and a restaurant on the rooftop. Floor 2 is the apartment complex office for those of you wondering), took us on a tour of some of the apartments. They are really nice, small, but roomy enough to live in. Plus, they had a good view of the Mississippi River. It also had a nice kitchen and bathroom space. The only thing that I didn't like about the apartments was that all the kitchen and bathroom counters where made exactly of the same material and color.
After downtown, a few of us went to the gym. Since it was the weekend, the gym we go to has a nice policy. If you were an AmeriCorps member, they let you workout for free on the weekends! The gym has the usuall treadmills, stair climbers, and etc. But it also has a pool, racquetball courts, and a basketball court which are really good amenities! So I'm going to try to get a membership for the next month that we're here.
Aunt Cher - this story is for you! I promised you a Confederate flag :) (Disclaimer: she didn't really ask for one nor does she want one.) and I got you a story instead of an actual flag for you! :) On our way back to campus, we ran into some, well not some, like 15 trucks driving past us all bearing the Confederate flag. The flags were just flapping in the wind behind them. They were on some sort of protest I think. So that was interesting to see that many people still supporting the Confederacy about 150 years after the Civil War.
So when we arrived back onto campus after the gym, I took some personal time. I like to take personal time everyday for myself so I can think and reflect on my day. It's very important to me and it makes me realize how lucky I am to have what I have with all these new friends and experiences but never forgetting home where my old friends and family are back home. It's quite therapeutic for me to have time to myself and reflect.
Dinner was just leftovers from lunch. After dinner, I played Heads Up, which is an app made by Ellen DeGeneres (she my fav comedian talk show host). It's an app like charades. So we played that for quite a while. The night then winded down - I took a shower then did laundry. We went into the lounge and watched Monty Python with a few other people. I was so tired, I fell asleep for majority of the movie, but I've already seen it.
It is currently 1:00 am as I'm writing this, so I'm exhausted. I'm going to leave it off for tonight and hope to have another blog for you tomorrow or sometime within the next few days. The comment section should be working a lot better, I hope! So until next time, stay safe and keep a smile on your face! I love all you guys and I cannot thank you enough for your endless support! Especially to my parents. I love you Mom and Dad and I miss you so much. Can't wait to see you soon!
Downtown Vicksburg
My strawberry and pineapple smoothie from Highway 61.
Some art pieces that I thought Mom and Dad would like from the art gallery above the coffee shop.
Bathroom sink at the Rooftop Restaurant. I thought it was unique. (Something I kept noticing here in MS - they don't have toilet seat covers in public restrooms. So you have to always squat, but I'm not complaining. It's a good workout!)
The appetizer they served - spiced pretzels with honey Dijon mustard. It was very good!
My heart attack grilled cheese with fries.
View from the restaurant
View #2 from the restaurant in panoramic form
5 comments:
What great adventures! I'm glad you had a chance to explore Vickburg. I cant wait to check out that coffee shop. The restaurant didnt have salads?!?! Love the art...esp the ones that look like teenage mutant ninja turtle.
When kitchen & bathroom counters are made of the same material it ties the house together and creates consistency...I like it that way (and some of your fav relatives have same countertops on kitchen and bathroom). But you can have your own preferences (like greasy lunches!!!)
Why was your team awake early? When does your team cook? If you dont have cooking duty do you have some other job to do?
Miss you too Kel. Make good choices!
Love, mom
Hi sweetie. Thank you for your posts. I really enjoy "hearing" you in your writing and learning about the area.... although you still have not answered the ONE question about Vicksburg that I gave you before you left! I am glad you are exploring the area and continuing your practice of reflection and gratitude. I have always admired that you have stayed strong and aware of the blessings you have. As a public disclaimer, Aunt Cheryl did not ask you for a Confederate flag. You are welcome, Cheryl!
It is so glad that you are getting the experience of exploring another part of the US and preparing to serve those who have experienced loss through your work with FEMA.
Mom and I are looking forward to coming out in August to spend some time with you. I hope to know the answer to my question before then!
Love you! Dad
I haven't even been here for a week so I haven't been able to answer your question! And when you visit, you can ask the locals about the caves.! Also, yes,I know Cheryl didn't ask for a Confederate flag! :) Don't worry Cheryl, you won't actually receive one in the mail.
The restaurants did have salads, but they were common like caesar salad. I just wanted to see what Southern food taste like.
I thought you might like the art. You can visit the gallery when you go to the coffee shop. And, I saw some hotel pretty close to campus that you can stay at. Like a 5-10 min drive from campus.
Oh, I never noticed that some of our fav relatives have the same counter tops! I still love your house though! Our house doesn't have the same counter tops in the kitchen and bathroom. Are you going to remodel them to look the same? :) I think it was because we saw like 4 different apartments and they all had the same exact counter tops so I think I got tired of seeing the same design over and over again.
Our team was awake early because we wanted to eat breakfast semi-early and visit downtown Vicksburg before it got too hot. It was still hot and sticky whether we went early or not.
Our cooking teams changed. Instead of cooking for the whole floor now, we just cook for our group of 8, which is easier because it takes less time. So do you have any easy and cheap dinner recipes that I could use to cook? I was thinking about doing potatoes for breakfast one day, but we need to buy potatoes and veggies first. I need to cook something tasty for dinner because we have a couple people on our team that can definitely cook!
That's nice to cook for just your team...easier to find out what people like. How about chili and cornbread for dinner? For breakfast you could make fruit smoothies and layer it w granola. & you make good pancakes!
We're going to try to make the bathroom counter top out of wood...we'll see how it comes out :)
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