The Evans

Well...we've been in Burlington for over two weeks and still no internet! The problem is that we need a modem to get on the internet in our apartment. But the modem guy hasn't delivered the modems to the housing office. So we are just waiting on him!

We are able to get on the internet in the UVM library, so that helps. Right now, Bech is at work, so I am at the library checking email and such.

Speaking of that, Bech got a job! Yay! Our plan has always been for Bech to find a part time job, so that he can be working on ceramics the rest of the time. He wants to apply for an MFA program when I am done with my program, so he needs to be working on his portfolio. He is going to be working about 25 hours a week at a cafe down the street from where we live. It's called The Firebird Cafe, and it's really cute. He started yesterday and really enjoyed his first day there.

This Sunday, we got to visit an organic dairy. A couple from church (in fact, the only other young couple) is here in Vermont interning at an organic dairy until November. They invited us over for lunch and then a tour of the land. We saw cows, the bull, calves (which are sooo cute! they run up to you and nuzzle and lick you with their scratchy tongues), pigs (much cuter than you would ever imagine), ducks, and chickens. We are actually going to be able to buy some of the chickens to eat in a few months!

We have definitely been enjoying all of those aspects of Vermont. There are tons of farmers markets here! You can literally go to a different one each week. Our favorite so far is the big one in Burlington. It's every Saturday morning. In the late fall and winter, it will be every other week, and will be inside a building. But for now it's in a large park area right by Church Street. There are so many good things to buy. I bought some fresh goat cheese a few weeks ago. My favorite booth is half pint farms. They have the most amazing heirloom tomatoes! We've also been getting fresh corn, arugula, green and yellow beans, grass fed ground beef, eggplant, cucumber, parsley, and peppers. Seriously, this farmers market is amazing! I can't wait to bring my parents here!

I have a random funny story. The blood bank here is right by the school. I have seen the signs all of last week when we went to the library. This Monday, when we were on our way home, I asked Bech to stop there. It has been over a year since we got back from Malawi, so I wanted to try to give blood. Bech ended up deciding to give too.

They were pretty busy, so right when I got done actually giving the blood, Bech has just then been pulled back to a separate room for all of the weird questions they ask. I felt fine and didn't have any problems while they were drawing the blood. But as soon as I walked over the waiting area and sat down, I knew something was wrong. So I walked the 5 feet to the closest bed thing, and asked if I could lay down.

And then I fainted. In front of everyone there. And of course I had a skirt on.

When I woke up, I was on the floor with people around me. Luckily a man I have deemed "The French Doctor" (because he was wearing a white coat and had, what I think was, a French accent--although he doesn't have to be a doctor, he is probably just some sort of technician, and Bech thinks his accent was not French--but "The French Doctor" sounds a lot more exciting!) caught me before I hit the floor. And my first question was, "Did my skirt fly up?" The answer was, thankfully, no, because "The French Doctor" had caught me on my way down.

So all in all I was fine, although very embarrassed, and Bech unfortunately missed the entire thing!