First week back in the Ozarks

I left Kentucky on January 12th and flew into Kansas City, Missouri only to be greeted by the destructive snow and ice storm that made national news. On the way back from the airport to the school, we heard that an email had been sent out saying, "If you haven't left home yet, stay where you are until further notice." A little late for that! School was supposed to start January 15th, but it was cancelled until the 22nd. Camden County (where I live) was declared a natural disaster. Power outages, vehicles in ditches, crashed trees, ripped off branches, and downed transformers greeted us when we returned from our Christmas break.

Even Wal-mart was out of electricity for thirteen hours! Those of us here on campus were out of power for twenty-four hours so we kept our flashlights and candles handy. Walking around anywhere outside was precarious since everything everywhere was completely iced over. Freezing temperatures for six days kept all the ice solidly intact. One night around 9:00 we heard repeated gun shots very close to our apartment. We found out later that one of the men on the Grounds Crew was shooting ice out of a tree with a 12 guage shotgun. Because the tree branches were so heavy, they were in danger of falling on the power lines.

A new semester

So what did my roommate (Carrie Martin) and I do since we arrived on a campus a week too early? We moved! Yes, as crazy as it might be, we changed student apartments during those days of power outages, sewage issues, and crashing trees. We came back knowing that we were being booted out of our apartment because we were going from having five girls in one place last semester down to two of us. They wanted to give our apartment to a family. With the help of a staff couple and fellow students with capable trucks, we (well, I didn't!) successfully loaded and unloaded our belongings in the midst of a downpour of pelting sleet. Thanks to their willing hands, we had plenty to do while we were iced in. We love our 'new' place! Our 'new' place means that we have now joined the ranks at the old student housing so we are sharing the bathhouse with half the student body. The change is worth it to us because we have more opportunities for interaction with more students during daily life. The apartment we have now has a sink and toilet, just not a shower.