A wave of pure excitement rushed through me as I stepped out of my mom’s rental car and into the welcoming soil of Chewonki. Prior to my arrival, I had spent a full day traveling across the country to get to Maine, but being surrounded by a sea of green made the long flights and late nights worth every moment. I am from Los Angeles, California, which, in comparison to Chewonki, is a sea of bright lights and dull, gray buildings.

Leaving home for a semester certainly feels like a big adjustment, but the learning experiences I have had so far, inside and outside of the classroom, are ones I will continue to cherish for a long time. To start, the Chewonki community is fully supportive and welcoming of everyone. Every meal is spent together, and I have discovered I can have the most interesting conversations anywhere on campus, whether that be at the dinner table, in a Natural History class, or while picking green beans on the farm during Work Program. Curiosity runs freely through the trees and halls of Chewonki!

Although I am only around three weeks into the semester, I am confident in saying to live in a place like Chewonki is to be fully inspired by your surroundings. By this, I mean being able to learn about organisms and plants that sit right outside the classroom in an in-depth and exciting manner. Being able to look up at the night sky and realize the beauty in bright stars, which is a sight I rarely get the chance to witness in Los Angeles. Being able to experience a stomach ache from laughing too hard with fellow classmates and teachers. Being able to try new things, such as canoeing or knitting or harvesting potatoes. Chewonki is a wonderful community that encourages new experiences, and a place I cannot wait to spend more of my time in!

Karina, Crossroads School for Art & Sciences, Glendale, California