Breaf Loafing Summers

Every summer I spend with the Bread Loaf School of English program I learn something new about life.

Juneau, Alaska
My first year, in Alaska, I realized that I function well on my own and enjoy the opportunities I have to prove to myself that I can be self-sufficient if need be. The summer at Juneau was a hard one for me, academically, because all the courses were full when I applied and I took two challenging writing courses, The Brontes with Prof. Easley and Ethnographic Essays with Prof. Jeff Porter. From the very first day I new that I was in over my head! I had not written anything since college and I felt that even my language skills were not up to par in a highly intellectual and competitive environment typical of a Master’s program in English. But I read, participated in class, locked myself in my room during the weekend and passed the first session… with very good marks! From this I learned two things: there are no limitations to what I can do and doing it can be an awesome experience.

Middlebury, Vermont
I spent the second summer at the headquarters of Bread Loaf in Middlebury, Vermont and took Storytelling with Mr. Armstrong and Technology in the teaching of Writing with Prof. Lungsworth. This time around, both classes were highly interactive and required frequent class participation and daily assignments. In contrast to the other campuses, Vermont prides itself in the amount of activities that are available to the students throughout the summer. Activities include parties, readings, seminars, barbeques, plays, contests, etc. I lived off campus (in Rochester) with my mother and step-father and had a bunch of friends up for the weekends I spent at Vermont. I learned that it is not a good idea to watch the movie “The Exorcism of Emily Rose” before you have to stay home, ALONE, for an entire week! Needless to say, I went back to sleeping with the light on.

Oxford, UK
For my third session I picked Oxford because I had been itching to visit Europe. I am taking a class that concentrates on the Restoration Period (1660-1800) with Professor Peter McCullough. Lincoln College is located on Turl Street, in the City of Oxford. We are approximately 60 students from all over the US, France and Venezuela (me). The more I get to know my colleagues, the more I realize how pointless it is to live our lives by going through the motions and falling into the next situation. I have met people here who have decided, at a certain moment in their lives, what they want and have simply picked up their belongings and gone out to get it; one person who has spent months traveling the States, Australia and ended up living in Hawaii. I compare those experiences to those of people who live in their comfort zones, knowing only what exists in their immediate surroundings. The latter never cross the fringes into the unknown and miss so many adventures. And that is the lesson I am learning in Oxford… that live is not worth living unless it is lived as an adventure.