to study naturopathic medicine at Bastyr.
Bastyr is a great school; the top choice for education in natural health sciences and perfect for Nathyn.
But . . . it's clear across the country north of Seattle, Washington.
So Nathyn quit his job and sold his car, and hosted a weekend farewell party at the Zen Yard.
He tossed the relics of his three decades of life into a rented SUV and drove north to Bastyr.
Crater Lake, Oregon --
A spectacular stop on the road trip north,
with breathtaking views and friendly squirrels.
That's a leap of 1,500 miles.
North to a land of cold and snow.
Away from good friends and familiar haunts.
Demoted from a wage-earner with a nice car anddiscretionary income to a scholar with a bus pass
and enough student loan debt to sink a battleship.
Immersed in histology, biochemistry, gross human anatomy.
Yet he sings, knowing that he has wings.
(For Pam's wildlife pages I'm required
by me to have animals in every travelogue.)
Nathyn still loves
his Arizona friends.
He will keep in touch via
text and computer,
and promises to spend Christmas in Arizona.
Three nights at Motel 6. Generic meals at monoculture chain stores off the freeway.
Snippy gps directions when he veered off track. Conversations with a parent.
his new roommate, Jeff, for a welcome
to his new home on Capitol Hill in Seattle.
is a short walk from their apartment. Capitol Hill even has a park, with squirrels.
The scenery might not seem so charming in a few months.
November to March the average monthly temperature is
below 47 degrees, with about 15 days of below freezing
weather. Annual snowfall (white, wet, cold) is 8.6 inches.
Woodland Park zoo in March on our first trip to Bastyr.
Neither foul weather nor poverty nor forty pounds of textbooks will deter the med student from his goal.
He always lands right-side up.
Blue Skies and Happy Landings!