Welcome to my blog.
This post is about California and Tennessee. I have grown very fond of Southern California over the past six years. It never rains. Over the summer I interned in Tennessee.
While hammocking in the Smoky Mountains between North Carolina and Tennessee, I released fear of the unknown and suddenly I felt at home. It was the night of the blood moon. I was the only occupant of the Pisgah forest for thirty miles.
It was a dreary, grey day full of large raindrops. I was physically exhausted but my nervous system was on overdrive. What if a bear mauled me? What if cannibalistic hillbillies were camped out in the rain? I prayed for the nervous fear to go away so that I could set up camp, get a good nights sleep and have the rest needed to ride a motorcycle back to Oak Ridge the following morning. 
Within minutes, my prayers were answered. The clouds parted for the first time that day. The forest was lit with a high full moon, the rain stopped and it was apparent that there were no bears nearby to maul me.
My intent is to start grad school in the south starting Fall 2015 for manufacturing innovation in 3D printing. (Powder metallurgy.)
Why not stay in sunny California?
Academically: The South leads the way in manufacturing technology.
Nothing beats "have a nice night" from a stranger fillin' up their red pickup truck at the gas station. Nothing beats strangers unintentionally striking a conversation because that's what they naturally do. Nothing beats a genuine community.
I am moving to a place where water falls from the sky regularly. A place where crops grow. A place where Martin Luther King Jr's dream is very much alive.
Sure there will be rainy days both physically and emotionally. But it will be a more sustainable life. Crops need rain to grow. My heart thirsts for nurture. I feel welcoming arms waiting to embrace me for the next four years.
My last year in Southern California is focused on variety and cultural diversity. I am a traveler and will continue to discover as one; exploring new cultures, learning new dances and enjoying the beauties of creation.
Ciao,
REP
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