Lessons from the Emerald City

Hello from Seattle! Today marks the first day of my travel season for the College. After a brief layover in Minnesota, I landed a few hours ago at SeaTac and have settled into my hotel for the evening. I'm only here for the night, though...after a few high school visits in the morning, I drive northwest to Port Angeles, Washington, where I'll spend the night before catching a ferry to Victoria, BC, on Friday morning.

Here's what I learned today:

1. Don't buy toothpaste and pack it in your luggage if the tube doesn't have a screw-on cap. It might, just maybe, get crushed in transit and cover the inside of your suitcase with minty freshness.
2. The Swine Flu scare has a hold of people out here...at least, a few people...I was taken aback and then had to hold my laugh when I went to a local grocery tonight and saw a few people in surgical masks. I thought for a minute it was Halloween and I hadn't realized it...then it occurred to me that people are taking precautions against H1N1. So I bought three bags of Vitamin C lozenges to fortify my defenses...
3. Don't count on a package making it from Gambier to Seattle, even if the shipping company is asked to deliver before your arrival date. That's right...I'm without materials...so my apologies to any students I meet tomorrow! I'll owe you some brochures!
4. Want to feel as though you've officially arrived in the Pacific Northwest? Eat fresh, local salmon! Here's my picture of the day from a legendary Seattle institution.

Over the next 24 days, I'll be visiting high schools in and around Seattle, Victoria, Portland (OR) and the San Francisco Bay areas. I and my colleagues pay visits to high schools--public, private and parochial--to speak about Kenyon and to meet students who are interested in learning more about our college. You can check our website under "Kenyon Comes to You" to see our travel schedules. Hopefully we'll meet up with some of you this year!

I also offer interviews while I'm on the road. Though we always love to have students visit campus, we understand that sometimes your schedules just won't allow a visit. So we meet with prospective students for interviews while we're in your neighborhood. Keep an eye on your email inbox--if you're in our system with a valid email address and haven't yet been to campus for an interview, you'll receive notification of our visit and an opportunity to schedule a meeting off campus.

I hope you find my blog a bit more engaging in these coming months...my life is a bit more 'glamorous', if you will, during the fall travel season. I intend to update daily, and though this may become more of a travel blog, I hope you'll find some value somewhere in here!

From Seattle, all the best.
-Noble