I moved to South Royalton (SoRo) from NY a little over two weeks ago and have found that the sound of crickets and clock towers have easily replaced the sirens, planes and automobiles of my former life. Week zero is here…ahhh, orientation. Now is the time when everything and everyone you meet is new and unexplored, each conversation is stimulating and rich. If this week had a color it would be green like fresh grass.

I have spent the majority of each day in orientation workshops trying to add context to the void that we are about to enter as first year law students. Workshops about broad topics like justice and professionalism as well as specialized topics like conduct and career. I have had the pleasure of many long nights of thoughtful and often funny conversations with my classmates about what brought us here, why we are staying and what we hope to know and be when we leave. Happily, I survived my first “flying ant season” even though I thought I might die when I came home to find a few thousand bugs teaming and buzzing around the lantern above my front door.

I have come to VLS from one of the most diversely populated cities in the world, a place that equips one for different types of challenges. Where getting through the day makes you feel a bit smug, smart and cultured. SoRo has its own pacing and everyday here highlights the fact that “intelligence” and “skill” are subjective words that are relative to place and time. For every one thing I know as a fact of life in NY, I am met by three new things to see and do. I suppose it will take time to get fully acclimated, but the fresh maple syrup is quite helpful in transition