Hey there Bobkittens!
Have you signed up
for your AESOP trip yet?? Well, if you haven't, now's the time 'cause
AESOP is absolutely the best way to start your amazing four years at
Bates! I met Josh on my AESOP (Prezzies!), and we've been besties ever
since. In fact, we led AESOP together the next year (Saddleback!),
assistant coordinated last year, and are back for AESOP round-four
together as co-coordinators. So hey, you might meet a life-long friend
on your trip like I did...better get movin' on that application!
I'm writing to all you incoming First-Years to get
you pumped on Bates and adventuring because AESOP is full of both of
those things. Right now, I'm finishing up a two month stint in northern
Norway, well above the Arctic Circle. Here, I have been living with a
Sami reindeer herding family. For those of you who don't know about the
Sami people (because I hardly did before this year), they are Europe's
only declared group of indigenous people, and many of them still
continue the traditional livelihood of reindeer herding. And I'm not
talkin' keeping reindeer in corrals and staying in one place all year.
Reindeer are migratory animals, and the reindeer herders are basically
here to move with and guide the animals, keeping them in relatively
distinct herds as they move between the coast in the summer (where we
just arrived) and the tundra in the winter. When a reindeer is
slaughtered (something I don't get to witness because it happens in the
winter) the Sami people use as much of the reindeer as they can. I've
gotten to do so much more with the reindeer than I ever could have
imagined, like sorting out the different herds in a sorting ring, moving
with the herd over the mountains, and helping with the ear-marking of
the calves (each herder has his or her own mark that they cut into the
ears of the calves that they own). Check out my blog at seventynorth.wordpress.com if you want more details (there's so much to learn!), but for now, here's some cool pics:
On July 13th, I'll be heading even further north to
Svalbard (still part of Norway!) with Bates Geology professor Mike
Retelle to take some data for my year-long geology thesis. I have no
idea what this will be like, but it's sure to be a whole other
adventure! And the best part about all of this adventuring? None of it
could have happened without help from Bates. That's right, Bates is
there to give its students the experiences of a lifetime. So my best
advice to you in your four years here? Make use of the resources Bates
has to offer! And AESOP is the very first one of those experiences you
get to have at Bates, so make sure to sign up RIGHT. NOW.
I can't wait to meet you all in August!
Allie
