I missed the "Welcome to Mississippi" sign on route 55...

No prob - I think I'll have my share of "welcome to Mississippi" signs over the next several weeks and months... Upon entering Mississippi, the only thought on my mind was getting to Oxford asap so that I could stop driving and go to the bathroom. Even though I split the trip over two days, it was longer than any car ride I had ever done. Ever since departing PA, I can't get it through my head that this is real life. It seems as though I'm simply on vacation or a summer excursion of some sort. Oxford and Ole Miss are beautiful. Everyone who has been through Lewisburg talks about how beautiful Bucknell is. It's a nice campus, really, but can't compare to here.

It's amazing to realize the diversity and wide range of people populating one state, let alone one country. I've been to different parts of the country, but nowhere quite like here. We've been talking about the different areas of Mississippi, especially the separation between Mississippi and the Delta. Pennsylvania has its "special" areas as well. Similar to MS, the geography and various industries of PA have played a huge role in the separation of the two main cities, Central PA, and "everywhere else." I guess my role is to realize where I come from and who that has made me to be so that I can relate to people who live outside of Central PA. I have definitely already started this process, but entering into Mississippi and the Delta will introduce new challenges and highlight other differences between me and... the rest of the world :)