In Which I Gush About My Education

I got my class schedule for summer quarter, and I'm insanely excited! The course load over the summer is very light, so I'm taking a couple of electives. One is Whole Foods Cooking, which is exactly what it sounds like - cooking with whole foods. The other elective I'm taking is a week long trip to a farm in eastern Washington. This is the course description:

This course is a one-week, on-site course at the Quillisascut Farm near Colville, WA. Students will experience the farm-to-table connection first hand. During the weeklong retreat, participants will milk goats, make cheese, help care for farm animals, transplant vegetables, and harvest produce from the gardens. Visits to neighboring organic farms and presentations about honeybees, grass-finished meats, composting, organic labeling standards, genetically modified foods and globalization round out the experience as students gain an understanding of the implications of buying local and with the seasons. Each day, students will work with a chef to prepare lunch and dinner using only ingredients from the garden and products from local farms. Dinner is a culmination of the day's work - a time to feast on the bounty of the farm, reflect on the discussions of the day, and build community around the table. Retreat participants will stay in the new farm school, with bunkhouse-style lodging, shared bathrooms and a professional kitchen.

I was worried that I wouldn't get to take the class because there is a cap of 13 people, but fortunately, I got in. It will be like summer camp for grownups!

My school isn't easy, and it isn't cheap, but because it's a school with many different degree programs (nautropathic medicine, nutrition, health psychology, herbalism, etc.), it's the only school in the world where I can get a degree in acupuncture, and where I can also take advantage of educational opportunities like this. Yes, I'll be in a world of debt in 3 years, but it will be worth it.