Penn State - Week 5

I literally #canteven believe we have already been here for 5 weeks! Each day is so packed full of fun and adventure the time is just disappearing! It’s making me sad. While I miss my friends and family in California, I love Pennsylvania more than I could’ve ever imagined. Monday we toured the composting and laundry facilities, and this made my day. You wouldn’t believe the amount of work, love, and dedication everyone here at Penn State takes to properly recycle and compost everything possible. We got to see how the raw food materials are converted into steaming masses of beautiful, nutrient-rich compost that is used throughout campus and sold to the public. The laundry facility is a massive (partly underground) structure attached to the Penn Stater Hotel. All of the aprons, table cloths, napkins, dish cloths, sheets, bedding, etc. is sorted out into bins, then washed in huge loads, producing a pressed cake of material over 100 lbs. The clothes/cloths are cycled into the massive driers, then mechanically folded and stacked by hand. It is a huge process and a ton of work that most people probably take for granted and wouldn’t think twice about. It was very hot and humid in the facility, and I appreciate the clean towels and pressed sheets even more now.

Tuesday we toured Beaver Stadium with the wonderful and dedicated “Spider” Caldwell. It was amazing how big and beautiful the field was, and even though we couldn’t walk on the grass, we touched it, and it was so soft!



Shaver's Creek

Wednesday was the fieldtrip to Belleville with Chef Bill. The Amish country was so beautiful, and the kids were so adorable we wanted to take them home! There were produce and livestock auctions…something I had never experienced before. I found an awesome old wind-up watch for $5 and a pair of earrings for $0.50.



Shaver's Creek. Look at all them purdy teeth! :)

Thursday was one of my favorites. Tait Farm and Shaver’s Creek tour. Tait Farm is a Community Supported Agriculture farm with vegetables, berries, compost, and Christmas tree farm, beagle breeding barn, and gift shop with some great local products. I loved the atmosphere at the farm, especially in the greenhouses. I could definitely see myself working there. It reminded me of the CSA farms and community gardens in California. Shaver’s Creek was a fun team-building experience. We exercised patience and worked together to accomplish some surprisingly difficult tasks like lowering a hula-hoop to the ground with our fingertips and getting a ball through a maze on a giant wooden board. 

Friday was the tour of Wegman’s….the supermarket of all East coast supermarkets. The store manager was very friendly and…knowledgeable. His name is #Jimmy. J He gave us lots of goodies, and we left as wholehearted Wegman’s fans.

Tait Farm gift shop (sweet little baby beenie)

NOW TO THE FUN PART! Aimme and I were given the opportunity to go to New York City for the weekend with a friend, so we did! Saw as much as we could see including a mermaid parade on Coney Island, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the One World Trade Center (Freedom Tower), Times Square, Central Park, and many more beautiful sites all along the way. We ate delicious food, took a few hundred picture, and came back just in time for the new week.

Where do the cupcakes come from?!

Freedom Tower, NY

New York City!