Greyhounds, Gainesville, Gospel, & Gators

I said farewell to Brian early Thursday morning and embarked on a grueling bus adventure down to Florida. The trip became a bit more interesting after meeting a sassy great-grandmother from Chicago on her way down to Nashville to meet up with some family before heading to President Obama's inauguration. I learned that virtually every Southern town has a street named after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and that I have no desire to spend any more time in Gary, Indianapolis, Louisville, or Atlanta. Needless to say, Aunt Elizabeth greeting me at the Gainesville Greyhound station was a refreshing sight. We began our visit with a walk at the Devil's Millhopper (a sinkhole near her place), some tasty homemade Coconut Curry Sweet-Potato Ginger soup, and a performance of The Amen Corner at the Actors' Warehouse with Elizabeth's good friend L'Tanya. Today we headed to the gym before enjoying some Almond Flour Pancakes topped with a mixture of yogurt, blueberries, raspberries, and mangoes. The afternoon was spent at Payne's Prairie checking out the gators and the view of the prairie from atop a 50' observation tower. We received a two-for-one deal at the UF student-frequented Mi Apá thanks to Elizabeth's membership at the local radio station 89.1, on which I later received a shout out courtesy of Elizabeth. Tomorrow we will probably make one more trip to the Millhopper before heading back to the Greyhound station. Many thanks to Elizabeth for her hospitality, gourmet food, great conversations, and many herbal supplements. I am very glad I spent the extra time heading down to Miami; I feel much more mentally prepared to go abroad.