UMass Haitian Creole Institute

I could alternately title this post my three weeks of self-imposed insanity. I love the Kreyol course, but juggling two jobs and a husband while taking a 3 1/2 hour class that is every evening M-F can be pretty stressful. But yesterday I think I found a way to recharge.

UMass never has chalk for the classrooms, there is no food on campus after 3 PM, and the architecture is stern brick and suspended walkways. But the views are spectacular. The campus is on a peninsula that stretches out into the harbor. A harborwalk winds its way along the edge of campus, providing a space to run, bike, or just relax.

Across the way you can see what I think are expensive apartments.

And here was my little study spot. Sea breezes fought off the summer heat, sea gulls played tag in the air, and waves created an ambient backdrop to studying.

The only thing that marred the scene were the airplanes flying in towards the airport. They get so low you can make out which airline they belong to. Still, it is a lovely space to study and just spending thirty minutes there works better than any coffee. That is, if I could find coffee on campus.