What Colorado is REALLY Like: Summit Semester Orientation Weekend

     Summit semester is already such a wonderful experience -- and I'm only 3 days in! I don't want to bore you with a bunch if excess information, but I did wanna give you a rundown of what Colorado has really been like so far.

     Colorado is beautiful. I'm sure you seen pictures and you can probably imagine it yourself (or you are ready been), but its more beautiful than you can imagine/see in photos. Pictures do not capture the beauty of the mountains.
    The weather is phenomenal, but its going to take some getting used to. Coming from 90° weather at sea level, having it be 50° in the morning and evening, and it be 78° during the day at 7000 feet elevation, its quite a change. I'm not sure if its the elevation or my lack of being out of shape, but hiking and climbing steps are pretty hard for me right now (pretty sure its cuz I'm extremely out of shape). I'm sure after a few weeks of hiking and working on a regular basis, I won't be out of breath everytime I go upstairs for meal time.
     The people here. Oh. My. Wow. They’re so much more than I imagined them to be. They’re so sweet and funny and easy to talk to and I'm loving it. Having 32 students at Semester, we've been split up into groups for designated things, such as work cruise, dish pit, small groups/Bible studies, and for rooming. So far, my dish pit group hasn't been called yet (honestly I don't even remember who is in my group… that will soon change I'm sure). I have no clue what dish pit really entails, so I can't tell you how much I enjoy/hate it, but I'm sure it will be a bonding experience! As for my small group- I love them. A few of us are quiet, a few of us are louder, but they are also sweet and I'm excited to spend more time with the seven girls. We spent our first small group stargazing outside and answering deep questions about ourselves and each other. It was awesome. My mentor Cheryl Kaye is pretty wonderful as well! I'm excited to bond with all of them and the days and weeks to come.
     As a group of 32, we created virtues that we want to hold up and rules/consequences that we will follow while here at Semester. We chose a mission statement and what we wanted to represent as people and as a group here at Summit for the next 12 weeks. That was a very interesting two hour conversation between so many topics and outlooks and ideas, but I think it was good for us.  we established some ground rules and guidelines and virtues that we want to uphold and I'm quite positive that we can uphold these things pretty well. But I've only been here 3 days, so we'll see.
Mission Statement: Statement of Love and Maturity
"In the spirit of love and maturity, we will endeavor to live with selflessness, kindness, and integrity, by following Christ’s example and Philippians 2, Paul's instructions in Ephesians 4, and Christ teachings in Matthew 7:12."

     Orientation weekend has been a blast. We've played multiple ‘get to know you’ games and even went star tipping on Saturday night (basis: you go to an open dark area outside, look up, and spent in times. The faster you spend, the better. After, someone will shine a flashlight in u our face and you have to chase the light. It's pretty hilarious! Also, star wrestling is equally humorous).
     We went to church on Sunday and visited a river just outside of town and it was beautiful (so sad I left my camera in my dorm that day!). I'm just been in awe of the beauty of Colorado and God's creation. My roommate Madison and I have truly enjoyed going on hikes and admiring God's handiwork. We've even found a few spots around the lodge that we want to claim as our own “secret spots” for devotions and personal time. Who knows how long these places will stay a secret though.

     This next week we will be getting work cruise and even start our first official day of classes! I think I can speak for most of the students here and say that we're pretty excited about class starting. We have about 18 books that we will be using over the course of these three months, and they all look pretty interesting! One of the best part is I can take them all home!! I'm stoked. We have a few hiking trips around the property planned for this week and even a bonfire, but that's pretty much our schedule.
Enjoy these photos of orientation weekend and I'll catch you back here next week!

***Also, don't forget to subscribe to this blog if you haven't already, so you'll always be in the know of when I post more Colorado updates! And if you want to send me letters or packages, I would love that! Here are the addresses:

Letters:
Rebecca Fahl
℅ Snow Wolf Lodge
P.O. Box 3787
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147

Packages:
Rebecca Fahl
℅ Snow Wolf Lodge
1099 Blue Creek Road
Pagosa Springs, CO 81147

Thanks for following along with me as I do life!

Blessings,
Becca