Hello out there!

Welcome to my first blog post! I called it Ginger Snap because, as you've probably realized, I'm a ginger. And I also love baking (and eating) ginger snaps! Wow, I just sat here for ten minutes wondering what to say to the world. I guess I will start by introducing myself to y'all. I'm Amelia, a junior at the University of Vermont, an environmental studies major and a community and international development minor. I grew up here, in this very beautiful state, in the town of Starksboro. My original interest in both the environment and community development started right there, in that little town. My family makes maple syrup (and runs a small country store...how Vermont can you get?) so I've spent quite a bit of time among the trees. Vermont's landscape was what inspired me to study the environment and ways to protect it. That's me in the picture above at the Bristol Cliffs. The photo was taken by my best friend in the whole world, Bella Stachowski.

Since my childhood, I've done a lot to pursue my interests in the environment. In high school, a couple of my friends and I piled into a car and drove down to Washington, D.C. for Powershift 2009! The picture on the right was taken by an unknown powershift-er at the Powershift Rally on the White House lawn. I was also a founding member of my high school's Environmental Action Club. With the club, I visited Costa Rica through the organization EcoTeach, where I learned about sustainable agriculture and wildlife conservation! Because I grew up in such a rural area, I also wanted to learn more about development.

The summer after my freshman year of college, I wanted to get out of Vermont for a little bit, and while considering my interests in agriculture, as well as my travel bug (I've had one ever since I went to Ghana in 2007), I decided to volunteer at a couple farms through WWOOF in Belgium and the Netherlands. It was an absolutely amazing experience. I ended up exploring Germany, Austria, Italy, France, and Spain while I was in Europe! The photo below is me with all of the lettuce at De Stek Farm in Lelystad, the Netherlands; it was taken with a self-timer.

Alright, here's a little bit more about me! Fall is my favorite time of year. My favorite past times include swimming, (at Bartlett Falls [the photo above was taken by a self-timer there!] or Kingsland Bay) grilling, camping, hiking, traveling, roadtrips, adventures, dancing, dance parties, doing Zumba, going to farmer's markets, baking, picnics, reading Harry Potter, skiing, and most of all, being with friends and family. If you want to get down to an awesome band, watch the video below!

Yeah, that's Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, my favorite band in the world! I've seen them seven times.

Anyway, I'm happy to be back up in Burlington. This is a great city to live in and it's going to be an exciting semester. Alright, that's all for now! Have wonderful days, all of you!