As I already said, we got out of our scummy motel in Clarksville as soon as possible. Having had even less sleep than the night before, we drove through a Starbucks on our way out of town to get some coffee and breakfast. Because we were only about 6 hours from our destination by this point, we decided to get one last stop of sightseeing in along the way. In about an hour, we arrived in Nashville, TN and made our way to Opryland. We had considered going to the Country Music Hall of Fame, but after discovering that tickets were $20, we agreed on the Grand Ole Opry instead.
We found the place and figured out that it didn't open until 10 am. We took a seat, enjoyed the shade (because yes, it was already hot), and waited for it to open. The first thing to open was the gift shop where we learned that the next tour of the Opry would be at 10:30 and would cost $15. We browsed the shop and then bought our tickets and joined the tour. On the tour, we first got to pose in front of a screen with the Opry microphone stand. At the end of the tour, they had these pictures available for purchase, which was kind of silly since you could take a picture of yourself on the actual stage with the actual stand and background. After that, we entered the Opry itself and watched a video of its history, which was quite fascinating. Once that got over, our tour guide led us to the walk of fame, where all the performers entered the Opry. Next, we saw the post office where members of the Opry (performers) could pick up their fan mail. Then, he showed us a sound stage where several television shows as well as private performances have taken place. After that, we got to visit the dressing rooms, followed by the green room, the backstage area, and then the stage itself. It was rather fabulous. On our way out, there were lots of pictures of the members: from some of the originals to some of the most recent.
After all the fun of the Grand Ole Opry, we continued on HWY 40 across Tennessee. We drove through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park on the eastern edge of TN and crossed into North Carolina, the final destination. When we were just about 20 minutes away, there was a massive buildup of traffic and for awhile, we were at a complete standstill. Then, magically, we started moving and the traffic melted away. I've never seen anything like it. It was like there was an accident ahead, but we never saw a sign of it. After that, we quickly arrived in Candler, the town where the school is located. From the Smokey Park Hwy, which is just minutes from the school, George led us here, there, and everywhere before we finally arrived at Mt. Pisgah. I was afraid I'd never be able to find the place again, but its actually quite simple from the other direction.
And so, we had finally arrived.
Becky, the head dean, came out to meet us and showed me to my apartment. She left us there to settle in and so we very quickly unloaded my car. Its always surprising how fast your whole collection of possessions can be unloaded when it takes forever to load them. I was a little overwhelmed by the apartment. It had lots of cobwebs and strange smells. After unloading the car, we decided to make a quick trip to Target, a place that always makes me feel better. And so, we headed off again. It was a little difficult to find, especially since we missed the exit, but after much effort, we found the ridiculously unmarked Target. After spending more money than I particularly wanted to, we left with a new garbage can and lots of cleaning supplies. We picked up a pizza on our way back to the school and arrived to meet my head RA, Shawntez, who was waiting with my keys. After hearing that worship would be in a few minutes, I retreated to my apartment to eat a slice of pizza. I left Jessica there, while I joined the already present students for worship. I was introduced and immediately forgot all their names. After worship, Becky explained the plan for the weekend. Once I returned to my apartment, I found Jessica scrubbing away at my bathroom, which I thank her dearly for. When I get overwhelmed, I can't even see how much a little cleaning can help. She'd also made my bed, complete with teddy bear, and spruced up the couch with a blanket and a couple of pillows. We watched part of a movie and went to bed.
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