Chicago and other updates

So this week I made my trek out to Chicago. It wasn't a trek I really wanted to make, but in order to go to Spain this fall I had to do it. So, off I went, with my Mom, on Tuesday to Minneapolis. We got a few errands done. I had the opportunity to chat with the Peace Corps (a possible idea for the future, but who really knows what I will do) and then we went to my brother's. He's got himself a job and apartment up there and the furnishing part of the apartment is going a little slow... So we had dinner somewhere and went to a furniture store, where he did buy the couch, love seat combo that he had thought about earlier. There were also tables that came with it as well, but I am a little bit outspoken.... I told the man helping him that I approve of my brother's decision except for the tables and he showed Daniel some different tables. A set of wood tables where the coffee table top lifts up and over. Daniel was glued to this set after that. He then bought that table instead and a matching end table, it cost him more money too.... Oops! At least he is satisfied with his purchase we hope. They should be delivered to his apartment next week.

In Chicago we arrived at the office shortly before the office opened and after standing just outside of the office for a few minutes they let us (me and another boy doing the same thing) to come in and then gave us our passports and I was on my way before 9, when it officially opens. That was a relief that it took no time, then we went and had some breakfast. We had flown out and had to wake up at 4am to get ready to catch our flight. We asked someone where to get a good breakfast and he directed us to a very good place. After that we took the trains out in the direction of River Forest. One of my friends from my school had transfered there and she turned out to be the only person I had an opportunity to see. Chicago is a lot closer to where I go to school than home, so I tried to see other, but it only worked with this girl. That's what happens when it is the first week of classes, so it was expected.

We had a really good visit, it was short but good. After Heidi (my friend) had to go back to school for choir practice, Mom and I took the trains back downtown, where we found some lunch. Then we wandered around for a while and found a Puerto Rican cultural festival. That was really neat. They had a lot of interesting stuff there and I talked to one of the ladies about her stand. Fun times in Chicago huh?

Then we found the trains again so we could return to the airport and go home. This was an interesting arrival. We get to the airport and my Mom had a message. She listened to it and it turned out that one of the exchange students that she will be watching over this year arrived in the US that day. She was also in the middle of a 7 hour layover, in the other terminal. We had kind of hoped that she was in our terminal, but that wasn't the case. So Mom and I drove to the other terminal and decided to see if we could pick her up instead of having her wait another 3 hours for her puddle jumper plane down to Iowa. We would have been successful, but the airline told us that if she didn't fly this last leg her return flight would be canceled... Mom and I decided not to play games with other people's money and let it be. As we were leaving the airport completely the exchange students Mom called from Germany, so I talked to her while mom was driving and helped assure her that things will work out just fine. Her biggest worry was that the host family didn't know when she was arriving, but they did, so I was able to assure her that they did and that her daughter will be taken care of.

Hopefully my flight to Spain will not be as eventful, but I guess I am kind of in for an eventful trip like that, as I haven't really had one yet...

Now I am back at camp, working my last few days, the end is near here. I really enjoy it here, and being here has diverted my excitement to go to Spain. I am really looking forward to it, but I am not really excited yet... It will come, I know that will come.