Goin' back to Minny

Note: I have posted my last two entries within an 8 hour span. Please scroll down to Week 11's posting if you have not yet seen it.

25 hours in a car. It sounds like something most people would dread, but this three-day journey from Richmond to Minneapolis turned into one of the most enjoyable stretches of summer. Kari, Timmy & I embarked on 3 capital cities, 4 college campuses, a brief moment of fame on the radio, and, of course, food, friends, and fun. Now back in Minneapolis, I am trying to balance my time between spending time with family, catching up with friends, reflecting on Richmond, and preparing for Ecuador.

The first day of our road trip extraordinaire took us through a beautiful stretch of country in the Appalachian Mountains. We made a rainy stop in Charleston, WV for a tour of the capital square. It was a surprisingly pleasant experience in a state that was once called the ‘bastard child of a political rape’ by a former governor of Virginia. That evening we arrived in Milan, IN and the home of Debbie, the lady who had hosted me on my journey out to Richmond. We had a wonderful home-cooked meal and all relived the memories of our previous visits to Milan on the Pay it Forward Tour.

Speaking at the governor's podium

The next morning we headed up to Oxford, OH and the campus of Miami University. Here I had a few friends that I met back in January on a crazy road trip called the Campaign For Community (see www.campaignforcommunity.com). One such friend was Denny, a faculty member with some sort of fancy title, but more importantly a great guy who loved to connect people. Together with my college-aged friend Meredith and a few of Denny’s other friends we shared lunch and later toured the beautiful campus.

Our next stop was Indianapolis, IN for a last second addition to our itinerary. The previous night we learned that Debbie’s daughter Kendra had just moved onto the campus of Indiana University Purdue University- Indianapolis (IUPUI). Back in June, I had attended Kendra’s graduation party on my stop in Milan, and ironically the Wednesday that we visited her in Indy was her first day of class. Along with her three roommates (all from Milan) we walked to downtown from her apartment. I was quite impressed with downtown Indianapolis, especially the special monument that was erected in the very center and then surrounded by skyscrapers. While walking around Monument Circle, we were approached by a man who introduced himself as John Counts from AM 1070. He was simply visiting with people around downtown and recording the conversations to broadcast on the air shortly after. Since Tim, Kari, & I were all sporting University of Minnesota garb, he had reason to approach us. Consequently, we shared our story of why we were in Indianapolis and gave our opinion of the city, all in a lively and humorous fashion. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to reach a radio by the time the segment broadcast.

Havin' a good time on the radio

After a couple hours spent at IUPUI, we headed another 2.5 hours to Normal, IL for our night at Illinois State University. With corn fields surrounding nearly every road leading in and out of the city, there’s no wonder the city is named Normal; however it was the people we saw and our timing that made this stop anything but normal. We stayed with Phil & Casey who had just moved into a beautiful new apartment. The next morning, they invited us to participate in a service project of helping setup from ISU’s big Festival where all the student groups attempt to promote their activities for the upcoming year. Getting up at 6:30, we worked hard for a few hours and were rewarded with some fine t-shirts.

The entire ISU crew

Planning to be in Minneapolis by midnight, we made a quick stop for lunch in Chicago with our friend Mike. Our plans to stop and visit in Elgin were ruined by some severe weather, so it was onto our final stop in Madison, WI to drop in on our friend Carli’s potluck dinner. She was gathering all her high school friends up for one last time this summer before moving back to the U of M campus on Friday. We happened to enjoy all the food without even bringing our own dish!

As we entered back into Minnesota and eventually Minneapolis, I had the immediate sensation that I was home again- no question about it. It was definitely a feeling of comfort and familiarity- something that was difficult to come by over the past 3 months. However, this next week will be anything but relaxing as I prepare myself for what will be the most challenging and unfamiliar experience of my life. Luckily, I also anticipate it to be one of the most rewarding and memorable, and my excitement and anticipation keeps growing by the day!

This will be my last post until I am in Ecuador, so look for something around the second week in September! Have a great Labor Day weekend!