WAHOO!

So, the road trip entries are finally finished...five months after we finished it :) India entries will happen eventually!

Ms. K and the Rocket Scientist will finally be reunited!

I've achieved a major feat today. I managed to book my plane tickets to see Alexander over Christmas, and in the process, NOT ONCE did the internet go off, the power shut off, or the website respond with "We are sorry, but Clear Trip's system is behaving badly. Just like a person, sometimes Clear Trip has bad days." This never happens! Mad props to India for having everything work this time! Last time we tried to book something, it took Aileen and I weeks for it to finally work!

The Shoilink

(Please bear in mind that this is a sample I used for older students when working on writing and presenting with style and pizazz (ala The Onion), not the boring “copying-directly-out-of-the-book-crap” they always do.) 

Respected Principal Ma'am, Vice Principal Sir, teachers, and all my dear, dear friends. Today, I am going to recite a speech for you. (This intro is how EVERY CHILD starts a speech)

Do you ever feel like you are wasting time in the bathroom? Do you sit in silence, contemplating ways to make your morning routine more efficient? Obviously, these exact thoughts blurred through the minds of builders and contractors in most yet-to-be-fully developed countries, and the product of such mental exertion, the Shoilink, has taken much of the world by storm.

Have you ever felt the immense desire to shower while pooping? How about the burning impulse to shave your legs under a tap while peeing? Does washing your hands in a sink while washing the conditioner out of your hair in the shower sound like a time saving alternative in exchange for doing both in a non-concurrent fashion? How about washing your dirty/feces encrusted feet off with the toilet hose while plucking your eyebrows in the mirror?

Ponder no longer, dear friends. Thanks to the invention of a room that has it all (a shower, sink, and toilet, all within 1.567 steps of each other), you can do EVERYTHING AT ONCE!

-----The students thought this was a hoot and a half and laughed like crazy. Then the students told me how they multitask in the bathroom… and then I laughed like crazy!!!

Teacher's Day

Now, I’ve only celebrated one Teacher Appreciation Week (TAW) in the US, but I believe that I have had enough exposure to know that India’s traditional “Teacher Day” kicks America’s ass. Traditionally, the only ass-kicking India does to America is in the fields of science, maths, and curry. ;) But experiencing Teacher’s Day in India made me realize that America has nothing on lovin’ its’ teachers.

We feel APPRECIATED!

Where I taught in the US, TAW was celebrated with bagels Monday morning, a canceled Wednesday morning staff meeting, and a specialty coffee making lady on Friday morning. At the time, I was tickled pink with joy. Usually I like kind words to show that I’m appreciated, so free bagels and coffee blew my mind.

I received more roses from
students than I've ever
received from boyfriends!

That was, until I came to school on the 5^th of September. At first, I didn’t expect much. I just got in an autorickshaw and arrived at school like normal. But then the rickshaw driver didn’t charge me the normal 50 rupees (a little over a dollar). He just smiled and yelled something in Hindi and drove off. Walking into school, and throughout the rest of the day, I was hailed by children of all ages, bearing cards, roses, pens, smiles, high fives, elbow fives (I’m making that shit spread!) and the occasional chocolate (it is already well known that I’m a dark chocaholic). Teacher’s Day, it seems, is a day when students get the chance to hero worship their teachers, showering them with gifts, and begging them for their autographs.

He's me for the day :)

The best part came at morning assembly, where I was informed that students from 12 class would be acting like the teachers that day, taking our places in all our classes. I was replaced by a 12 class guy. Then, the students in charge (acting as the principal and vice principal) lead the teachers and students in rousing games of musical chairs, memory (Which I WON…mainly because the list of things to remember was in English!) and a singing competition, where a teacher would start singing a song, stop in a random part, and then the students would have to pick up where they left off. Hilarity ensued. Did we waste almost three hours of the school day? YES. Did I care? Ab-so-lute-ly NOT!

In the words of Charlie Sheen, "WINNING!"

After the students all left, the teachers had two hours of free time (class was let out early that day), so I spent time chatting with Shivali, a young woman who I adore. I also took the opportunity to learn how to do some Indian paper craft. It’s pretty sweet! After that, we were fed lunch…and I do love free food!

We are always behind...

But we are slowly catching up! If you go back to June, you can see our time in Seattle, to the Grand Tetons, and through Yellowstone...and eventually, I'll even start blogging about India again ;)

Jaipur

Jaipur

Things that rocked about Jaipur:

My new best friend and I!



Princess!

-Meeting and riding elephants



-Touring a bunch of forts with a camera crazy tour guide



-Feeling like a princess in a castle turrent 

Hey ma, there's a sheer
drop on the other side :)!


-Drinking Fanta/doing yoga at the highest cliff in the city

-Buying purses made of camel leather (Yes, to all you animal lovers, I know I’m a bad person)



Hey ma, there's a sheer
drop on the other
side of this wall as well!



-Using awesome Wi-Fi at our hotel to call people back home



Tired of men staring at my water pipe!



-Seeing an NGO support street girls



-Riding in rickshaws with extra-large seats!



-Climbing in places I'm not supposed to climb



In front of Amber Fort



One of 5 billion pictures
our tour guide took of us!



Leaving Delhi always feels good. I want to go someplace other than cities, because I need some green back in my life. Or some farmland. Or something that resembles the Midwest. And maybe a hamburger ;)









Being Sick in India

Being sick is never fun for anyone. In the US, I hardly ever missed school because I was sick. Here, on the other hand, everyone is sick all the time. During monsoon season, it is impossible to keep anything hygienic. Even in one of the richest localities in Delhi (Defence Colony, where all rich expatriates live) the Delhi Jal Board (water organization) is being sued because dirty sewage water has burst from the pipes and into the drinking water supply, contaminating all the water being used with fecal matter.

Uh, can anyone say GROSS?! That’s disgusting, but because of that reason, when my roommates and I fell ill (for the first time) on Thursday the 18^th of August, we didn’t think much of it. We had had our first meal cooked by our cook, and we figured she had just used dirty water, and that was why we were all unable to leave a radius of 5 feet from the bathroom.

Saturday came, and we adventured all around Delhi, acting as tourists. Nick and Aileen felt better, but I was still having problems. By the end of the night, my abdomen was so distended I looked like one of my former students in Tanzania. On the Metro, multiple women offered me seats (an act of heroic proportions-- getting a seat on the Metro is a battle) because they thought I was pregnant and my face made me look like I was miscarrying.

Since it was a long weekend (thank you, random Indian/Muslim/Christian/Sheikh holidays!) we had no school until Tuesday, so I spent my time resting. I went back to school on Tuesday, and was greeted by choruses of “Ma’am, Ma’am, you look very bad, Ma’am”. I felt weak and lightheaded. Wednesday morning, I went to school, but promptly left at the morning meeting, as I started to pass out.

I rickshawed my way to the Max Medical Center (the most efficient doctor’s office I’ve ever been to) registered, and because of my nasty pallor and general facial expression (one man told me I looked like I was an unfriendly ghost), I was bumped up to the head of the line, and quickly admitted into the doctor’s office. Shortest. Wait. Ever.

Shortest. Visit. Ever. In a country where becoming a doctor is the desire of at least half the population, you have to wonder where they all went. India exports a large number of its’ doctors, leaving only 1 doctor for every 1000 Indians. There are more Indian doctors in the US than there are in India (The Times of India). Crazy.

The glorious rehydrating IV

So I was quickly ushered in, and within three minutes of describing my symptoms, getting my blood pressure taken (uhoh, 90 over 50!), and getting my abdomen patted down, I was ushered out of the room.  It was discovered that I had a bacterial infection in my spleen and stomach, dehydration, low blood pressure, and general weakness caused by malnutrition, seeing as I hadn’t kept any food in for a week. I was then triaged, carried to a bed, hooked up to IV drips, and injected with tons of medicine, along with being rehydrated with IV fluids.



BED REST! BED REST!



I spent the next two days at home resting, Facebook chatting, watching Star Wars, and chugging water like it was my job. And then I went to Jaipur, because, let’s be honest, I was going to be sick no matter what, and I was much happier being sick on top of an elephant than in my bed!!

Weekend of being tourists in Delhi

Red Fort!

1)      Sights we saw



Red Fort-Built in the Moghal Period, this fort was occupied by the British during colonization. The fort was made by the same guy who made the Taj Mahal. While the Taj was made for the woman he loved the most (what a gift!), at his fort we were introduced to the halls where all his concubines lived. What a guy.



Jama Masjid at night



Jama Masjid- Although India has a lot of Hindus, the country itself is a mashup of different religions, thanks to the fact that it was invaded every 2.5 seconds in history. Jama Masjid is the biggest mosque in India, and we went to it later in the evening. It was super cool looking, but unfortunately, our super pale-white faces showed underneath our head coverings, and we were not allowed inside. We went back for Eid as well, and alas! We couldn’t go inside again. Because we were in an all Muslim area, Nick and I took advantage of their love of meat, and had grilled buffalo from a street vendor. YUM! 

 

They could still tell that
we were white :(



India Gate and two pretty ladies!

India Gate- Not only a tourist attraction to visiting foreigners, but a tourist attraction to Indians from all over, India Gate (India’s memorial to its’ soldiers lost in combat) was an incredibly sight to see. While there, we saw multiple protests supporting Anna Hazare. We also were photographed like celebrities by the visiting Indian paparazzi. (See bullet number 3 for more information)

Sound and Light Show-For some, this is an awesome way to learn about history. For me, it was not! Sound and lights shows are quite popular in India, as they make “history come alive to the senses of sight and sound!”. Unless the sound and light show is narrarated by the penultimate speaking voice of Morgan Freeman, count me out!


Lotus Temple



Lotus Temple- Home of the Baha'i Fatih, this temple is a pilgrimage for all of those who believe that, "The Earth is but one country and manking its citizens", spoken by Baha'u'llah.



2)      Things we saw

Peeing everywhere- Never mind the plethora of peeing stalls created for men (don’t even get me started on the fact that there aren’t any public restrooms for women), there is nothing more that I enjoy than watching a man whip it out and pee whenever the mood strikes him.

Underwear-less babies- SO CUTE! And efficient. They poop, it hits the ground, and no diaper was harmed in the making of that poop.

Adorable little kids outside the mosque asking for chocolate-Could they just sense that I love chocolate too?

3)      Number of times a stranger asked to take a picture with us…too many to count. What’s better than having pictures of white strangers with you in your family vacation album? Apparently, nothing!

No family picture is complete
without an assortment of
white strangers!



Independence Day

Gettin' our prayer on!

Celebrate good times, come on! Ba na na na na na na na WOHOO!

That song (if it was in Hindi) could pretty much sum up the vibe surrounding Independence Day in India. Everyone is excited. Take the number of people shooting off illegal fireworks in Little Village, Chicago  and multiply it by 1.2 billion, and you’ve got the idea of just how much excessive joy explodes out of India on August 15^th.

I went to school that day (pat me on the back for going in on my day off!) to join in the many festivities. I listened to students recite poetry, ancient speeches, and songs; I watched as they danced in traditional Indian styles, and I happily imbibed and digested all the food and drink offered to me. I am an excellent guest at celebrations ;)

Now all I need to do is learn how to sing the national anthem, wear a bindi, dye my skin brown, and I’ll be a real Indian! (Not my words, a fellow teacher’s words!)

Turning 22 in India-Week Six

Krish putting cake on my face :)

I’ve never celebrated my birthday in a foreign country before; in fact, from my 14^th birthday all the way to my 21^st birthday, I’ve spent August 14^th on blisteringly hot football fields for marching band practice, or at the camp where I work.

Well, the blistering hot aspect of my birthday has not changed at all since switching my residence to a new continent; the big difference was, in the US, we ate cupcakes at rehearsal and we got right back to band. In India, people are much more excited about my day of birth than I am! 

Roommates/Cousin Siblings

On Saturday afternoon, I spirited off to Connaught Place to meet a friend of a friend of Alexander.  He had put me in contact with her so that I could meet a girl my age in Delhi and learn some insider tips on living in Delhi. Nithya was awesome blossom, and I’m really glad I got to meet her.

Fiesta! 

We then held our first rooftop partyand invited the other ETA’s over, as well as Swati, our Indian guide to life. After a delicious meal of pizza and beer (well, we are Americans) we chatted a lot and caught up with each other. My roommates surprised me with a gift, and the other household of ETA's got a cake...so good! They were so kind. The next night my apartment group went out for Mexican food for my birthday dinner, and it was delicious. We all like Indian food, don’t get me wrong. But something about salsa and chips makes my heart start beating faster and faster!

Our Home-Week Five

SO MUCH LUXURY!

We returned to Delhi after arriving by overnight train and spent 4 glorious hours in the Taj before venturing out that morning to find an apartment. Aileen and I took advantage of our time and had luxurious showers. After that, we lounged in robes while drinking tea and watching Harry Potter. It was so opulent. It was glorious. We then put on our adventure pants and got ready for a long day of apartment hunting.

My bed

So finding a 4 bedroom apartment for a decent price in Delhi is next to impossible. What made it more impossible was that our realtor wasn’t exactly the sharpest crayon in the box. The first house we saw on our first day of apartment hunting was one we had found for ourselves. Everything else we were shown was either way too expensive/opulent (one landlord told us “One cannot be happy here if one does not spend 80000 rupees on rent”) or didn’t have enough rooms to house the 4 of us, plus our random visiting boyfriends or girlfriends. After two days of searching, and spending time with our awesome facilitator/friend Swati, we ended up with the first apartment, a place in Sheikh Sarai Phase 1. Our landlord grew up in this apartment, and it has a ton of charm (which is what we tell ourselves every time we find a leaking pipe, a broken water filter, ants/cockroaches/bugs of all sorts, useless washing machine, and broken lights). It has three rooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen, two bathrooms, and a rooftop.

My bedroom wall

We signed the lease Monday afternoon and moved in on Tuesday afternoon. We had Tuesday night and all of Wednesday to get the apartment ready, because Thursday meant we started our first day of school. After we moved in, our landlord then invited us to lunch, which, while delicious, lasted forever, and by the time we finished we knew there would be no time that night to do anything productive towards the apartment. However, we did have time…TO SEE HARRY POTTER SEVEN PART 2 !!

Living Room

Best day of my life. We may not have budgeted our time correctly, as it probably would have made sense if we had, oh, I don’t know, unpacked any of our bags, but HP came first, and it was so worth it. From tears to laughter, victorious moments to heartbreaking ones, I was an emotional wreck. Oh Harry Potter, you slay me.

Cabinet of things we love...
lovers, liquor, and chocolate :)

Wednesday was spent going all over town (Malviya Nagar Market) and purchasing everything we would need the next day, as well as trying to outfit our house with basic supplies like toilet paper and dishes.  We went to school the next two days, and then spent the weekend finishing up our purchasing of household goods and accessories. Located throughout are pictures of our humble abode J

Last Days at Landour Language School-Week Four

Landour Language School graduating class :)

Out to dinner with our friend Bir

The last days at Landour Language School flew by quickly, as we were rapidly cramming for our Hindi test. Thankfully, we became very distracted from studying because Alexander had mercifully sent over all 7 Harry Potter movies so that my friends and I could re-watch them in preparation for the best day of our lives…the day we would finally get to see Harry Potter 7 part 2. We went out to dinner one night at Rokeby with our friend Bir and we all enjoyed ourselves immensely. Nick and I got chocolate shakes, and we were very happy :) The next few days were not as happy, as the cramming got even more intense. The test on Friday felt like giving the SAT to an infant, but I feel like I did alright, with only 14 days of ever using Hindi under my belt. It was a little sad saying goodbye to all the teachers and staff at Ivy Bank, but I got over it pretty quick, because we were next headed for 3 days in the Taj Mahal Hotel, which means hot showers, delicious breakfasts, beds that feel like soft clouds of love, and working toilets.

Jumping for joy because Hindi school is over! 

Rishikesh and Team Orange-Week Four

Although we loved Mussoorie, the majority of us were tired of being cold and wet all the time (I mean, come on, we chose to go to India…the cold and wet was not what we signed up for!).  After the first two weeks of language school were over, we decided to take a break from the foothills of the Himalayas and come back down to the hotter parts of India. We chose the destination of Rishikesh, a holy city on the Ganga.

The captain of Team Orange,
 Lord Shiva

We had been thoroughly warned to not go to Rishikesh (a holy city on the Ganges), as it was pilgrimage season, but alas, we are American, and obstinate. So off we went into the great dirty yonder. We didn’t realize how good we had it in Mussorie until we arrived in Rishikesh. In Mussoorie, tourists are common and generally ignored-the staring is less obnoxious, and there are trash bins everywhere. People generally try to keep their town clean. In Rishikesh, every single follower of Lord Shiva decided to come out for the weekend, and the presence of 8 Americans was incredibly entertaining for all of them. Also, there were no trash cans. Or bathrooms. I don’t know about you, but I absolutely adore stepping in human excrement ;)

Team Orange bathing and
defecating in the Ganga 

As we arrived in Rishikesh, the first thing we noticed was the abundance of teenage to middle aged men dressed in a fashionable, retina scarring orange. Lord Shiva’s followers (we called them Team Orange) were in Rishikesh and Haridwar to collect water from the Ganga, bath in the Ganga, potentially eliminate waste in the Ganga, brush their teeth in the Ganga, and then take the water they collected away with them.  Team Orange was everywhere. Team Orange also had a fascination for foreigners, especially those of the fairer skinned variety. While walking, people attempted to take our pictures from over their shoulders; when we stopped, we would suddenly develop a crowd gathering around us, as if we were Shiva himself.

Us halfway to the waterfall!

Even though Team Orange was omnipresent and entirely inescapable, Rishikesh was awesome. It was neat to be in a place not during tourist season (usually Rishikesh is a hotbed of hippies, looking to yoga themselves into enlightenment, smoke a little bit o’hash, and find the ashram where the Beatles had a good time while writing the White Album) because we got to see what the city meant to Indian citizens, not just people with dreadlocks looking to get their “Om” on.

Besides constantly running interference with Team Orange, we managed to navigate, discover, climb, and conquer the Neer Waterfall using only handrawn maps and a compass. We’ve slowly discovered that when asked a question about direction or distance, a typical Indian man will either:

a)      tell you that “It’s nearby and an easy walk, no problem ma’am”.

b)      make up how far it is because he does not know and really wants to give you an answer

c)       giggle like a school girl with his friends and gesture randomly to multiple different paths

d)      draw you a map and label completely inaccurate distances and times

Map 1-From hotel to "waterfall location"

Map 2-From "waterfall location" to
actual waterfall

But we made it! It took from breakfast until dinner to do a supposed “1.5 hour walk”, but it was nice to be away from Team Orange. We then proceeded to climb the waterfall, and took many pictures. When we got back to Rishikesh, we attended a pooja at a temple on the Ganga. It was interesting to see how devoted people were to Lord Shiva, and the ceremony itself was beautiful. I made sure to purchase a miniature Lord Shiva, and after a bit more shopping, we left to go back to Mussoorie for our last week of language school.

Mussoorie-Weeks Two and Three

Well, the overnight train was quite interesting, as I slept surrounded by men who just unabashedly stared at me. No biggie. It also was interesting, as “Delhi Belly” struck whilst on the moving train, causing me to become quite familiar with a squatting pit toilet. NOT the most joyful occasion on a rickety train.

Welcome to the switchbacks in
Mussoorie and Landour

We arrived in Dehradun, and we ferried up in the foothills of the Himalayas by trusty cab drivers, who artfully navigated the steep hills, switchbacks, and one lane roads. It was an incredible sight to see, how people have managed to adapt to the mountains and build throughout them. The only scary part was when our car started rolling backwards.

 I know I was nervous when Alexander and I were driving on switchbacks in the Rockies, but I would willingly do that now that drive up the Himalayas again. He could be blindfolded and driving with his toes, and I would still feel safer than I felt driving up to Landour.

The lovely Mussoorie

We spent the weekend in Mussoorie just getting used to the time change, attempting to sleep, and adventuring through the markets. The view from our guesthouse, Ivy Bank, is lovely. On a clear day (which seldom occurs, since it is monsoon season and we are 7000 feet above sea level) you can see towns in valleys for miles. Other days, you can’t see more than 20 feet in front of you because of the fog.

Ivy Bank is a small guesthouse with a wonderful host, Manoj, and the best Auntieji around. Everyone is so friendly, and that in itself makes up for the lack of consistent water, internet, and power.

Our first week was spent attending Hindi school in the mornings, studying Hindi in the afternoons (and by studying, I mean, attempting to study and then watching movies), and in the evenings, studying Hindi again…hahahaHAHAHAHAHA. Who am I kidding? Most evenings were spent attempting to connect to the internet :) 

My cousin sister Aileen and I in our backyard,
which overlooks the mountains :)

We spent the next weekend trolling the Mall Road Market for fabric in order to get clothes tailored. Much shopping ensued. We ate lunch at the most American place we could find, and I astonished the group by finishing a large pizza on my own. I’m disgusting, but at least I’ve accepted that fact J

Mussoorie at sunset from my door
at the guest house

I then spent the rest of the weekend recovering from feeling sick, as I had spent part of the first week caring for the two guys in our group who had fallen ill.

The next week looks to be similar to this one…lots of Hindi school, avoiding studying Hindi, and wandering down to the internet café in town, run by an awesome guy named Bir (yes, BEER is the correct pronunciation). Our group plans to go to Rishikesh next weekend, so much planning will occur over the next few days. 

Welcome to the Taj Mahal Hotel-Week One

After leaving O’Hare 2 hours later than my ticket promised me I would, I was on my way to New Delhi. For the next 14 hours, I entertained myself by watching movies, eating way too much paneer, and tooting up a storm with my neighbour in seat A (who, as it turns out, also ate way too much paneer)!

We arrived in New Delhi (12 of my fellow cohorts and I), exchanged our cash money into INR (Rupees), and walked into the sweltering, omnipresent heat. It didn’t matter that it was fully dark outside and almost 9 in the evening, 97 degrees was the perfect temperature ;) After jam-packing all 12 of us (plus our guide, one girl’s dad, two drivers, and enough luggage to supply a small country) in a van meant for 10, we slowly, and joltingly, meandered our way through the streets of New Delhi. People who complain about traffic in the US need to just imagine driving in a place where all street lanes are ignored, motorcyclists weave in and out with anywhere from one to four passengers riding astride, small auto rickshaws dart every which way, pedestrians cross at whatever time tickles their fancy, and traffic lights are a rarity, and when found, often ignored.

Nevertheless, we made it to the Taj Mahal Hotel, only the nicest place to stay in New Delhi. We were greeted by immaculately dressed men and women, who quickly watered us and showered us with jasmine flower necklaces. We made it upstairs to our lavishly prepared rooms, and attempted to sleep.

Too bad we all slept on the plane. After much tossing and turning, everyone was downstairs early for (a crazy, exorbitant, and scrumdiddlyumptious) breakfast, and with the opportunity to wander around New Delhi for two hours before massive amounts of sitting in meetings began, we took off. We headed to the Lodhi Gardens (even after a rickshaw driver tried to convince us that the garden didn’t open until 1030, and that he had much better places to take us for “only ten rupees!!”) and wandered around ancient ruins built by the Moghals and Lodhis.

Ruins in the Lodhi Gardens

The next two days were spent in rooms at the Taj, sitting in meetings about safety, security, living in Delhi, health, and many other topics that we all found incredibly useful, as well as eating as much food as possible. During that time, we registered as residents in the country (an incredibly long process), purchased Indian Sim Cards (WHAT NOW DAD! MY IPHONE 4 TOTALLY WORKS!) and adventured around two major markets in Delhi, Khan Market and Connaught Place.

I went to my school, Kendriya Vidyalaya, Masjid Moth, Sadiq Nagar, to meet my principal and learn more about my purpose as an ETA (English teaching assistant). My principal operates on IST (Indian Standard Time) and was an hour and a half late. In our quick 10 minutes of chatting, I discovered that their school had been assigned to represent Spain in competition, and my knowledge of Spanish quickly made me quite popular.

We leave tonight for Mussoorie on an overnight train, which will be quite interesting. I am on a bottom bunk across from 4 men who keep staring…yeehaw ;)

The Final Days

Rain and rainbows followed
us into South Dakota

We spent the last few days of our trip driving across South Dakota, Minnesota, the corner of Wisconsin, and Illinois. Not the most exciting places to drive through, but we made them fun by staying with awesome people.

Libby and Kim in Art Alley

The first night was spent in Rapid City, South Dakota, at the house of Kim’s friend from camp, Libby. After a delicious pizza dinner, much hilarity ensued as the two girls skyped all their former camp worker friends, and many camp songs were sung. Alexander was eventually dragged into the shenanigans, and wound up being just as silly as the girls.

Robbing a bank
in a stagecoach :)

The next day, we drove across the South Dakota, driving through Mount Rushmore and visiting one of those crazy gimmicky illusion places called the Cosmos. Many old people asked us two science folk to explain the illusions, but don’t worry, we did not ruin it for everyone! We also stopped at Wall Drug (the signs every 5 feet along the road really convinced us that we must visit!) and spent some time feeling like we were in the WILD WEST!

The second night was spent in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, spent with a lovely couch-surfer and her couch-surfer friend, along with the other folks that were surfing with them. We went to a small micro-brewery and it was delicious!

MILK FIGHT!

From there, we drove across the bottom of Minnesota to visit Kim’s amigo Jimmy at his college. We went to his farm, milked cows, and tricked Alexander into climbing up the silage ladder…whoops! That night, we went out and celebrated the best bars Platteville, Wisconsin has to offer-i.e. country music galore!

Rob!

After we woke up the next morning, we called Kim’s mother and told her we were in northern Minnesota and would be wandering back to McHenry in a few days.  Little did she know that we would be surprising her later that afternoon!

On the way to McHenry, we stopped at the camp (Camp Kupugani) Kim worked at, and she was briefly reunited with her friend Rob. She was full of joy. After a quick camp tour (as well as doing some archery), we were on our way to McHenry. Two short hours later, we were home J

 Did we like the smell of adventure? Yes, yes we did.