East Chicago, Indiana

Last Friday brought me back to my European life of traveling on the weekends and seeking adventure at every turn, only in the most American way possible. The people were the same, the adventure was there, and love and laughter abounded. We certainly weren't eating fondue, we weren't mesmerized by beautiful churches, and we weren't taking touristy pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower. It was a different kind of trip than the ones I took last fall, but it was none the less wonderful, hilarious, and a great get-away.

We packed up and hit the road on Friday after class. We had enough snacks to feed an army, a play list made by pros, and enough excitement to carry us through the 5 hour drive. We checked into our hotel, laughed a lot, ate a lot, and of course, gossiped about our crazy wonderful lives. We woke up at 7 to a pitch black sky and were reminded of Morocco. Did we get the time right with the time change? Why were we up before the sun? Who knew? We complained for a while but finally rallied to eat breakfast and watch a beautiful Indiana sunrise. We met some friends and saw what a tailgate really looks like before we cheered our 'Cats to victory and hit the road again.

On the way home, we played hilarious noise games, had serious girl talk, and got lost in East Chicago, Indiana. Who knew that it was one of the top 10 most dangerous cities in America? Where the crime rate is over 200% above the normal average? We certainly didn't, but could tell it was a place we didn't want to be for too long. After the GPS took us to the BP plant and a phantom Amaco, we stopped to ask for the nearest gas station. Not sure that was a place where we should have gotten out of the car, but we did, and we survived. We found the gas station and then the on ramp and then found out about the dangerous city we were just in.

Driving away, towards our beloved Chicago, it was hysterical. Of course we would do that. It's part of the adventure. Guaranteed, when we get together.