Thursday - phew!

Up early for another breakfast Rotary meeting, but in fab venue. the most superb yacht club you can imagine, and the biggest on the lake i think i was told. Also, a native american indian had been invited to speak with us, he is from the Potowotamie Nation whihc is local to this area. Then back into the bus and we were off to a brand new specialist high school whihc has been open 5 weeks. Specialised in project based learning and it was quite interesting and made the other educationalists amongst us reflect quite positively on what we are already doing in that area in the NZ curriculum. Then back onto the bus and off to another ratary lunch meeting but this time wiht full presenation and thge club of our own host families etc. We had thansgiving meal - turrkey follwed by pumpkin pie and we were presented wiht a huge goodie bag and a beautiful book of Chicago. The generosity is overwhleming.
Then not time to dilly dally, we were off for a golf lesson wiht a pro. Sad to say, theat folloiwng the lesson my golf took a sharp decline and i had a rather sad and dismal success rate in our game, but it was fun nonetheless and great to be in the fresh air, and the head was fine too which was great.
Then.... finally home to our host families and this time by about 6.00pm. I have had a beautiful meal, and we curled up and watched the vice presidential debates on tv (along wiht 69.9 million other americans)and ahd a Black Cow each (thats root beer with icecream!). A lovely wee respite before repacking the suitcase for tomoorrows 7.00am start!!!

Wednesday

Well there is no time to sleep in this sector of the journey. It was up at five am to be ready to leave the hosue at six for another breakfast Rotary meeting, i think we're all doing quite well to sing the national anthem that early in the morning!
Then off to a local accounting firm after which, i separated from the group and was taken to the train station by one of our hosts. i caught the train back into chicago city and then a cab to Roosevelt university where i met with their development director. it was a great meeting, and afterwards i took myself on a self guided tour of the uni - well that building anyway. Great views of the lake and a wonderful victorian staircase and stained glass windows. Then , becuase I could, i took a cab to the Oprah Winfrey STudios and shop.




The shop was nothing much, but I was just in time to see everyone come out of the show and i stood talking to alady as i waited for a taxi. We eneded up sharing the cab into the city and heard all about the show. A wee stroll up Michigan AVe while i waited for the others who were at athe Botanic Gardens, then a taxi to the Mexican Restaurant where we met up.
Then...... we headed to the Goodman Theatre and saw a wonderful wee musical aobut ELvis, jerry Lee Louis and some other 1950's rock and rollers. Great music!
Home by 10.30 ish and starght to bed in readiness for another 5.00am start.

Tuesday ?? Was it?

This week has been just a blur but it is coming to an end and it will be sad to say goodby once again to our host families and our hosts for each day.
Tuesday:
We visited a high school technology campus - interesting, all the high schools in the area send their students to the tech campus for the vocational subjects like chef training, automotive etc.
Then Rotary lunch
Then we visited an elementary school and each went to a separate classroom and read a kiwi book to the kids. It was heaps of fun, most of the children are hispanic in this area and they loved that the Maori vowels are the same as spanish. they sang me the vowel song so i had to sing a waiata in return - solo! Very cool kids!





Then a tour of the local theatre that has been restored
Then we all headed off to the Methodist Church to feed the hungry. The team cooked rice and measured out drinks and served the crowd. They all loved the funny way we talked.
Then after changing in the loos and the van we headed off to the Yacht club to have dinner with the mayor, and finally home to bed

Well every sector is very different, this one being no exception. we are on a hugely busy schedule here, every fifteen minutes is allocated. Its just about 9.00pm here i've just got home and this will be my earliest night till thursday when i once again get time wiht my host family. Crazy! Good news is though we got to go to a ball game this afternoon, amazing. The chicago white sox playing the detroit tigers. we had to leave early to get back for our evening function but it was outstanding nonetheless to see a big game and we got on telly waving our new zealand flag!
Of course the congress decision today is huge and the ramifications are incredible. we are seeing signs of empty housees, for sale signs and half dveloped subdivisions. Mostly we are too busy during the day to hear much about it but when you have time wiht your hosts to ask what is happening you realise just what a big deal this is.

Saturday and Sunday

Up and packed again and repacked and repacked again into a second bag. Its riduclous the suitcase is meant to be getting lighter not heavier! then we all met at the train station and were driven into chicago city for a bit of down time. we stayed at a hotel in the central city and enjoyed a picnic in millenium park looking at the 'bean'. then the boys headed off for a boys tour of the city - this apparently included a tour of the art gallery and the library and a tour on the free tram, so we were most impressed. the girls headed of down michigan ave and found a few shops but we were pretty restrained, also the cultural centre and then we took a tour on the free tram aswell which included Navy Pier.
Back t the hotel to change and then dinner and then WICKED, which is a resonably new musical about the the wicked witches of oz - set in time before the story of the wizard of oz - and it was fabulous.
Then onto a sports bar and some pool with Cath - a GSE ALumnus who hosted us in her fair city.
A late night followed by an early morning start so we could make it to Waukegan MArina to go sailing. FAb drive with our host through some of the most expensive real estate and one of most exclusive post codes in the US. Also went past Northwester university and some frat houses - cool!





THe boat - a Catalina 42 Mk 11 2009 (!) was absolutely beautiful, sparkly new. Unfortunately we didn't go sailing though, a bit of a chop and wind and ominous clouds but our host was wonderful. we relaxed in the cockpit and then he cooked us BBQ lunch and we chilled out before being picked up by our new host families.
( MEntal note - lake Michigan is HUGE - takes three days to sail to the top part which is the annual MAch race. ITs crazy big and can turn to chop quickly.)



SO now i'm wiht my new host family and its been a wonderful afternoon so far. They organised for me to meet ith a Headmaster of a local private school with both boarding and day students. Beautiful campus with its own ice rink, and he was very generous wiht his time and i downloaded heaps of information. Similar size instittuion and age but crazy differnt scale of philanthropy.

THen on the way home we visited a supermarket, checked out US food and confectionary. Unbeleievable the cereals etc. Have got the major food groups covered now, we bought home new peanut butter flavoured M &M's, ice cream, root beer and candy. Yum!!

We are having a relaxing evening tonight, dining at home and might get to watch some american telly and chill before busy week ahead.
The head is doing well, i'm sporting a really bad hair day - the antiseptic cream looks like i've got really greasy hair and that a bird flew past with a wee deposit but apart from that its alright. I've been brave enough to have a closer inspection of the staples and they are literally metal staples!
Its not surprising that i set the store alarm off when i left the shoe shop yesterday!!

Friday 26th

well yesterday went pretty well and was a relaxing day in the end.
I joined the team at a lunchtime Rotary meeting where we all introduced themselves and tehn we went on a tour of a local YMCA. I missed out on the tour of the local library that morning as i just took it easy for a bit and did Kate and my washing (we were staying with the same hosts) instead. Anyway after YMCA tour our hosts for the day kindly took us to a local icecream parlour adn we went and sat by Lake Zurich and chilled out before heading to our evening function. This was an informal barbeque with the Rotarians and was a lovely relaxed evening and not too late. Super hospitality and kindness.
Did a bit of packing and had a good sleep and missed being visited by a skunk although i could 'sense' his presence. stinky!

thursday 25th and a wee bit of drama

thurdsya morning up at 5.45 to be ready in tme and at a breakfast meeting at seven. presented then off to meet a directtor of a foundation. interstingly a foundation for an education district, raiisng funds for elementray and high schools and totlay volunteers.
then to Barriington shcool, a great exampleof a v=really good high school, 3000 students but excellent facilities, a gymnasium just like in the movies and the band was having band practice for the football game at the weekend!
then quickly into the cars and off for lunch and then into the city to see a historic music museum specialising in folk music. well unfortunatelky i grabbed my bag out fo the back of the van as another team member was closing the van door wiht the end result that the door came down on my head. i tumbled to the ground but was ok - but wasn't really. i know head injuries bleed a lot so i wasn't too stressed but we decided to get it checked out anywya. this was agood call becuase it needed stitches and so i am now sporting 6 staples in my head (seriously they ar metal staples inserted with a staple gun) and they need to come out in 8-10 days. so anyway we took photos, the doctor was most obliging, and then met back up with the team about 6.00pm. we then heddaded off to our eveing function and spoke briefly aobut ourselves, i managed to sit and talk to bpeople mostly whcih was good, and then came home by about 10.00 ahving been pulled over by police first (they were also very happy to ahve their photo taken). so a bit of abig day, cheryl the team leaer was amazing and i'm having this mroning off and just taking it easy. presentation again at lunch time and i'll see how im doing but will probably hang out with team this afternoon before another functionnthis evening.