Traveling @ MindSay

Travelling in Chicago has great attractions for the individuals and the families in terms of traveling, history and entertainment. This city is known for many things like lakefront views, Al Capone, and deep-dish pizza just to name a few. When you are thinking to visit this windy city, you need to have some resident place to stay that suits to your budget.

There are many hotels in Chicago that offer many services and amenities in affordable budget packages. Chicago Hotels are appreciated among tourists at a higher rate and they enjoy their stay more than traditional homes because of the services and standards that are parallel to none.

Chicago is beautiful city to visit where you find many historical buildings, theaters and museums. Tourists can find premium luxury car rental service in Chicago. Chicago car rental services provide the most prestigious automobiles with comfort and fun exactly as you request. It is very easy to find cheap car on rent in Chicago after fulfilling some necessary processing. You can easily find the car dealers details on the internet available comprehensive lists of car dealers.

Chicago airports are the center point for the visitors to come and enjoy the sight tour of this beautiful city. Chicago airports are the busiest airports in the world where millions of passenger come throughout the year. There are varieties of services available for the visitors like sub way train transportation. You can find some other services like airport transportation van, Taxi cabs and limousine companies are providing pickup services to travelers on short notice.

I went to Texarkana, Tx this weekend to see the huge "unveiling"
of the house that my dad had built there.. My dad works for the
government and they are making him move down there, so I have
to go too.. I hate freaking Texas weather.. And it is strange, my
body is in a kinds semi jet-lag mode, and all I did was fly a hour
ahead.... Anyways, I went to my friends house this morning around
2:00 and did not get back to the new house till like 6:30 this morning..
I went to bed, and did not wake up too long after that.. So I was already
not running on much sleep...

I then hopped on a plane, and flew from Texarkana to Dallas, Dallas to
Atlanta Georgia, the Atlanta to Boston...

I hate traveling... But in less then a month I will be in Texarkana for
a few years at the least, and then probably back to Boston..

The thing that I dislike most about Texas is that homosexual marriage
is illegal... Thats so crazy to me, because here in Massachusetts anybody
can get married and it doesn't depend on if it is a man or woman...

Anyways I will keep everyone updated on the move that I am making,
College in Texarkana starts in September...
Talk to Everybody later....

Traveling can be very stressful, and traveling with teens doubly so, for reasons that are completely different than for traveling with smaller children. Teens are developing their own interests and more than ever, you have to plan around how best to incorporate their needs, however exotic or seemingly selfish into the program. Here are ten ideas to help the trip go smoother this time.

1. Remember who your fellow travelers are. Just as you wouldn't take your sports-ambivalent wife to a week of baseball training camp, try to figure out destinations the whole family can enjoy. That doesn't mean it has to be Disneyland or the least common denominator. Think instead, of places that will have real highlights for all members of the family. New York City for example, can satisfy many different types of people with museums, sports legends, nightlife, theater, and even great parks. But pick a single-interest destination, like say, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the entire family better be into rocking out, or have other reasons for being in Cleveland.

2. Ask your teen to help plan. We like the City Walks cards series because you can spread them out and deal them like cards. Easier for everyone to see than passing out a book, the cards give everyone a chance to pick an itinerary and there will still likely be things of interest for the whole group. They also come in a more limited series for kids. Either way, have everyone look through the guide books or websites and choose at least one thing they really want to do, so no one feels like they are being dragged along an entire holiday.

3. Try to stay near the center of your destination and activities. Nothing aggravates family dynamics and the fatigue factor like long car trips or transit. Even if it means cutting back elsewhere, a great location can really ease a lot of tension when a trip back to the hotel is easy.

4. Consider an apartment rental or hotel apartment. Nowadays, there are many more options than having the whole family stay in a single room. That's not a vacation for you or your teen. Short stay apartment rentals give you more space for your dollar and feature a kitchen for more casual meals (pizza!) and cheaper breakfasts.

5. Let your teen choose things "you didn't come all this way to do." Even if you're in National Park and your teen wants to spend an hour in the hotel arcade, let him have a little break from the stuff you "should" do.

6. Set up a vacation budget. It's better to give out a fixed amount for souvenirs and extras before the trip starts. If you say that the money is theirs to spend as they see fit and they keep whatever they don't spend, you'll create a strong lesson in budgeting, but you'll also be amazed at how many things now seem unnecessary for them.

7. Let them bring a friend. Obviously this isn't a possibility on all trips, but when it's possible, it might make for a great solution for you to get some downtime. Of course, now you're responsible not only for yours, but someone else's, so take this advice with a grain of salt based on the personality of your child and his or her friend.

8. Go easy on the "no iPod/no video games" rule. While you may not let your kids be constantly plugged in at home, vacation may the time to let them escape into their own little world during long car, train, or plane rides. It gives them a little privacy and a little down time that might make everyone a little less stressed out than if you make them interact with you at close quarters during the entire holiday.

9. Check yourself before you speak. It's easy to get caught up in slights and disappointments during a trip and to keep bringing them up. Small little fights are likely inevitable, but you can short circuit a lot of longer fights by counting to ten or just saying to yourself what you're tempted to say out loud.

10. Pack light. With airlines finding new ways to charge for previously free services, a large added expense may be checked bags, which, at $15 each one way, can add up very fast for a small family. Packing simply will also save a lot on back-breaking lifting, which usually is dad's job.

Today was not the most exciting, but I really can't complain--I am in paradise, after all. I woke up early and went for a run with Julia (my roommate) and Aylesse. We ran for about 40 minutes. I definitely feel better about my performance today; yesterday I could barely make it up the hills (there are many, many hills). Retrospectively, I've decided to attribute my violent wheezing and chest pains yesterday to the higher altitude. Otherwise I would have to acknowledge just how out of shape I have become. No thank you.

Today was lectures and exercises and more lectures. We had a quiz too, but I got a 9/10 so I'm pretty happy with that. I need to get an A in this course since it's 6 credits and will serve as a fairly solid boost to my GPA. I'm at a 3.6 right now and I need to hit 3.7+ by graduation so that I can qualify for a Marshall Scholarship and get my PhD for free in the United Kingdom. It's a lofty goal, but it would be an amazing opportunity. And who knows, it might happen.

We had a lesson today about ecological footprints, a subject I find very interesting. I did two calculations and determined that my footprint in New York is much smaller than in Maryland--no surprise there. (If anyone who knows me, or knows my shoe size, is reading this, I'm sure you're thinking about how big my footprint is anywhere. Har har.) Being a vegetarian really reduces my impact on the planet; being a vegan would reduce it even further. Definitely an option I would consider, but I'd have to give up ice cream. And yogurt. And cheese. That would be rough.

The food here has continued to exceed my expectations. I've been eating yogurt, granola, and bananas for breakfast, followed by lots of vegetables (squash, beets, potatoes, zucchini, etc.) and salads for dinner. Everything smothered in hot sauce, just how I like it. And I've been drinking lots of water, tea, and coffee. I hope the water is negating the dehydrating effects of the caffeine. The only issue is that since I've been eating so many meals per day (breakfast, coffee break, lunch, coffee and cake break, dinner), I haven't been able to measure how much I've been eating. Everything is healthy and incredibly unprocessed (a welcome change from my usual diet), but I just hope that I don't get fat(ter) while I'm here.

This evening we had individual discussions with our professor and TAs to discuss our project topics. I think I'm going to scrap the idea about dogs (I just can't think of a hypothesis or experiment) and study erosion control methods instead. I'm still in the planning stages, but I'll probably spend Friday hashing out the details.

I'd like to reflect more on what I learned today, but my mind is drawing a blank. This entry seems a little vacuous, so hopefully I'll actually be able to express some thoughts tomorrow. I might go to bed soon... Julia, Kaitlyn, and I watched half of Paris, Je T'aime last night (one of my *favorite* films), so we'll probably finish it after our reading is done. The nights here have been very laid back so far, but we're having our first "social" tomorrow night, so things are bound to get a little crazy. I hope.

I finished my paper last night! What a relief. I guess this means that I'm officially a junior in college--pretty exciting. (Except I'm one step closer to joining the workforce and losing the allowance my parents give me...damn.) This paper definitely wasn't the best thing I've written this year (it might be the worst), but at least it's over with. My grades should come in soon; I think I did relatively well.

Today was another lovely day in paradise. I had planned on waking up early to go for a run with some of the other students, but I stayed up late writing so I decided to sleep in. After breakfast, Fernando--one of our TAs--gave a lecture about conservation biology and what goes on at IPE. He posed one question that I found particularly interesting: Why should we spend money to conserve species when there are millions of people around the world dying from starvation?

Well, our money isn't being spent on international aid to save impoverished peoples... it's being spent on this "war"! The total cost of the Iraq was is over $500 million so far: Imagine how many ecosystems could have been saved with those dollars that were used to destroy life rather than preserve it...

Fernando lectured for about an hour before we grabbed our backpacks (stocked with bug spray, windbreakers, and binoculars) and headed down the hill past the organic garden to two boats waiting on the shore. We hopped in and began our journey to Fazendinha, a resort further up the reservoir. The boat ride was absolutely lovely--I took some great pictures (I'll post them here as soon as I upload them from my camera). When we arrived at our destination, we were greeted by a few charming dogs--mostly lab mixes, but a couple of smaller breeds too. And none of them were neutered. I think I might study this topic for my individual project: Measure dog population sizes (and the population sizes of other domesticated animals); how neutering would change population numbers; what neutering services are currently available; how dogs and other domesticated animals affect the natural environment (ie. by spreading diseases); etc. Hopefully I'll be able to find some relevant research via Google.

We began our climb up a small mountain (a hill, really) soon after we docked and used the restrooms. The trek was definitely uphill, but it wound around the incline so it wasn't too strenuous. And it was absolutely breathtaking. We were surrounded by an incredibly lush canopy hung with thick twisted vines, interrupted by spatters of sunlight shining through breaks in the leaf cover. When we were about half way up, Juliana--another TA--asked us to find something interesting and show it to the rest of the group. I found several species of lichen on a tree: some green, some red, and some orange. I also noticed that on all of the surrounding trees, the lichen only covered one side because the hill prevented the other side from sun exposure. It was very pretty, although slightly reminiscent of ringworm. The hill's peak was gorgeous--a stunning view of the reservoir, some quaint houses along the shore, and plots of eucalyptus trees.

We had a delicious lunch (albeit a little late) at the Fazendinha, a more varied meal than what we've eaten here so far. I had a huge salad, some potatoes, some ambiguous fried vegetables, cous cous, and a little bit of pasta slathered in butter....I'm skipping dinner tonight. Oh, and I had a beer. Which was great. After stuffing our faces--we were all ravenous after our hike up the "mountain"--a few people hopped in the pool. Pas moi, non merci. Everyone was complaining about how cold it was, so I was not terribly enthusiastic about getting wet.

Of course, I got wet anyway: I rode in the smaller of the two boats on the way back to IPE and I was absolutely soaked through. Oh well. We had a good time and laughed while the spray drenched our hiking boots and backpacks, but everyone could see my ass through my wet pants when we walked back up the hill through the garden (where the produce that we eat here is grown).

I have a bit of homework tonight and I need to finish the reading from last night since I was occupied by my paper. The reading isn't too heavy, but we have a quiz tomorrow so I need to make sure that I understand all of the material. And I need to write a paragraph about my ideas for my project. I don't mind the work; at least I'm done with that paper. Thannnnnk God.