I decided to let Cori write my blog today from none other than the big city of Joliet...here she is!!!

Well, hello. So, I've never done this before, but I am told that it's not too hard, so here goes. This morning I woke up in the chilly town of Edmonton, Alberta and packed up the rest of my belongings to start on a very LONG trip to Senegal. Upon arrival at the airport, I was met by a not so helpful man at the desk. He informed me that a camping chair is illegal to take as a carryon item. I was sad. I love my chair. So, he told me that I could choose to either pay for an extra bag or leave it behind. I struggled inwardly with my decision trying to remain stoic on the outside. Finally, I announced my decision to this man- I will leave the chair behind. He then informed me that I must pass through the customs line IMMEDIATELY because I had checked in. I still had about an hour till I had to board and my grandparents and brother looked at me sadly. So, we stood there for about half an hour much to the man's unhappiness. Finally, I passed through the gates after bidding farewell to my family. The remainder of my journey was uneventful until reaching Chicago and taking my luggage up and down and up and down elevators to get to the train that Sara said was "just upstairs". She really does need her compass to tell where she is going. Now I am resting here in a lovely hotel room, thankful to have a place to rest my head for the night other than an airport bench. So, that's all I have to say about that.