Night at the Midway Hlton

Departing town for a three week break usually involves a degree of last minute organization and stress…add in a 12 hour final exam which ended 40 minutes before our train to Chicago departed, two final papers, an exam for Jen, the prospect of a night in the airport, and the need to pack for a stop in LA and then two weeks in Melbourne…and it is a miracle we were still able to form complete sentences. Amazingly enough we found ourselves relaxing on the train after leaving South Bend with a clean apartment to return to, all the Christmas presents we had bought with us, all our exams completed, and our sanity in tow…the rest of the night however would prove to be a rough one.

We arrived at the airport by about 12.30 in the morning, and began our search for a quite corner with comfortable seats on which to spend the night. We found such a corner, beautifully situated and warm, and away from the business of the airport. About ten minutes later about six workmen arrived to remodel the area about 12 feet from us, with jackhammers, stereos and a fine showing of ‘plumbers’ cracks. In desperate need of sleep, we relocated to the only spare seats now available. These sat in the middle of the thoroughfare and were perfectly situated under an air-conditioner…just what you need when it is roughly 35 degrees Fahrenheit (1 Celsius). Regardless we each took turns passing out in an array of uncomfortable positions, before climbing onto our plane and promptly falling into unconsciousness for the flight to LA.

We are scheduled to fly to Melbourne on Monday, with a few hectic days in LA prior to this. Updates to come, and see all those in Melbourne soon!

Pictured: Our five star accomdation at the Midway Hilton