I was first able to travel via the airlines when my senior class headed out to San Diego nearly two years ago. Boarding that aircraft (I think it was a 727) was a exhilarating experience, considering the first and last time I had flown had been at least six years prior, and that was in a 1929 Ford Tri-Motor. I’ve also taken a couple of other trips in the last couple of years by way of the airlines, and had yet to experience anything go wrong.

Well, this would be the trip that things just weren’t intended to go as smoothly as one might hope with the airlines, but thankfully for us there would not be any serious implications involved a couple of delayed flights. On Saturday, my dad and stepmom drove Chris Jochum and I to Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to meet up with the rest of the team. (Chris will be driving back to Maryland upon our return, so things work out best for him if he leaves his car at our place.) The timing of our arrival at O’Hare was pretty cool. We were the first to pull up to the curb outside of Delta’s check-in, and within ten minutes, everyone else had arrived as well.

So we checked in, some of us said our goodbyes, and through security we went to wait for a couple of hours at the gate. Of course we had to grab some food (two McDonald’s double cheeseburgers for me). We played some cards and talked for awhile while awaiting our flight to Atlanta.

I went to China last year with the team from Maranatha, and it’s apparent that the dynamics of this team are vastly different. Last year, I walked up to the Midwest Express check-in and began talking to my fellow team members that I barely even knew. This team, it seems, already knows each other fairly decently, which probably has a lot to do with the preparation that has gone into the trip (specifically working as a team in regard to singing, but also even with ESL and basketball).

Our flight out of Chicago didn’t depart for around an hour after the scheduled time. That was fine; we knew that we would have a decent layover in Atlanta, and actually ended up having an even longer one than expected.

It seems as though I can only sit in a seat at the gate for so long. I need to be standing or moving or something. Well, Atlanta’s a big airport with, I think, six concourses. The concourses run parallel to each other with planes parked all around. Several of us (Ryan, Matthew H., Betsy, Leanna, and myself) eventually got to the point to where we had to do some moving, so we started hoping the underground tram that runs between the concourses. Our flight would leave out of a gate at Concourse E, so we headed all the way back to A and checked out some of the restaurants and stores. We worked our way back somewhat slowly, sometimes taking the tram and sometimes taking the moving walkway until we finally arrived back at gate E-4.

Well, we definitely wouldn’t be leaving from E-4. I’m still a little confused in regard to all of the details, but it seemed as though there was a plane sitting at the gate that probably wasn’t supposed to be. There were a lot of people trying to leave for a flight to Zurich from the same gate, and they weren’t having much success with that venture (it sounded as thought they’d been waiting way past their departure time). Eventually we were moved down the concourse to another gate where another airplane was sitting. That airplane had to be removed, ours transported from the hangar to the gate, and then prepped by the pilots and flight attendants along with being loaded with food and baggage and probably fuel.

Our scheduled departure was 8:40, but I think we left the ground somewhere between 10:30 and 11:00 EST. The pilot said over the intercom that they arranged it so that our flight would be quicker that originally planned (we’d be flying at mach .81!). The flight attendants brought out the in-flight meals after close to an hour into the flight. Chris gambled on the pasta while I played safe with the roast chicken (Chris lost by the way).

I watched city after city of lights from my window seat on the left side. Oh, we were flying in a 676 in case anyone would be curious. We flew an MD-90 to Atlanta. Can’t forget those important details! Soon enough, on came the in-flight movie. I watched the first few minutes and then opted for some Season 2 episodes of The Office on my iPod nano. A couple hours later I was definitely ready for some sleep.

You know, sleeping in an economy class Boeing 767 window seat presents a bit of a challenge to a guy that’s 6’ 4”. It was a pretty restless night, and a couple of different times when I woke up and tried to stretch my legs out, I nearly brought on some Charlie horses.

I woke up enough once in the early morning to catch a glimpse of the beginning of the sunrise over the great Atlantic. Then I drifted back off to sleep and awoke again probably twenty minutes later to behold a more fully developed sunrise. Did I mention it was a pretty restless night in that window seat?

That window seat definitely paid off though as we flew over the Argentine topography north of Buenos Aires. The sun had continued to rise as the local time was now close to 9:00 a.m. (Buenos Aires time is one more hour ahead of EST). All across the landscape lay scattered blankets of fog, with the edges of some parts wisped away from the edges by the wind. One patch lay surrounding a river and underneath a bridge that span across it. Seeing the fog from the skies was a completely new sight for me.

Finally we came in near Buenos Aires, overflying some of the surrounding areas. The buildings just stretch on and on. Their taller buildings rose toward the sky some way off to the east. Soon enough we came into Los Aeropuertos Argentina and put down on Runway 11.

It is very late as I’m writing this, and I really want (and, yes, probably need) to grab some decent sleep before tomorrow. The place that we’re staying at though is great. Almost feels like a commune, in a good way. The property is large (probably 2-3 acres), gated, and fenced in. Oh, and the blinds are external, and metal, coming down almost like the ones in Will Smith’s recent movie “I Am Legend.”

The last 24-hour period has provided some of the most incredible weather so far this year in Watertown and southern Wisconsin. Semester finals began yesterday, so I stayed up until around 2:30 last night to study for my American Masterpieces exam. Around 1:30, the storm rolled in with heavy rain, rapidly repeating lightning, and thunder that quaked the dorm. The power flickered gentle a couple of times and then finally the lights went out for a couple of seconds. I studied on, enjoying the theatrics.

The American Masterpieces exam was scheduled to begin at 7:30 this morning. I meant to wake up around five o’clock to supply myself with an another healthy hour of cramming, but didn’t will myself out of bed until closer to 6:30. That was fine though; I really didn’t feel much like studying much more for that test. So I put myself through the usual paces with the daily shave, shower, and prep work to set foot outside of Spurgeon dorm…

The storm had left the air crisp and clean with at least one nightcrawler on the paved back drive to the Dining Commons. The blades of grass (still uncut this year), still wet ad standing upright, now the boldest shade of green, magnified through the moisture from the previous night light of the sun rising to the east of campus and just south of St. Bernard’s Parish.

I grabbed a quick breakfast, went to the classroom, decided that cramming for two more minutes would likely be futile, and succomed to one of the longer tests that I’ve ever taken. Halfway through we found out that we had to move to third floor of Old Main. We stepped out of the classroom, and out of the Dining Commons, again into the fresh air.

Up the stairs we went, one flight to second floor, and the tougher flight to third floor on our way to Fine Arts Hall. The lighting is not very good in Fine Arts Hall, but that was quickly ignored as I resumed work on the multiple choice portion of the questionnaire and worked my way through short answers and essays. I finished and had time to return to my room to watch my new external hard drive finish defragging and brush my teeth before heading to scholarship chapel.

I checked the radar before heading out—should I grab the umbrella? Another storm was approaching Madison—would it hit in the next hour? Nate and I hurried to chapel and found a couple seats. Within ten minutes, the rain had arrived. Within fifteen, a downpour was crashing on the roof the gymnatorium. Within twenty, thunder was rolling around the building. At about twenty-five minutes, there went the lights, with only the emergency lights on the doors providing just enough light to see those seated nearest myself and the outlines of others of the nine hundred faculty, staff, and students positioned throughout the room. The darkness lasted about seven seconds before cell phones were produced from pockets and purses and held high in the air with screens shining bright.

Two minutes later, the power had returned and chapel resumed. The rain continued on, but lightened up by the time chapel ended. Off to more studying, lunch, and eventually another exam…

At 1:30 I took a simple exam for a one-credit class, and then began to run a few errands and do some various tasks. As I sat in my dorm room I could feel the humidity increase as the temperature rose to 73°. My roommate and I talked for a bit before heading off to a particularly excellent supper—battered cod, a sort of grilled-looking chicken, cooked ham, and cheesecake. The clouds were rolling in from the west, beyond the railroad tracks. I had seen on the radar that a narrow line of thunderstorms, extending from southern Wisconsin to several states below. I didn’t think that it would hit us while I ate—I was wrong. It rained moderately for the first few minutes, then a torrential downpour with winds to match began and continued for at least six minutes. Sheets of rain fell to the ground outside, and a few of began to makes calls to friends back in the dorm, hoping that they could shut the windows.

After a couple of minutes of watching the rain blanket down, a few of us left our dinner trays on the conveyor belt and watched from the sitting area in the Dining Commons. Looking out to the southeast, I watched as a single bolt of lightning went briefly horizontal and then as straight down to the earth as a lightning bolt will go. One second later, the lights are out again—probably for at least three minutes this time. After a couple more minutes the lightning had begun to cease. Some of us made a run for the dorm through the moderate rain and watered-down parking lot. Back in my room, I discovered the wind had driven rain through the open window at least six feet into the room. Of course, only four minutes after returning my room, the rain had ceased.

I needed to be in Burckart Hall to photography a voice recital by 6:15, in case the singer wanted her photos taken before her performance. She was too busy before, so I crafted some shots during the recital and took the posed photos afterward. Upon leaving Old Main, I beheld a sunset that could only be wrought after hours of turbulent weather—a beautiful sunset that filled the western sky over top of the Dining Commons and around the western edges of the campus. Back out came the camera, quickly joined by the flash.

Apparently I wasn’t the only with capturing the view. As I packed up my camera and headed back to the dorm, one of my friends was running around, grabbing different angles of the western sky over the Dining Commons as well. We soon made our way back towards the dorms, only to discover a fair-sized toad on the walkway to the front door of Spurgeon. Probably twenty minutes later, we had finished photographing him in a variety of settings—in the grass, in the tiny pond that has formed outside of Judson Residence Hall, on top of a fire extinguisher, in my breast pocket, on Andy’s shoulder. When we were finally satisfied, we parted ways, and hopefully didn’t leave the toad to blinded or stunned by the flashes from our digital cameras.

I really don’t have any profound way of concluding this, other than to say that it is now 10:55, and I have a long day of writing and studying ahead of me. Only eight more days until Argentina. Only five more days until I leave campus. Only about five weeks until I begin applying to become a Warrant Officer in the Army in order to fly helicopters. Only a short life in front of me. I need to learn to enjoy every day like I was able to today.

(Note: My apologies for any grammatical mistakes—it’s late, I didn’t want to proofread tonight, and I really want to retire to my mattress and enjoy the fresh breeze flowing through the window.)

I was browsing around on Craig’s List today and ran a few quick searches, one being for listing for iPod nanos (I already have one, but I just wanted to see what the going rate is). Surprisingly, the search only yielded two results, one of which was the following.

In Argentina, I hope…

To see God’s work in the lies of believers – both those in South America and those on our team

To see some of the kids that we work with show an interest in God because of the interest and love that we show to them

To better understand Latin culture and the spiritual atmosphere and dynamics of a Catholic society

To be able to experience the Spanish language while being able to understand and communicate in it

To kick start my summer spiritually with a fervor for God as we actively serve Him – I want to rebuild the habits that I have lost throughout this semester

To give me a focus on evangelism so that when I come back I am totally determined on spreading the Gospel of Christ throughout Union Grove

In all, I want to see God work in others and in me. I want to feel His Spirit move in me and work through me. I want Him to give me a greater and more focused love for people—with the same compassion that His Son was moved with when He looked upon the multitude. I want this trip to change my mind and change me. I want it to lead me into a greater love for Him.

…a couple that is now married but met back in Bible college never seems to say, “We met in college”? They inevitably seem to say, “We met at Bible college!”

…Mr. John Davis can never reference Maranatha simply as Maranatha? Whenever in chapel, all four nouns always remain present in his address: “Here at Maranatha Baptist Bible College….”

…we are warned to be careful whenever we hear about a “movement”? Dr. Phelps has cautioned those of us that are in the Men in Ministry Forum several times. Yet Maranatha, er, Maranatha Baptist Bible College (there we go) and probably most of the Baptist churches that associate with the college are part of what we have heard referred to during Fundamentalism Conference as the Fundamentalist movement.

…the focus here is placed on activities of service and ministry in the local church rather than the heart of ministry? Specific example: asking students to stand at the beginning of chapel if they participated in a ministry in their local church (such as music, kids programs, preaching, etc). Why such a focus on the “doings” of ministry rather than the “heart” of ministry? Such as, actually talking to and encouraging fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, and really actually caring. Ministry does not have to be done through a ministry (i.e., counseling a kid through the Wednesday night program, or only talking to people because you’re a greeter, or only sharing the Word when you’re in front of people).

Just some random thoughts of mine. The last paragraph there is somewhat me preaching to myself for not always going to church with that proper mindset of ministering to my brothers and sisters as I should.

I searched around on Google and a few technology-related sites where I knew that I could find information and write-ups on both online and offline RSS readers. Eventually I arrived at Google’s very own “Google Reader.” I quickly signed in with my Google account and began “subscribing” to some of the feeds of blogs that I like to stay abreast of.

I added technology blogs, friends’ blogs, some of Maranatha’s blogs, and soon enough started searching around for some blogs of my favorite Milwaukee radio talkshow hosts as well. Subscribing to blogs is simple. All you have to do is click the “Add subscription” link, enter the web address of the blog, and click “Add.” After finding that I could create folders, I began filing each feed away into its proper location.

Now Google Reader shows me which blogs have new posts. I’m able to load up the post inside of the Reader, with photos and even videos (as I discovered with one of my my college professor’s video posts of his newborn son). Like Gmail and Picasa, I am able to star the posts that I feel are of special importance so that I can easily refer back to them at a later time.

If you find yourself wondering which of your friends have updated their blogs today, and you’re sick of constantly clicking through your bookmarks to their blogs, or even trying to remember the web addresses to their blogs, set yourself up some subscriptions through Google Reader.

Remarks
I definitely just keep moving right along. Last week I did my first two cross countries (on Thursday and Friday). Today I did my own. I had originally planned to just fly one of the same ones that I had already done, but my instructor recommended going to Sheboygan (SBM). I figured, why not, it’ll be a whole lot more interesting exploring new air than flying the same stuff I just did last week. So I planned the flight out after classes today and headed out to the airport. Kevin checked over the planning while I preflight’d and gave me the endorsement to go ahead. It was a pretty good flight; after getting up to cruising altitude (3,000 MSL) I could see the Milwaukee skyline and Lake Michigan while heading to the northeast. I found the airport after keeping an eye on time and checkpoints and set up for a downwind on runway 31. As I descended a couple of hawks came pretty close to the airplane, which is always cool, but I just know one of these days I’m bound to hit one of them. I passed one up and it had to have been within about 50 feet of my right wing. Anyways, I did a touch and go and headed on back to Watertown. I didn’t really want to just land and go back to campus, so I did a couple touch and go’s first. I still need to work on just getting those wheels to the pavement. I float way too much, but I’ll get it still.Below is the aerial view of Sheboygan (SBM).

Remarks
My first cross country…. Kevin and I headed out to Baraboo’s airport by Wisconsin Dells later in the evening, so on our way back it began getting fairly dark. After the sunset it was pretty cool being able to see all the lights in towns and small cities and landing with the runway lights on. Very cool, definitely a good little trip.

Remarks
Alright, today went pretty well! We (my instructor Kevin and I) went through all of the maneuvers: slow flight, stalls, steep turns, ground reference, s-turns, everything, and they all went pretty well. We did a simulated engine failure and that was the best one I’d done so far. We did a simulated engine failure over the airport and that went well. And then we mixed it up with some short and soft takeoffs and landings as well. Pretty good lesson; we’ll probably start cross-countries on Thursday.

Remarks
I solo’d back on March 16, but today was the first time I’d been up by myself since then. I took off at Watertown on 29, did a touch-and-go, flew through a tiny bit of snow, and then headed out to the north to do some maneuvers. I saw some smoke so I headed over towards that first to see if a house was on fire; there wasn’t, just a field being burned. Then I set up for some maneuvers with clearing turns, following by practicing a full 360° steep turn to the left, then one to the right. The right one didn’t go as well as I wanted it to, so I did another one that went much better. Then I tried some power-on stalls, because they’re just a lot of fun. Well, the first couple went alright, then the third one didn’t. I went up, stalled, and then I don’t know what happened exactly, but the plane rolled towards the left and started heading towards la tierra firma. I think I didn’t push forward when I should have. Anyways, I did come out of it (I had probably 2500 feet to spare), but that one shook me up a little bit. So turned back to the west for a few miles, then back to the north to head up to Juneau’s Dodge County airport. I had fun there just doing some touch-and-go’s. On one of my downwinds, I actually saw a pair of hawks flying below to the left, and then I saw what I’m pretty sure was a bald eagle! I’ve never seen a bald eagle in the wild before, or, at least not that I recall. After finishing up there I headed back to Watertown for two more touch-and-go’s and then finally landed and taxied off the runway. Other than the stall incident, that was a ton of fun, just being up there, calm wind, minimal turbulence, and some fun landing practice.