I was packed and ready to go on time. The drive to the airport was under a glorious sunny Minnesota sky. Then it took me less than 15 minutes to get through check-in and security today. And, best of all, I discovered that the TGI Friday's on the C concourse at Minneapolis-Saint Paul airport has installed an entire bar area with outlets for computer plugins. The restaurant service was exceptional – and there was plenty of wi-fi availability. But the best surprises were yet to come…
The minute I walked onto the plane, I was greeted by Matt Beatty from the University of Minnesota's International Student and Scholar Services office. Matt was one of our sub-committee co-chairs on last year's NAFSA07 local arrangements committee and he chaired a very successful institutional visit program that this year's conference is continuing.
But the biggest surprise was on the yet to come.?I got myself settled and started to exchange pleasantries with one of my seatmates — who turned out to be a health advisor in the Senate office of Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois), who is running for President of the United States! Forget about doing work on the flight. I had the extraordinary pleasure of talking to this gentleman about many topics.?We had a far-ranging discussion about such things as Obama's health care concerns and efforts, international education, intercultural communication domestically and abroad. The discussion was interesting and inspiring to me. And the two of us discovered a number of unexpected commonalities!?The flight seemed to, well, fly by. What a privilege it was to talk with a staffer from Obama's office and to hear more about the Senator's work and interests.
Once we landed, I collected my luggage and took DC's Metro into the city and my hotel. US$1.35 and a few blocks of good exercise walking!
My roommate and friend, Lisa Park, had already arrived at the Westin City Center hotel and we're spending the afternoon catching up and getting ready for the evening.
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