Minnesota

January 15th, 2013 (two posts in one day!)
Location: Wayzata, MN
Song of the Day: Leaving on a Jet Plane by Peter, Paul, Mary (still applicable)
Mood: Increasingly Excited

Minnesota:
It is great to be back in Minnesota, even if just for a short time. As I crossed the border on Sunday, I checked and sure enough the temperature was in the single digits. A lot of people hate on Minnesota because of the cold, but they don't understand the awesomeness of the culture. Just yesterday, I had three experiences that made me love Minnesota even more:

• I went to the bank to turn all my coins into $$$. However, before I could get to the coin machine, the greeter made me stop so she could estimate how much I had. If you include the value of the European coins I had, she was right on with her guess of $23. It felt great to go to a bank where people were excited about their work and smiled at all the customers.

•  At Target, I bought a new suitcase (see picture below). At the cash register, it rang up at $139.99. I was pretty sure it was $129.99 and asked the cashier to check the price. He rang it up again and got the same amount: $139.99. I offered to go run and check and he said, "It's not necessary" and he changed the price to $129.99.

•  At Costco, I grabbed four items and scanned all the lines to find the shortest one. As I stood in line playing Words with Friends on my phone, an elderly gentleman grabbed my arm saying, "Go in front of me. You only have a few items." The fact that someone was considerate enough to look at the other people in the line, recognized I only had a few items, and then was generous enough to let me jump in line really touched me.

 

I wonder what service will be like in the other countries I visit.

Finalizing my preparations:
I have afternoon snacks from my friends in the D:

My bag weighs 38 pounds, giving me a buffer so I don't have to pay extra fees:

 However, there is almost no space left:

I donated my car today and ran an errand with my grandmother and am ready to go!