I have been wanting to write this review since the first weekend I got back to Houston, but that didn’t happen. During that time I quit my job, took 5 weeks off, and been working at my new job for a month already. While being off for 5 weeks I was working out, took a fiction writing course, and just recently got power back due to Hurricane Ike. This trip review will be different from my usual ones mainly because of me simply putting it off. However, this will be a true reflection of what happened and where I am now in my thoughts and in life in general because of the trip.
The Minnesota trip happened around July 11. I was there for 4 days for my girlfriend’s cousin 30th birthday party. The reasons why I went was to spend some time with my girlfriend in a different place other than Houston and see her in a different element, have a great time with her cousins that are really cool down-to-earth people, meet more of her extended family, meet new people in general, and see what Minnesota is all about.
Story Time…(In Oke’s head during the trip)
Work was just there. I wasn’t even thinking about it much. I did do my work to the best of my ability, but I felt that it was never ever going to be good enough. But hey I was going on a trip to a state and place that I have never been to before. It is 4 p.m. and I dash out of the building via the stairs and walk quickly almost running to my car and turn on some music headed towards I-10. Pick up my girlfriend, head to the airport, and wait…wait…wait. Our flight was delayed 2 hours or something like that and then we had to spend the night at the Atlanta airport. While I was sleeping my girlfriend takes pictures of me…I smell myself and notice that I smell like sweat and piss mixed together. We finally arrive in Minnesota…get to our hotel and relax. Oh yeah the car is a turtle like speed Nissan Sentra or some other small car that should have gotten 45 mpg instead of 30 mpg.
The weekend was filled with laughing, drinking, dancing, kissing, pulling a helpless bull dog’s short legs, taking tons of pictures, meeting new people, and enjoying a much needed vacation at times by myself and with my beautiful girlfriend and everyone else. The weekend vacation was what I needed to get me through the summer. I do wish the summers in Houston were like Minnesota’s summer, but hey we don’t get their 9-out-of-12 months in snow or extremely cold.
Reflection of Myself and What I Learned About People
When I left Minnesota I knew what was in front of me and what I wanted to do for the next couple of months. At the time I didn’t have my passions figured out consciously; but knew that my life would be different because of me haphazardly fleshing out what I truly want to do with “new friends” people who didn’t really know who I was.
The make up of people is puzzling to me, people are different when you are not looking at them face to face. Many times we do not know who we are going to fall in love with, who is going to be a great friend, an associate, a leech that drains your energy, a business partner or someone that knows someone who can become a potential client. Minnesota taught me that people will be people and to enjoy that person’s company for the time being. If that relationship goes anywhere, then that is an added plus and will probably change your look on life depending on the involvement of interaction. If the conversation goes no where it is okay, because you can’t be friends with everyone and you can’t force people.