Meeting the Midwest - Part II

It's nice to drive around and see corn fields and blue skies. I could do without the hot, muggy weather, but my biggest concerns have to do with snowy cold winters, so I can deal with heat. My week went a little like this:

Tuesday - Went to Shipshewana, IN for a little Amish food and market. The market wasn't what I expected (few Amish vendors, more like a sprawling garage sale), but we got a great all-american breakfast near the carriage rides and found some yummy fresh peanut butter, cheese and meat, handmade ice cream (in rootbeer floats), and local fruits and veggies. Got back to town and ate another full meal -- that means I'm recovering. In the afternoon, we got in a bit of putt-putt golfing to warm up the skills for business school.

Wednesday - Early morning interview for Notre Dame. Then we found a great new Filipino restaurant that had just opened in South Bend with an all-you-can eat buffet for $4.99. I get the sense the new owners are just experimenting in the restaurant business. They were very sweet, but not especially friendly nor accommodating to potential customers looking to order small dishes. I hope business picks up, 'cause they had a great menu-in-the-making. Finally, I got my real first business lesson at the Notre Dame driving range. I learned the basics of a swing and tried out some putting. I am now equipped with a golf glove and basic knowledge of clubs and swings. I may need a few more lessons before turning pro.

Thursday - After a midday mass at Notre Dame cathedral, Deepak and I ventured into Michigan for a bit of wine tasting and a yummy lunch overlooking the Tabor Hill vineyards. After lunch, we went to check out the nearby Warren Dune state park, expecting a little sand and some wildlife and found a full-blown beach full of swimmers and boogyboarders alongside a huge sand dune that families were sledding down. Since we weren't prepared, but were only 30 min from home, we headed back to South Bend to pick up swimsuit and dinner and made it back for some swimming in late Michigan and sunset from the top of the dune. We just made it back before the lightening storm hit.

Friday - Another Michigan adventure, this time in Ann Arbor. Deepak and I left bright and early to make the 2.5 hour journey to University of Michigan before the noon tour. After a quick breakfast in the Ross cafeteria, we got a personalized tour of the facilities and a description of the new building that will be finished in 2008. Summer's not the most interesting time to visit, but I did get lots of one-on-one attention. After the tour, I continued with my scheduled meetings: one with the Associate Director of Admissions and one with the Director of the Women's Inititiative. Both were friendly and open to answering any and all of my questions and I really felt like I could see myself at Ross. We left in good time and explored a bit of Ann Arbor before heading back to rest.

Saturday - After a homemade brunch, it was time for more local exploring. Deepak and I hit the poorly-funded Mishawaka botanical gardens, then stopped off at a historic drive-in for some rootbeer floats and finished off the afternoon with a hike a nearby state park. I still have the bug bites to show for it. After a nice long nap, we closed off the visit with a nice dinner and a long-awaited berry cobbler a la mode.

Sunday - The final episode in the saga implied an early-morning trek back to Chicago for brunch followed by an architecture tour by boat before heading to the mall to meet Deepak's mom and sister for lunch. It was an eventful day, but I made it to the airport with plenty of time to spare and got home just in time to crash. It'll be tough to get back to work after such a long, relaxing week.