The Beautiful Letdown: Chicago in Pictures

(Part 6)

{I'm sure you've all been in suspense, wondering if I made it back or not. Surprise!! I'm alive and well. More on the procrastination later...}

Day 7 - [There] and back again.

The conference is only a half day today. It passed rather quickly and uneventfully. However, I was really struck by what a blessing it is to live in America and speak English (more on this later) as I struggled through a particularly difficult to follow presentation - partly his language in-proficiency, partly my comprehensive inability.

The last session finished at 12, leaving the perfect amount of time to pick up my meal of choice - Chipotle burrito bowl with chicken, pinto beans, lettuce, and mild/hot salsa! - and head to the airport! I snapped a pic (what can I say?? I'm a rebel...) as we took off, and sat back to contemplate the hurricane that was the last week of my life...

Learning Points:

1. I need people. Completely, constantly, desperately. It was difficult (but probably very healthy) to spend significant time alone this last week. My favorite moments were all centered around people - meeting with friends, chillin' with hobos, friendly restaurant staff... life is meant to be shared. That's probably also why it took me 2 weeks to finish my last post - as soon as I was back around people, every moment was spent with them! Thank God for fellowship. Better yet, for reminders that, unlike people, He is always present.

2. There's an entire world of academia, and I don't really belong there. I'm learning more and more that I need practicality over theory - if I can't picture how it will be immediately useful, I have a very hard time grasping the concept. I think that's part of why I enjoy working so much more than studying - I can see the effects, the product, taking shape. And I'm sure #1 plays in as well - there's always another person in the line, someone that will be directly effected by what I hand them/tell them.

3. I need an attitude check. If, being as socially dependent as I am, I was able to turn a week away from almost all friends/family/human interaction into a grand adventure, why was the conference so much more of a struggle? God definitely pulled a heart-check there. Sure, some things may be difficult to grasp. And I'll admittedly never be at the point where a heat transfer lecture is more entertaining than a concert in the park. But I still owed it to myself, my company, and the presenters to make more of an effort than I did. Next time - get more sleep, pay better attention, and ask lots of questions.

4. I am blessed beyond belief. I have a job. My company cares about/trusts me enough to want to invest in sending me to these places. I get to see new things. I speak English. I didn't have to beat out 100s of my closest colleagues for a once-in-a-lifetime pass to this conference (as did many of the international attendees). I have access to the top researchers in the world in fields that occasionally overlap with mine. I have friends (both old and new) willing to clear their schedules and go significantly out of their way to show me a good time. I have a home to return to and consistent access to food - no sleeping outside subway stations and digging through trash cans. I have more amazing people in my life than I could possibly imagine. The list could go on forever and ever...

. . .

Anyway, enough word-soup for my scarce [but beloved] readers. This is supposed to be a story of pictures, after all! So what better way to close than with some remaining shots from throughout the week??