Aug 7

Got up early, wanted to have breakfast but ran out of time paying the bill and arranging for a ride to the airport. Eventually it worked out and I was off. From the time I got to the airport till I got on the plane I had to show my passport 5 times (for some reason)

Long flight - comfortable enough but torture nonetheless. Arrived in Chicago and while waiting in line, someone had a heart attack. Unsettling to say the least.

Did you know that Americans make foreigners (but not Canadians) get fingerprinted as they come into the country? Bizarre. Why does anyone go there? They did it to the woman just ahead of me. I was all ready to be indignant but he didn't make me (though he was thinking about something long and hard after seeing the Syrian stamp) and I made my way to the next gate (why Ohare has terminals 1, 2, 3, and 5 but not 4 I can't figure out. It was interesting to be able to follow background conversations again.

The other weird thing is that you can't check your baggage through an american city to your final destination. NO IDEA WHY. So I had to wait for my bags and SERIOUSLY walk 100 feet and give them to the guy there waiting for them. No checks. What the point of that was is beyond me.

Short flight. Arrived no problem. Chuck was waiting and back home (which felt very weird)