Trip to Chicago: There is No Place like Home!

On a recent trip to see my nephew graduated basic training from the Navy in the Great Lakes, we discovered just how much we love our home and Lawrence County! Now keep in mind, I would not of traded this trip to see him graduate for anything in this world, but I guess we just get too accustomed to the things we have at home.

We did good until we hit just outside of Chicago on the Chicago Skyway Toll. We knew we would hit a toll road, and did not mind because the money goes to the maintenance of these roads? Right? Wrong! Not only did we have to pay at three different toll booths on this stretch of land which totaled over $6.00, but the roads themselves were in horrible shape and the attendants at the tollbooths were terribly rude, one did not even speak English. After making our way through the toll way and detours, we enter the north side of Chicago. The skyline was incredibly beautiful.

We were exhausted after traveling for more than 10 hours and thirsty, so like any other good southerner, I wanted sweet tea so we seek out a McDonald's restaurant. Guess what? Not only did every single employee there not speak English, they did not have sweet tea! Three hours later and filled with frustration, we find our hotel. We go to check in and the desk clerk did not speak English!! Are you kidding me?!? We finally check in and collapse into our beds. Tomorrow is another day.

We did not get the wake up call we requested, lucky for us we set the alarms on our cell phones. We wake up in the best of spirits knowing we are about to see our graduate after almost 9 weeks of minimal contact. Not knowing how long this graduation would be we set off to find breakfast before heading into the base. We give McDonald's a try again, but a different one. We use the drive thru and order our meal, with much confusion, but nonetheless we get it done.

We pull up to the window to pay for it and we thought we would ask directions to the base, our mistake again, she did not speak English either. As a matter of fact when we tried to communicate with her she slammed her window shut on us. What were we to do?

No one there spoke English either. Now we are not just talking immigrants from Mexico, but India, Iraq, Haiti, Cuba, and so on. Now please do not get me wrong, I do not mind people wanting to come to America to better their lives, but I feel if you come here and get jobs here, learn to speak English!

We finally make it to the base and I am so excited, I am snapping pictures of everything! As soon as we hit the gate we are asked to pull behind the guard station, I was thinking due to my disabled placard, wrong again!

This very nice looking Navy MP taps on my window, he says Were we taking pictures this morning Mam?? Yes, we were? I reply with a huge smile on my face, not knowing the air was about to be deflated from me. He asked? May I see them?? Certainly? I say as I scroll back. Without missing a beat he demands? Delete them!? I felt like a child who had just been grounded for six months! Now I understand, for security reasons, you cannot take pictures on a base or of a base, other than in the gymnasium during graduation. Our vehicle was directed to an area where we had to roll down all of the windows, open all doors, hood and trunk so it could be inspected by the MP and a canine, we pass it and we make our way to the area of graduation.

At every corner we were directed to the parking for the disabled and as we enter that parking lot another MP stops us to ask if we need a wheelchair. Everyone greeted us with such politeness, I was very impressed with these young people who have volunteered their lives to defend our freedoms and rights during wartime, to complain about the traffic, the heat, the cost of fuel or groceries or having to pay toll fees on a rough road or rude people who do not speak English. I am so proud of my nephew, for everything he is and everything he has done and is yet to do.

I love him so very much and am grateful we got to see him graduate his first steps in a long career in The United States Navy as a Corpsman, but I promise you, there is no place like home!!