Amazing Places to Amazing People

Back in the U.S. and A. After a tour of Latin America I figured I'd just keep going and see what my home country had to offer.

First Stop: Family Reunion at Fair Hills (Pelican Lake, Minnesota)

While travelling I realized the importance of family and decided to end my trip a month early for this reunion. It took some adjusting to the '50s style resort without any locks on your cabin doors after you've been robbed twice in the last two months. I spent the week with the family running the lake in the mornings, playing tennis, yoga, attempting some golf, wakeboarding, tubing, swimming the lake and most importantly just hanging out with the fam.

It seems the older I get the more I'm told about how crazy we are. At the lake I learned that my aunt has been asked never to return to McDonalds. She created a 45 minute back up in the drive thru trying to itemize the price of each part of a happy meal. And one of my uncles accidentally shot his friend in the face with a shotgun while dove hunting (his friend is fine now...so I'm told).

The nieces and nephews (once, twice or three times removed....we have a big family) couldn't get enough of seeing tarantulas from the amazon; anacondas, capybaras, and crocodiles from venezuela, etc...

The second photo is my neice Elizabeth with aunt Kat and uncle Chris.

Above are the cousins Ace (Bo), Gary (Ian) and Bobby in some tube wars behind the boat.

Second Stop: Kansas City, Kansas

The real reason to go to Fair Hills was to meet cousin Billy's new bride Jackie (seeing I was almost in antartica during the wedding). But of course Billy broke his foot while firefighting and couldn't make it to the lake. So I had to make a trip to KC to meet the new bride...luckily cousins kelly and katie made the trip from St. Louis while I was in town. We also made two stops to the hospital in order to check up on Yona who is still struggling with her 2nd radiation treatment. Put in a prayer for her if you're reading this.

There's Jackie the newest member to the Buser Clan.

Third Stop: Chicago, Illinois

Back home in Chi-town just in time for the 4th! I missed the 3rd annual yaught party, but I still managed to have a blast. Played beach volleyball for a total of 20 hours with Sinead and her Cleaveland crew over my 7 day stay at Michigan Ave beach. But this stop was all about the people: Stayed with my ex-college roommate Dore for the week, reconnected with some of the old dodgeball team (was a by-week so I didn't get to play a match), Teach For America reunion party at Jeff, Vinay, and Brandon's pad, my partner in crime and ex-TFAer roommate Jeremy even made it over from Oxford for the weekend, and of course any trip to Chicago wouldn't be complete without a Smoke Daddy's happy hour with the Farragut teachers.

Mimosas and Frisbee on a beautiful sunday morning with Dore, Lankford and Robinson. Don't mess with Robinson...Rhodes Scholars don't play around in the classroom or on the frisbee pitch.

Happy hours seemed to turn into late-night hours with Phoebe, J-Paul, and Kirsten in the mix.

Stop 4: New York City

After a week in Chicago it was time to head to NYC. I was meant to stay at high school friend Liz's apartment, but we never made it. College roommate Ben had just finished his two year commitment leading unilingual foreigners through Latin America. And seeing we have met up in Costa Rica, Mexico, Brazil, and Argentina who else would have intercepted me in NYC. We went straight to Liz's work and recruited her and her fashion industry friends to go out. I spent the rest of the night bar-hopping with my pack on and then left the next morning for Pennsylvania without ever unpacking.

Stop 5: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - Global Village at Lehigh University

My Boy Blue (Pieter) and I travelled through 6 Latin Countries over a span of 6 months. We meditated in pyramid shaped huts together, provided wingman support in chase of latin american women, and slept closer than any men ever should on the tops of freezing patagonian peaks. But through it all there was one thing that was consistent: Pieter raving about the global village. So I figured I should check it out. Within the first 12 hours of being there I attended 2 international panels in which contingencies from Jordan, Kuwait, U.A.E, Egypt, Canada, Mexico, and the US competed for global business investments. Then I attended Pieter's class on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People to Amri who owns 3 business in Isreal at the age of 23, a 21 year old Ukranian who has been running her own consulting firm since she was 16, and 7 other equally intimidating individuals. Then the Chinese crew gave us a 2 hour Tai Chi lesson while the Mexicans organized a Hawaiian party that lasted until 3 in the morning. That was day one, I won't even get into day two.

Fico - the legendary peruvian architect serenading Pieter and the other villagers at the mexican's hawaiian party.

Stop 6: Back to NYC

Pieter and I headed back to NYC accompanied by the 90 plus villagers. This time we made it to Liz's house and set up our blankets on the floor before heading off to kick it with Liz and the fashion industrialists at Crash Mansion. Added bonus - Ben and his boys pitched up and gorgeous russians joined the party.

The next morning Liz tour guided us through Central Park where the three of us took a romantic boat ride in the lake, watched the afrobats along with some fruity rollerbladers. In the boat I rowed and pieter serenaded.

For our final evening activities Pieter and I set up a city ligths boat cruise of NY with the spanish and german villagers, plus liz and the russians from crash mansion. And look who else made an appearance: Ex-TFAer/snowboard club co-founder and now med student Pat Gooooleski.

Stop 7: Sweet Home Colorado

I finally made it back home in Colorado just in time to see Jake's band play and catch Rory's B-Day/Kelsey's going away party.

Looks like Blue Steel made an appearance (or is that Le Tigre?)

So you want to see 2 Dragons?....but seriously Calen get your own girls this is my picture.

Now that I'm back home I'm reminded of my life in the last year....

...and here's my life now.

It really is just a downward spiral from here, but I think I'm over my post travel depression and ready to start med school. (Then again that's what I said last year).

This may be the last travel blog for awhile...Over and Out,

Chris