Minnesota: Day 1

I forgot to mention our first day in Minnesota. Why, you ask? Well, read on and enjoy.
We woke up around eight o’clock this morning to a lovely day here in Mannorville, MN. Kurtis had to go back to work and I had a job interview at ten in Rochester so I sent him off to work and proceeded to get ready. Our little house doesn’t have any hot water but we were told we could shower just around the corner in the cabin that Joe’s parents/grandparents own. It has a nice working shower with hot water. Well, I went over to shower but someone was already in the shower. Joe’ parents live next to the cabin in the mansion of Mannorville, yes, mansion. The house is quite old and being renovated itself so they don’t have working bathrooms either. I didn’t have the time or patience to wait for the shower to open so I headed back to the little house with my towel and shampoo and was greeted by a large, tobacco-stained old gentleman driving a golf cart. He introduced himself as Grumpy and said he lived across the street and was good friends with Joe’s grandparents I assume. Needless to say, I was surprised by his open friendliness and spoke with him for a few minutes. I tried to keep my nervousness under wraps so I didn’t seem rude but I told him of my appointment and he shooed me off on my way to get ready. I headed back to the little house, undressed and stepped into the claw-footed tub in the bathroom (that doesn’t have a shower-curtain) and started to take a very cold shower. I didn’t care though—I had an appointment to make!

I finished my shower and started my daily routine. I was so nervous and excited this morning I put both contacts in one eye. Anyway, I finally got dressed and headed out the door to Rochester. I had looked online for directions earlier and found a road that took me straight into the city. All the roads that go East of here, mostly, go into the city. Well, I was heading North to hit a road to turn East on when I was forced to take a detour because the road was under construction. No big deal I thought, I’ll just go around and it’ll connect. It didn’t. I drove through corn fields and 15 minutes in the wrong direction yet still following the detour! I called Kurtis in hysterics and he found where I was (completely out of the way to the West) and got me back on the right direction. He was so wonderful to try to calm me down and work through the crazy back roads—which all seemed to be under construction and prone to detours—and into the city. I ended up at the school 15 minutes late. I called before to apologize for my tardiness and begged forgiveness for getting lost on the back roads. The principle and vice principle were in the office to give me a warm greeting and laughed at my bad sense of direction. The principle, Dr. Jennings, spoke of the many good things my references said about me and then said he was looking forward to having me on the faculty at Kellogg Middle School. He had to leave for a performance (he plays over 12 instruments and has multiple jazz bands) and the vice principle, Gordy, gave me a tour of the school with his thick Wisconsin accent. Everyone has an accent around here and from different Midwestern states. Kurtis likes to annoy me by saying everything with a long “A,” as if he has always been from Minnesota. Well, I did a few other errands in Rochester and finally headed back to Mantorville, only I didn't get lost this time.