Reasons why the Hogwarts Express is better than Amtrak

     I am currently on an Amtrak train headed back to Durand and I have decided that the Hogwarts Express is WAY better than this train. I started thinking this when the lights went out for a bit and came back on (CLEARLY Dementors work) then went out again, they are now on. Here is a list of what I've decided makes the Hogwarts Express better:

• The trolley lady! She goes from car to car with candy, the grumpy man in the dining car just scowls at you when you order food.
• No magic :'(
• SERIOUS lack of cute boys (Neville, Ron, Seamus, Oliver...)
• Too quiet! Someone should just get up and jelly legs jinx someone, that would make things much more interesting!
• Hogwarts Express is in Scotland and has more interesting things to look at along it's path.
• I'm not headed to the best wizarding school in the world :(
• seats aren't all in a little compartment
• I can't make friends with Luna or any of the others on the Amtrak
• I'm not traveling with a trunk
• No one is looking for a toad
• Dementors are NOT why it is so cold in here or why the lights sometimes go out
• I can't practice magic in front of all these muggles
• Hogwarts Express is a steamer, steamers are cool (or hit something cool if you're the Titanic).
• Delays on this train are not caused by Death Eaters
• No: chocolate frogs, butterbeer, Drooble's best blowing gum *cries a bit*, liquorish wants, pumpkin pasties, Bertie Bott's every flavor beans...
• Professor Lupin isn't here.

My list has grown longer than this but for now I will enjoy my chocolate and "my loving sisters company" (quote from Ruby who is looking over my shoulder) Hopefully the delays won't keep us much longer.

Chicago diary day 6

     Today started with a pride parade! I enjoyed doing some people watching there but we had to leave before it ended so I don't have too much to talk about.
     Then we went back to the Field museum and to the ADLER PLANETARIUM! I enjoyed playing with the interactive displays at the planetarium and we saw a show but that wasn't the BEST. After the show I played with some other displays and then got lost. I was quickly found and got to write in dry erase marker on a display as a cute boy explained stuff to me as I asked questions (they were trying to improve the display and find out what people wanted to know) I got to ask a lot of questions most of which the boy didn't know the answers to. After that I got a new NASA patch for my bag and a new headband with stars and stuff on it (it matches my space shoes).
     Then we watched Brigadoon in Millennium Park. Had some noodles and came back to the hotel. Tomorrow we head home.

I'm a Ravenclaw for a reason!

        When I tell people about going to Belgium for a year a lot of their first reactions have been "Oh my goodness! You are so brave! I don't think I'm very brave at all. I am simply curious. I want to see what is there and I believe that is worth going against my fear.
           I was sorted into Ravenclaw on Pottermore. RAVENCLAW not Gryffindor or Slytherin or Hufflepuff. I'm considered clever or creative by the sorting hat. Being a Ravenclaw doesn't mean that I can't be courageous it just means that I fit "Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure".
       I'm not trying to say anything bad about the other houses, in fact I was ALMOST a Gryffindor, I just want to say that there is a reason why I'm a Ravenclaw and nothing else.
       I'm proud to be a Ravenclaw and hang out in the common room with Luna and Cho. I'm proud to be in the only house who doesn't need a password or hidden door and I'm proud to be the house that produces minds like Olivander's. That's not even mentioning our Quidditch team!
        GO BLUE AND BRONZE! (or blue and silver is you've only seen the movies)
   

Chicago diary 5

     Today we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and I FINALLY got a soft pretzel! Who knew a soft pretzel could make me so happy?
     There were baby gorillas and one that I called Harry Potter because he kept trying to open a ball and tried to do so with his lips. The babies were having a grand ol' time and the entire thing was quite amusing to watch. We sat on the floor across from their enclosure and people kind of glared at us as we narrated for the gorillas.
      The tiger was VERY talkative today! It was the first time I've ever heard a big cat roar. He seemed to be saying "GUYS I DON'T WANT MY PICTURE TAKEN STOP IT OFF! HEY! HEY! I SAID STOP IT!" Everyone got a kick out of that!
      I had a lime snow cone and a little girl, no older than five, came up and asked me something. She spoke a different language so all I could do was smile, nod and try to find her folks. They came a few seconds behind her and smiled at the misunderstanding this little girl and I were having. I got a kick out of the whole situation! I just wish I knew what she was saying!
    Today I also heard some French and German and some Asian languages. I could under stand some of the French and German and that made me feel very accomplished. If only I could speak more Dutch!
     It was a great day!

Chicago diary day 4

    Today can be a list:

• tall ship WINDY
• waiting for the trolley
• taking the trolley and then walking around the magnificent mile for a while
• eating the BEST PIZZA EVER at Uno's (opened in 1943 and served the first pan served and first meal pizzas)
• eating Cheesecake Factory products in the hotel room while blogging

Chicago diary day 3

    
Today we took the hop on hop off trolley/double decker bus and went around the city. We got off at Navy Pier and Sears Tower. We also took a river architectural tour.
    First the river tour because I said so. THANK GOODNESS FOR GOOD TOUR GUIDES! Our tour guide was really great about telling us about the history and architecture of Chicago AND he seemed really nerdy so I got most of the references he made but I'm not sure if anyone else did. I enjoyed all of the buildings and the water. The tour guide told us that Chicago is an old Native American word meaning "skunk cabbage", isn't that "lovely"? The tour guide and I have decided that Daleks probably started the Chicago Fire.
     Navy Pier wasn't too interesting to me (yet, we'll go back sometime, but I did eat at Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co.! The drink menus there were on ping pong paddles and the waiter gave us trivia questions (we ACED it!) and there were also a lot of other fun little movie related things about that place.
     Sears Tower was scary because we did the sky deck and I'm still not sure how I felt about being in a glass box hanging off of the 103rd floor! But that was cool anyway.
     Walking around and taking the transport. systems allowed me to do some people watching and I enjoyed listening to all the different languages. There was this guy who had hair just like Tintin's right color and everything! It was also fun to see all the World Cup fans going to the park to watch the USA at Germany game. I could go ON AND ON about the people.
      That's pretty much what today was as a short story.

Chicago diary day 2

                                              (I will get pictures of the trip up eventually)
     Today we went to the Field museum and Shedds aquarium. First we went to the museum where there were all sorts of interesting things to look at but I enjoyed the aquarium more, must have had something to do with the fact that the aquarium was filled with LIVING animals some of which you could touch.
          At the museum there was the largest and most complete TREX fossil ever discovered! They called it Sue after the archaeologist but are unsure of the creature's gender. Sue would have been 9 tons during her life (they guess) and that was something to think about! I was amazed that such a slim skeleton could carry that much weight!
     The aquarium had SEA OTTERS! I'd never seen them in real life but they've been my favorite animal for a while now so I was VERY excited! They also had JELLYS! Which I was also very excited about.
   Did you know that sea otters will not sit still long enough to have their picture taken? I caught them just at the tail end of feeding time and got to see them play afterwards. I have researched them and knew they are active and curious but reading and seeing are two COMPLETELY different things! Those little guys just zip around and dive to the bottom of the exhibit and back and play and have a grand ol' time! I even got to watch them clean themselves which just made my day!
     I got to pet starfish and sting rays. Starfish feel weird, very lumpy but stingrays feel like a washed mushroom.

Chicago diary day 1

     I got to fly for the first time! I didn't care for all the noise but overall it wasn't so bad. Looking out the window was sort of like seeing an ice field in the middle of the ocean and having to look through fog (or at least how I imagine such things) because of how cloudy it was.
     While at the airport in Flint I made a friend with a nice lady who was chatting with us. I shared my speculaas (cookies) with her because we ended up talking about Belgian chocolate and I happened to have some in my bag!
     When we go to Chicago we found and checked into our hotel and went to Millennium park where there was a rehearsal for some music festival. After that I watched Ghostbusters for the very first time as part of Millennium Park's summer film showing thing.
  After that we got back to the hotel and SLEPT because after all that travel it was about time! All in all it was a good day.

Summer

     I am having the busiest summer I've ever had! Well worth it though. So far I've gotten to go camping and study! I've been trying to practice Dutch but my little book doesn't have many useful beginning words and phrases.
     I've gotten to watch Doctor Who and fall in love with the main character! When I haven't been doing anything else I've been learning a bit of German (who knows, it could come in handy) but can't spend too much time on it because I get a bit frustrated when I can't remember which version of a word to use. I'm rereading the last Harry Potter book and plan on reading the unabridged version of Romeo and Juliet and The War of the Worlds.
    I will try to update my blog as often as I can but if I don't please don't be all grumpy.