One of the most enjoyable trips I’ve taken was to Purdue University and Chicago. It was the first time I’d ever been there. My friend Tony had just graduated from high school and he wanted to visit Purdue University. His dream was to become a commercial airline pilot. His major was aeronautical science and Purdue had an excellent aviation program there. Hell, the school even has its own airport. He told me about his trip and in an off-handed way I suggested that I go with him to Purdue and then we could spend the weekend in Chicago. I wasn’t actually serious, but he liked the idea. So here we were, an eighteen-year old and twenty-two year old, departing on a Mid-West adventure.
Purdue is in central Indiana. In the summertime, the Mid-West is hot, humid, and sticky; Indiana is no different. The drive from Chicago to West Lafayette was very monotonous. Everything was very flat and green-real farm country. We spent a couple days touring the campus, looking at classrooms, touring the dorms, investigating campus life, checking out the surrounding city, and preparing for Tony’s fall semester. I have to admit, the coolest part of the school is the on-site airport. I was happy to tour Purdue because I got to see what Tony’s life was going to be like for the next four years. Purdue was the first college campus that I ever toured. I wasn’t interested in going to college; therefore, I never applied or toured a campus before. I really enjoyed the experience though.
Epilogue: Tony left Purdue after fall semester 1998. He did not like the Aryan and racial attitudes of the students living in his dorm. It really pissed him off when his roommate booted up his computer and logged on to various Aryan websites. His values, beliefs, and attitudes differed from those of his dorm mates. He transferred to Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Arizona. Somewhere, he is flying those friendly skies…
My vocabulary words are:
Opprobrium: disgrace and reproach (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
Subterfuge: a means used to evade or conceal (Webster's American pocket dictionary)
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