Summer Trip 2005: Nontrad graduates and moves to Los Angeles

Hello. Eight years ago I enrolled at a university because I just wanted to see if I could hang with books and learn. My first semester I experimented with two classes (Psychology 101 and Algebra, I think). My goal: to find out where the restrooms were.

I graduated.  I did it in FOUR YEARS. I’m damn proud of that.  This blog is a review of those years. Here’s my first post! I’ll return for editing, but Jeeze, I’ve GOT          to just throw something up here to break this frigging ice. Let’s see if you want to know.

September, 2005:

I cannot believe I will be studying, lugging books, and feeling self-conscious in classrooms again. I still can't
believe I have attended ISU five semesters and I can’t imagine doing it again this fall, but I know absolutely that I am in the right place doing the right thing at the right time, and that’s a priceless treasure despite the work involved.

I helped a non-trad make his move into the big world “out there”. JACK is settled in Los Angeles CA. He just finished his first week at Investors' Business Weekly. It was truly a pleasure to help him plan his road trip and especially to drive down that “long ribbon of highway”.

For purposes of this blog, Non-traditional student & Non-trad means over age 30 and self-supporting. Names of people are fictitious; all references to institutions, corporations and places, actual.

I helped a non-traditional student move to Los Angeles in July 2005. He’d landed his first job at Investors' Business Weekly. It was truly a pleasure to help a 45 year old factory worker plan his road trip. Jack saw the Rockies for the first time, and we tromped around in the Stratosphere one afternoon. The last leg we cut through a corner of Arizona, and Arizona did not disappoint either of us. Jack and I spent three days in LA apartment hunting, faxing rental applications and  acquiring all the things one has to do to start a new life in a city of twelve million people and over  sixty languages in order (Thomas Guide, cell phone, utilities, checking account, drivers’ license, car “smogging” information for registration, making acquaintance with idiosyncrasies such as rage warriors running red lights at 105 m.p.h., Four-story Wal-Mart and the prolific homeless population. I realized as I lay by the pool while Jack got around on his own on my last day, he did good!  It was a crash course in cultural differences. Fascinating! Watching someone go from Central Illinois to LA was too much fun and too engrossing for words at times. I may have a new job description: “Relocation Specialist”!  Jack saw the Rockies for the first time, and we tromped around in the Stratosphere one afternoon.

The last leg we cut through a corner of Arizona, my beloved childhood home, and Arizona
did not disappoint either of us. We drove in silence, spellbound, while hairpin turns took us
through breathtaking grandiose pink and green mountainsides as the road daintily wound around, sparing the
land. I am so glad there is no mile-long tunnel as in the Rockies’ Eisenhower tunnels. They are
tiled in green, curved and cool, but driving with neck outstretched trying to take in the exhaustive detail, each curve revealing breathless towering granite Grand Canyon Mountainsides is worth the slower speed.

Jack and I spent three days in LA apartment hunting, faxing rental applications and  getting all the things one has to do to start a new life in a city of twelve million people and over  sixty languages in order (Thomas Guide, cell phone, utilities, checking account, drivers’
license, car “smogging” information for registration, becoming familiar with LA linguistics and  idiosyncrasies such as running red lights at 105 m.p.h. and the prolific homeless population,  dealing with parking, dealing with parking garages at Wal-Mart’s which are four floors high, etc.).  Then I relaxed by the pool for a day and a half while Jack got around on his own. He did well!  It was a crash course in cultural differences. Fascinating! Watching someone make a “blind” move from Central Illinois to Los Angeles was too much fun and too engrossing for words at times. I loved it; in fact, I may have a new job: “Relocation Specialist”!

Another of many gifts that came my way during this adventure was hanging out at our international hotel, which was 2 miles from LAX.

I met an Indian from Canada, waiting to leave for Germany to talk to some pharmacists  about herbal formulas His career had plummeted after his corporation went global, he’d lost everything and was picking himself up, reinventing himself.. I met a young couple hanging out waiting to catch their flight to New Zealand, their next stop on an eleven-month world vacation. They had spent a month already in America. They visited New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles so far. They each had a back pack and money for public transportation and schedule for the free days at all the museums... They met while working in a hotel like the Furama where Jack and I stayed.  They are from London and decided, if not now, while they are young, then when? And I met these Norwegians, thirteen Harley-Davidson owners, waiting for the last two men to arrive from Norway. They had a van and a car, and wives and some even had their children along. Tuesday of my trip they went to LAX and picked up their bikes. At twelve-thirty, I waved good-bye as they all va-roomed out of sight.

I learned a lot about the world. There are good people from all corners of the world, and even in Norway, a country of Vikings and a population of only three and a half million people, the Mother Road romances them. Imagine! Two young men were riding with their father, and T. has emailed me from back home. I thought you might enjoy reading his brief account of seeing the USA from route 66 (they took an exception and detoured for a night in Vegas, baby).

I love road trips; I grew up moving yearly, and I have wonder-lust. The road trip helped me stay here and make it through another year in one place. There is more. Important lessons I needed about my future after graduation. But if you have read this far, that’s enough for one entry, agreed? Here is T.’s correspondence:


  Subject: Hello from Norway To: nontradgrad

Hello, remember me ?

I'm T. K., one of the norwegians you met in LA about 3 weeks ago. I'm sorry that we didnt contact you when we got closer to Chicago.
 Our two last stops before arriving in Chicago was Branson MO.  And Springfield IL., and with a tight schdule there just wasnt time.
 We had a great time going east, but our 11 days of driving was a minimum. Double or triple that and it would be a relaxing trip with
plenty time to stop at interesting places. We also had some problems with the temperature, i think we had 115F after 2-3 hours of driving our from LA, think it was close to Sand Bernadino. One of us passed out in a gas station after drinking too much cold water, it took him 1,5 day to get bak on the bike, luckily there was someone to drive it while he was resting in the car.  2 others also needed to rest that day. Because of road work in the direction we were heading we had to change course and almost got lost. We passed thru a ski resort called Big Bear Lake, was a beautiful spot and in that height the temperature was perfect. The heat returned as we came down into Death Valley, and it was pure hell driving the last 4 hours from Barstow to Vegas in the dark with all those big truck constantlypassing us, We didnt arrive in Las Vegas until after midnight. (another group doing the trip the oposite way used 5 hours from Vegas to LA, we needed about 12).

For me  the highlights was to see the scenery, experienceing the US in general, Seeing Grand Canyon, and staying a night with our relatives in Amarillo TX., i just wish we had some more time, guess i'll just
have to come back :)     Best regards,  T. K.