US Diaries: Chicago & Illinois

Keeping a blog updated while being on the road is really hard; never mind the fact that we’re currently doing one week spots which means we teardown and set-up every week. I can’t complain though, I like being busy cause that’s when time flies.

Our unit has split into two smaller units and we’re currently at our fifth spot as a split unit (at the time the blog was written; now we're not split anymore) and tenth spot as a carnival (at the time it was written; currently at our 14th spot). We’ve been playing spots around the Chicago area for the past month or so.

The first spot after Burlington, Wisconsin, was Orland Park, Illinois. (The other unit went to Waukegan). The spot itself was ok, but what made it really awesome was the opportunity to see Chicago. There was a train station right where we stayed, so catching the train was really easy. The train ride alone was really exciting for me since we don’t really have trains in South Africa; at least not ones like they have here. It was a Metra train and looked exactly like the one in Source Code, it was insane.

Orland Park - this lake was man-made and it was massive!

 

Being in Chicago was amazing. It’s one of the most beautiful cities to explore and it is massive. I’m not a big city person, I like nature and quiet, but there is something truly spectacular about a city like Chicago. One thing that adds to its allure, is the river that runs right through it. Without the river, it probably wouldn’t have been as stunning as it is. There are a few buildings that are definitely something to look at and  then there’s also Buckingham Fountain, The Bean at Millenium Park, Crown Fountain and Navy Pier. Not to mention a boat ride on the river. You get the Architectural tours and then just a plain water taxi which is what we took as a ‘tour’ up the river to get back to Union Station to catch the train.

 The train - the inside is exactly like the movie Source Code!

 

Chicago River 

Barnes & Noble

 

The Train

Comic Book store!

 

Skyscrapers

 

Newspaper stands

 

Chicago Tribune

 

Buckingham Fountain

 

The Bean

Crown Fountain

 

Navy Pier

Water Taxi's / Boats

The spot after Orland Park, was Oak Lawn, Illinois (the other unit was in Wheaton). We played at a Catholic Church parking lot. The space wasn’t massive, but it was a busy carnival. This spot wasn’t that exciting for me, but I made another trip to Chicago the first day we got there. I met up with my boyfriend and some of his friends who were with the other unit at another spot. Again seeing Chicago was amazing. I wouldn’t mind going back again!

The next spot was Franklin Park for a festival called Railroad Daze (the other unit was in Gary, Indiana). This carnival was held on the street and it was actually really nice, but the town itself was strange. All the shops around there were Mexican and that’s really weird to see in the northern parts of America. Actually, it’s surprising how many towns we go to have Mexican shops.

The next spot was Munster, Illinois (the other unit was in Schererville); also at a Catholic Church (we play quite a few Catholic Churches). By this time I’m hardly keeping track of time. I barely distinguish one spot from the next these days! But it wasn’t a bad spot except that the police closed us down the Sunday because the crowd got out of hand. It was super busy!

 

Had a good 'braai' on our off day when we got to Munster

 

A kind-of big storm passed buy during work the one day

Then we ventured to Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois, but since we were still split as a carnival, I worked in Western Springs with the 2nd unit - about twenty minutes away - but our bunkhouses were at Toyota Park which is in Bridgeview. The week went by really fast and when we play these one week spots, there’s really no time to explore anything. The hours are long and you’re too tired to do anything when you have an afternoon off. Well at least I am!

Sunset at Toyota Park

Arlington Heights, Illinois, came next. The festival was called Frontier Days and it was kinda really big. We stayed about forty minutes from the spot at Dupage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton. So the drive, together with the long hours, made this spot very exhausting. But honestly still fun! My birthday was Friday the 4th of July which is Independence day in the States and even though we worked super hard that day, the people at work still made it fun and got me a cake and some gifts. And what made it even more special was the roses and the necklace I got from Alex (the best boyfriend a girl could ask for). This was also the last spot where our unit was split in two.

Birthday gift from Alex

At work on my birthday

We stayed at the Dupage County Fairgrounds - this is a big storm that passed over

Our next spot was Glendale Heights, Illinois. This spot wasn't too bad; the Laundromat was around the corner and things were just kind of around the corner. It also felt good to be back together and to have all the rides in one spot again.

 

Sunset at Glendale Heights

 

Overcast day

 

Stole this picture from someone who rode the Ferris Wheel

 

Amazing fireworks!

In the end I have to admit that I'm not a big fan of Illinois; mainly because of the bad weather. It rains very often and when it does, it pours. (Refer to my blog post US Diaries: Florida - you'll find I really don't like rain). We have moved on to Indiana and there'll be more about that soon-ish!

 

US Diaries: Wisconsin

Burlington, Wisconsin was the best town to date in my opinion. Even though I worked really long hours at this spot, I still got to experience a real American small town.

The first thing I have to mention is that: I was in the state of Wisconsin! In my opinion the official "That 70's Show" state; forget about cheese. You have no idea how awesome this was for me. I wish I could've called up Eric Forman and ask if I could smoke a joint in his basement with him and Donna and Steven and Jackie and Kelso and Fez. How cool would that be?! If only they had like a replica of his house somewhere!

The first night in Burlington, the sky looked like this:

There was a storm moving over and the cloud display was scary-looking. It rained a lot while we were at this spot.

The first discovery I made was a beautiful park down the road from the fair. I really give America credit for their parks...it's always clean and such a peaceful place to be. I wish I had more time to explore this!

We were invited to the premiere of the new X-Men movie by the owner of the theater/cinema in town. That was pretty cool.

Then one day when we started work later the day, a friend and I got up early (even though I was incredibly tired) and ventured off into town! I can't really describe how cool this town was. The first thing that came to mind when I saw it was Smallville and Gilmore Girls. It reminded me of those towns...and it looked exactly the same.

 

This was a very special moment for me because I loved those series and to be able to see something in real life that you've seen on TV was awesome. I'm really glad I made it out of bed that day.

The Friday night they had fireworks at the festival! I am such a huge fan of fireworks and these were my first ones in America and they were spectacular. They must've gone off for at least a good half hour.

We were there from Wed to Mon for the chocolate fest since Burlington is known as Chocolate City in the US. They had Nascar on display and then some chocolate stuff.

 

No matter what anyone ever tells you, it's not always easy working for a carnival. And when you have time off, all you really want to do is sleep! But there's this voice inside you that tells you that you came all this way to a country across the world - yes to work - but also to travel and explore (even if it's at times to the expense of your sleep). So that's exactly what I did and I'm not at all sorry.

We're currently in our second spot in Illinois. We have a new spot every week, so time is catching up to me, thus the late blog updates. I'll probably do some really short ones for the next few weeks just to keep up to date!

US Diaries: Tennessee

On Monday the 28^th of April we got ready for the longest jump to date from Viera, Florida to Antioch, Tennessee. Including all the stops, we had figured that the jump would take approximately fourteen hours; that was until the bad weather showed up. First the bus had a breakdown and it took about an hour-and-a-half to get it going again. Then as we drove, we got some reports from other drivers that there’s a big thunder storm that was crossing directly over our path between Nashville and Atlanta with a possibility of tornadoes. This was the same storm system that killed all those people in Arkansas. So we were told to stop and sleep over at a motel and wait out the storm. Even though it sucked to have to wait even longer to get to our destination, it was better to be safe. So we found a motel in Macon, Georgia, where about forty of us slept over. I think stuff like this is actually what makes this whole experience even more fun! The fact that nothing is set in stone and anything could happen…it’s pretty interesting. That night, even though we had no extra clothes or any toiletries, we were able to take a bath and sleep in a really comfortable King sized bed. Small blessings.

The next morning we hit the road around noon and arrived at our destination that Tuesday evening. One thing that sucks (and it’s not really a big thing that resembles anything close to the end of the world) but every time we get to a new spot, we have to wait to get electricity and water. Sometimes we have to go to bed without it. But you know what? That’s okay because we still have a warm bed to sleep in every night.

Antioch was one of my favourite spots so far in the season. It was in the parking lot of a mall and one of the reasons for this is because everything was within walking distance. There was a Cinema, Roadhouse, Family Dollar, Clothing stores, McDonalds, KFC, Taco Bell, Games Arcade, Starbucks, etc. It was so convenient! The weather was for the most part okay…some very hot days and some very cold days, but nothing too hectic. Although there was the one day that it rained so hard that we had to close the fair. But the only reason we closed was because we opened at five in the afternoon and it was cold and rainy, and weekdays aren’t busy anyway, so it made more sense to close since we wouldn’t make any money anyway. And for us to get a bit of extra time off was pretty awesome.

For me, for some reason, I enjoy doing laundry at a Laundromat. So in Antioch we made a trip to a 24-hour Laundromat; I think it was somewhere near the city. The one reason I like it so much is because once you’ve put in your laundry, you chill around with people and chat and you have time to go to McDonalds to grab a milkshake or something to eat. There’s just something about doing things like this late at night that excites me.  

One thing I regret a little bit about this spot, is not exploring downtown Nashville by day. There are so many music artists that I listen to, that live and make music in Nashville – like Taylor Swift, Relient K, Kings of Leon, Jack White – so it would’ve meant a lot to me if I could see recording studios or anything that connects to them. But I already worked through all my emotions regarding this and came to the conclusion that next time I’ll do it different, there’s no point in regretting things like that ever. But what I did get to enjoy, was a night out in downtown Nashville. It was such a funny experience because all the bars close at three in the morning and we worked until after ten that night. So our time was limited. We got to downtown with the cab around eleven-thirty. Our first bar was Coyote Ugly Saloon which is one of the ‘must-see’ bars in downtown Nashville.  For me it unfortunately did not live up to its hype; there was one girl with average dancing skills dancing on the bar. The place wasn’t really packed because it was a Monday night. It’s a cool looking place though, it is really big, has a lot of cool décor and the bar is massively long. We only had one drink there and then we kind of just walked down the street and turned up onto Broadway and stumbled across the Whiskey Bent Saloon where we had a pretty good time. There was a band playing really loud and good music. It wasn’t a big bar, but it was a lot of fun. We got a little out of hand at this bar and then decided to go to another bar for some random reason. We ended up at Brugada which is a Hookah bar (hookah is an American term for Hubbly Bubbly) and just ended up dancing there. It was pretty empty too. So that was my downtown Nashville experience.

Tennessee itself (as seen while driving from one spot to the next) is a beautiful state. There are trees and lakes and rivers everywhere; but I think most of America is like that from what I've seen. It is just a really stunning place to see.

                                                                     Nashville



Overall it was a good spot to be at and I enjoyed most of it. One super strange thing though, was that the actual mall we were at called ‘Global Mall at the Crossings’ was quite a big mall, but it only had about ten stores that are in business. So it seems like its abandoned but when you go there, there are actually things happening. I find that really strange for some reason.

Working for a carnival can be challenging and hard to deal with some days, but you try to make the most of it at the end of the day. There are days, however, that you don’t feel like work or you don’t feel like talking to anyone (especially an introvert like me), but you don’t have a choice because you’re here for one reason only: to work. It can get you down easily but if you just focus on what really matters, then it becomes kind of easier.

Our current spot is Burlington, Wisconsin, and I’ll be updating you on that a little later...

US Diaries: Florida

It’s been two months and five days since I arrived in the United States for work. That is crazy. I have no idea where the time went. And to say that we only have six months and like a week left is totally surreal. I don't have a lot of free time on my hands to do blog updates and also not to do them very well, but it's at least something for now...

The first thing I can mention about Florida is that the weather sucks (in my opinion). It’s hot and humid and rains at random. And since we worked outside a lot, we got wet so often and it just wasn't my cup of tea. I know, I KNOW, I shouldn't complain about Florida because I'm actually lucky to be in America in the first place.

Our first spot was Miami. I didn't get to see a lot of Miami 'cause we worked long hours, but the overall vibe was pretty cool and the actual carnival was amazing - the biggest I've ever seen in my life. It apparently had a total of like 200 rides and I probably only went on fifteen or something. While we were in Miami, everyone went to South Beach on their off days; I didn't go because it felt like too much of a mission to get there (by bus) and the days we had off, I just wanted to sleep. In the beginning it was really hard for me to adjust to the long hours. One thing really awesome about Miami: the sunsets! They were almost always pink, purple and orange. It felt pretty great to be a part of a big event like that and looking back, I kind of miss it even though we worked our butts off.

Fireball

 Miami

 Miami Sunset

Another Miami Sunset

After Miami, we went north to a small town called Eustis. This town felt a bit more like we were actually in a different country in comparison with Miami. It's a very swampy area and reminded me of those reality shows on TV where the people catch fish and alligators and snakes in the swamps. It was exactly what I expected some parts of America to be like!

While we were in Eustis, I finally got to go to the beach. We left early one morning and took the hour-and-a-half long drive to Daytona Beach. It was a stunning beach. The sand was white and really clean, there were cute shops and a big wheel. And you could rent two chairs and an umbrella for the day. The water was also warm enough to swim unlike the Atlantic Ocean where I live.

Work-wise i learned a lot; it was the first spot where we did all the tickets and wristbands for the fair because in Miami one of the other units handled it. So it was really exciting to get to know my actual job! Overall i think Eustis was a good spot.

Sunset on our drive from Miami to Eustis

 Eustis Fair Grounds

Daytona Beach

Our third spot in Florida was Viera. I didn't like Viera at all. The only good thing about it was that we were able to go to Cocoa Beach which was only a thirty minute drive. Even though I prefer Daytona Beach, Cocoa Beach was still a nice beach. The best part is the awesome clothing stores they have nearby where you can buy all kinds of beachwear and clothes and souvenirs. Although we later found out that this beach, which is in Brevard County, has one of the highest shark attack rates in the world and there was an actual shark attack during our two-week stay. In my opinion they should have the flag system we have in Fishhoek, South Africa to warn people if they spot sharks; quite strange actually that they don't have one.

The actual spot where the fair was held is right next to a Baseball stadium. So the rides are set up on a big open field. The area wasn't that bad - in actual fact it was a clean, sunny, rich area - but I think the overall vibe wasn't that great and by that time I was so over Florida.

We'll be back in Viera the end of the season - November - and I really hope that we'll be able to go to Disney World then.  

 Water Tower of Cocoa on the way to Cocoa Beach

Cocoa Beach

We’ve been working what feels like non-stop ever since we got here, but I think it only feels that way because we work such long hours. I think I’m at that point though where I’m slowly settling into this lifestyle. For a while I missed home and my comfort a lot, but I'm getting more and more used to this environment – which is a lot to get used to. And also I do occasionally speak with an American accent but only so my American co-workers understand what I'm saying and not because it's rubbing off on me, I swear.

I'm really glad I made the decision to come work here in America...I'm learning a lot about life and people and as always, myself. I also met someone really special on this exciting journey, which was the last thing I expected to happen, but when you look back at how events unfolded through the process of getting here, you realise it is all meant to be.

Our current spot is Antioch which is a fifteen minute drive from Nashville, Tennessee. But I'll have more on that in my next blog update. I'm also planning on doing a blog about how different America actually is to South Africa.

Until next time.