Welcome

Hello everyone

If you are reading this post you most likely have some connection to one of the students travelling to Thailand as part of the UMAIE January 2010 study abroad trip.  First off, thanks for letting your son, daughter, granddaughter, grandson, nephew, niece, brother, sister (sorry if I missed a relation) travel with us.  (And by us, I mean myself, Mark Blegen, and my partner, Kristin Schroeder.  Our daughter Krin is also along for the ride).  We hope that the month will be both educational and fun.  We hope it will be lots of other things as well:  eye opening, perspective enhancing, exciting, tiring.  Kristin and I will do our best to update these pages each day with tales of our travels.  With 26 college students, I am sure there will be tales to tell.  Hopefully our students can make you laugh, smile, and think.  Our aim will be able to provide you a place to follow our exploits, as well as find some humor in the days adventures.

The trip begins as the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on January 1st, 2010.  5:45 am.  Did I mention it starts at 5:45 am?  Please have your traveller all tucked into bed by 6:30 the night before.  Say, “See you next year” and close the door behind you.  Night lights are optional.

Looking forward to this.
Take care
Mark and Kristin