Wednesday morning, around 6 AM, most of the group took the train to Schiphol at Eindhoven Station. At Schiphol at half past seven, we gathered at the red-and-white meeting point and we were complete. After taking a group photo (see picture) with the banner, the trip could start for real!
The security checks went well and with time to spare we arrived at our gate. Unfortunately the flight had some delay before the take off due to the maintenance of the ventilation system that had to be performed, using duct tape. Under the observative eye of all the passengers, the ventilation system got fixed by a mechanic and we were ready to take off. Sleeping was very difficult due to, among others, high sound level of the plane (80 dB measured by a phone), but all in all we had a good flight and our luggage arrived as well.
On the airport in Chicago, the travel cards were arranged and we could continue to our hostel by Metro. After settling in, we explored the neighbourhood, showered and played games before sitting down for dinner with the whole group.
The evening was spent in a relaxed atmosphere, with some drinks and pleasant talks. We went to bed relatively early to get ready for the first University visit tomorrow.
-written by Aleksandra and Arjan-