Yeah, so I'm back from Minneapolis. The purpose of me being there was to be an advisor during the National Keystone Conference. I and my supervisor, along with twelve others, went to Minneapolis for networking ideas, to discuss social issues and enjoy the local surroundings. I learned a lot about handling teenagers; as an advisor it was my responsibility to make sure the kids maintained proper conduct and went to all their sessions and meetings. I became more assertive in this process, because as probably the youngest advisor in the entire conference I had to put my foot down and establish my role as an authority figure. I learned about recruitment and fundraising ideas for our community center, and I even met a girl there. But all that is for another blog entry.

Throughout the whole trip, I was comparing Minneapolis to my hometown of Philadelphia. Allow me to go Yakov Smirnoff on you wonderful people:

-In Minneapolis, they really enfore the no-jaywalking rule. In Philly, the traffic is so bad you have to jaywalk to avoid getting run over. Drivers even wait for you to cross before they turn the corner.

-When you ask for directions in Minneapolis: "Well, it's three blocks down this street, make a right at that green building there and walk another two blocks. I hope you enjoy your stay there, I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Directions in Philly: "Youse guys gotta go dat way [points in the wrong direction].

-In Minneapolis, the only graffiti I saw was someone spray-painting a penis on a guy on a bus stop advertisement placard. In South Philly alone, the graffiti could be contained in a hundred-volume atlas.

-When the locals of Minneapolis find out you're from out of town, they strike up conversations as a way of welcoming you to their humble city. In Philly, the welcome wagon leaves tire tracks on your forehead (more traffic jokes, I know).

-I've never seen a downtown area so clean! I was impressed. In Philly, a strong wind kicks up a dust of McDonald's wrappers and some foul smell.

-In Minneapolis, their subway cars are whimsically painted, clean, and their stations are well-kept, well-lit and ventilated. I've noticed that there wasn't some fat bearded guy with a dingy duffel bag walking the train in an effort to hawk off bootleg DVDs and body oils. In Philly, when you look down on the subway tracks you find rats racing each other, and some green ooze.

-Minneapolis' airport was well-kept, well-lit and incredibly more organized then ours. In Philly, I saw empty soda bottles on the baggage claim carousels. I wondered why no one claimed them.

As you can see, I've definitely enjoyed my stay in Minneapolis. I like the more relaxed, Midwestern lifestyle. I'm adding Minneapolis to the list of cities I'd rather live in than Philly.