Detroit Diaries: I'm here!

I put the last of my bags into my car and gobbled down the rest of my breakfast (the last few bites of mom's food for a little while). After configuring my GPS to head for Hamtramck, MI it was time to be on my way.

I decided that I needed to be quiet for the first hour, letting my mind wander without mindlessly listening to music. After that hour passed, the sights on the road began to change from that which is familiar, to brand new turf. I plugged my iPod in and tried not to look at the "remaining time" on my GPS too often. The miles passed by quickly, and before I knew it I was halfway. (It's funny to compare how fast and far you go in a car versus how long it took to walk 100 miles on the Camino.) After a few rest stops, I had 3 hours to go and decided I wasn't stopping.

When I had only about an hour to go, I hit a detour. A poorly marked detour. Since I'm too cheap to pay for my car GPS's update, I probably looked like the idiot tourist driving around with a car GPS, phone GPS and a super lost look on my face. Either way, after driving around in what I am convinced was a big circle, I finally found an alternate route and was back on track. 

I finally arrived at the house. Settled in a bustling neighborhood just outside Detroit, I opened a gate into a gorgeous backyard. I was greeted by a husband and wife, both with accents (he is from Poland and she is from Ukraine). Their adorable little daughter was sitting at a little picnic table eating snap peas from their large garden. I exhaled a bit of relief; I had made it. They are so hospitable and showed me around their property. Before leaving me to take my bags up to the loft apartment, they offered for me to join them for dinner!

While carrying my suitcase up to the third floor, I already wished I had packed less. (Didn't the Camino teach me anything about packing?!) After I had brought the last of my things up, I had not been on the phone for 5 minutes when they called me for dinner. We sat in the garden, this adorable family of 3 and me. They passed out wraps that contained lamb, veggies, pickles, so many spices and a delicious garlic sauce. I've never had anything like it before.

I sat and listened to them talk about their lives here in Hamtramck, learning about the little hidden gems amongst a city that is trying to rebuild itself. There are so many cultures and people groups in the little neighborhood, and the restaurants in the area are so diverse!

New cultures. New adventures.

Here we go.