The First Trip to Indy!

Yesterday I left for three weeks of training in Indianapolis.  Faith was so kind and drove me to the airport at 8 o’clock in the morning.  In the Pittsburgh International Airport, I was surrounded by black and gold jerseys, displays highlighting Mr. Rodgers, and other Pittsburgh favorites, but it was time to say goodbye to that for a little while.  I boarded United Airways with my classy carryon and another bag which held some other things.  As I found my seat and hoisted my filled-with-shoes carryon, I discovered the bag would not fit! Oh no! It was due to the fact that we were on a tiny airplane in comparison to the regularly-sized jets.  After listening to a wise suggestion from the man sitting next to me, who was traveling back from work from Pittsburgh to Syracuse, I stowed my carryon bag underneath the seat in front of me. I landed safely in Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. for a very short layover before heading to Indianapolis.

 Just a side note regarding Dulles:  I, as a fan of the Die Hard series, was very excited to be in the airport where John McClane did indeed save the day. Before that movie, I had no idea what the heck a Dulles even was. Die Hard, you’re such a teacher of vital knowledge. Perhaps if the plot of Die Hard 2, the movie where Dulles was featured, wasn’t incredibly horrible to think about as you’re departing from that airport, they would consider playing it for guests in the terminal. I’d watch.

As I walked out of the concourse at Indianapolis Int’l Airport, my new boss Jim was there waiting for me.  It was great to finally get to meet him, to have some casual conversation with him, and to discuss the upcoming responsibilities.  We had something to eat since I hadn’t eaten all day, and then took a trip to Alpha Sigma Tau headquarters to see the renovations. The building will be really fantastic when it’s completed, but there is a ways to go in terms of construction.  Rome wasn’t built in a day, and my pictures of the Alpha chapter charter and other historic AST treasures can certainly wait.

Later in the day, the other educational consultants Emily, who is from West Virginia, and Megan, who is from New Jersey, arrived into town and the three of us went out to dinner with Jim and Holly, another staff member from Headquarters.  Holly was actually the woman who interviewed me, so it was great to put a face to the voice!  We ate at The Ram, a microbrewery restaurant in downtown Indianapolis.  The food was pretty good – especially the sweet potato fries.  Over dinner, we discussed the upcoming conferences we were attending and what to expect from them.  After dinner, Emily, Megan, and I did what girls do and went shopping at the downtown mall, which (both conveniently and unfortunately) is within very short walking distance of the Hilton at which we were staying for the next few nights.

Today is the Kappa Alpha Theta “Risk Management on the Road” one-day program, where we will learn more about FIPG and risk management policy and meet women from other organizations. After the program and we grab a bite to eat, we will begin the Fraternity Executives Association’s Field Staff program—which will have both fraternity and sorority professionals in attendance—since it begins later the same evening.  I’m excited to network and see what kinds of interesting people I will meet and to enlighten me on this journey I’ve now begun.

Oh, and it’s incredibly hot and humid here. Humid? In dry-heat Indiana? Yeah, it happens.