Really, it was a whole week of new things, but most of it all happened on one day. I apologize ahead of time if I lose you along the way, but I want to tell the story of my day on July 20th, as if we were sitting around a campfire together. If that sounds good to you, sit down, toast a marshmallow, and thanks for coming along.

I had been looking forward to this day for a few months. I work about 74 hours a week between two jobs, my ex and I split but she still has all her stuff at my house and things have been quite tense and stressful for the last few months. Money was tighter too with one less roommate, but I knew what I had in front of me was a once in a lifetime experience, so even though I may regret the money loss later, I'll have the experience with me for life.

3 am rolled around and I decided to pull an all-nighter. I usually don't leave work until about 2 am anyways, and for me, anything less than a full nights sleep makes things worse. I was still feeling pretty good and plenty excited as I headed for the airport, the place I work, but this time as a passenger.

Security at Manchester Airport in New Hampshire is very quick to get through, as it's smaller than a lot of other airports in the country. About 15 minutes later I was on the other side and had at least an hour before my 5:15 boarding time. I've been at the airport for five years, but I switched from a job I used to work inside all the time, to one working outside on the ramp. So much had changed on the inside and so many things added it felt like a whole new place and ages since I left that other job. I decided to take a stroll and relive some old memories with coworkers who no longer work there--to a time where things weren't really any easier, but we still made the best of our days anyhow.

After my little nostalgia trip I boarded my flight and headed towards Philadelphia, the airport where we have to go for everything, no matter where you go. I've probably been to Philadelphia airport myself at least 20 times. It's not a great airport, but its the option we have that flies to the most places. My first of my new experiences was being able to fly first class. I always wanted to, but it was never available when I flew. Well this time I was able to get it, and I was super stoked. I was on my way to Houston, about a 3 hour flight and was in the front of first class with plenty of space and leg room.

I looked around me and everyone had a laptop out and it was a nice experience that I was looking forward to. Unfortunately...well it was about 9 am at this point and I had been up for nearly 24 hours at that point and my body kept shutting down. I'd look around and the next thing I knew I'd be gasping for air, wondering what happened. My body kept falling asleep on me and I felt like I would just pass out in mid thought or sentence. The sleep wasn't good either because I couldn't tell if I'd been out an hour or 5 minutes but I was always startled awake as if my breath was just cut off suddenly. Basically it was like that the whole flight, and I feel like I really wasted my first class opportunity, but no biggie. I was finally in Houston.

I was really worried about the heat, cause here in NH, it gets pretty cold during the winter and even summer doesn't get too hot. Houston and the south in general are known for their heat and I was worried about melting the whole time.

It was about 11 o'clock and my hotel didn't let you check in til 1, so I decided to take a look around the airport and see what kinds of different restaurants and foods they had that we don't have over here. It's kinda been a goal of mine to try all the different fast food chains out there, especially since I get sick of just having Taco Bell, Wendy's, Mc D's and Burger King around here. Not to mention we constantly get commercials for everything but there's never any of them around here. I was delighted to see that this airport had a Jack in the Box which was pretty high up on my list of things I wanted to try. Trouble is, the map on my phone couldn't decide where the darn thing was, so I wandered around for 45 minutes before ending up almost back where I started to find it. Still, there it was and my first mission was complete.

The food was...actually surprisingly very good. I thought it wouldn't be that good, especially since the quality of food at airports isn't very high but it was pretty good. I was thoroughly impressed and made a mental note to head back there before I left. I caught the shuttle to the hotel, and my driver made sure to ask when I needed it in the morning. Needed to be back round 3 am but their shuttle didn't start til 5, so that was a problem. I also had to figure out how I was going to get to and from the stadium. I figured all this out pretty quickly and this led me to my next new experience: Uber.

I've heard of Uber before, but here in NH it's almost pointless as there's not many places to go really. But in somewhere like Houston, it seemed to be pretty convenient. But I was hesitant on the quality of service and how reliable they would be. Booking it was really, really easy.

After finding the app on my phone they have you add your name and number and such, and obviously a way to pay. You pretty much just state where you are and where you want to go, and when, and someone decides to pick you up. Honestly I was a little worried no one would want to bring me anywhere, but after my experience, I have to recommend Uber to anyone who needs a life anywhere.

The first guy, his name was Enrique and he had some trouble with English but he was on time and talked with me the whole way. He said he liked the job because it let him practice his English and get better, but he really wasn't that bad. A bit of an accent and he didn't know some words but honestly English is a ridiculous language, and I'm impressed when people go out of their way to learn it. Driving around Houston was pretty cool and the city looked so new and fresh.

It was a pretty enjoyable experience for a car ride. After about an hour due to some traffic, we arrived at the venue and I stood in front of NRG Stadium.

If you've made it this far, I'm sorry I haven't specifically said what I was in Houston for. I wanted to lead a sort of build up for you, the camp fire sitter, and hope that even if you don't care about the reason after I tell you, you at least enjoyed the story along the way, and can appreciate how much all this meant to me. Anyways--

So here I was in front of NRG stadium.

It was massive. Ironically, this was the same place that earlier in the year, the New England Patriots had their ridiculous comeback to win the Super Bowl. That didn't really mean much to me, as I'm a Packers fan, but I'm from New England and there was a little nostalgia in it. But I was here for a soccer match. But not just any soccer match. This one was very highly slated and was making history.

Manchester United Vs. Manchester City in the International Champions Cup Match. Two teams from Manchester England, playing in a long time rivalry match-up, for the first time ever on American soil. Literally had never ever happened before. And over in England, Manchester United games are sold out every year. I looked to see if I could get tickets to a home game in England and they were sold out all of 2017 AND 2018. So being able to see them here, in Houston, was a huge occasion.

Skipping forward a few hours after the fan fest and getting into the stadium and to my seat, I was pleasantly surprised at my seat and how good the view was. I was a lot closer than I thought I'd be and I could see the whole field and who had the ball pretty clearly.

Let me tell you, being at the game and watching it that way was a way different experience than watching it on TV. This game was broadcasted on TV, but I couldn't really tell. With the NFL, there are cameras everywhere. Somehow soccer knows how to get the right angles without being in the way.

But without the announcers, the crowd really dictates what's going on. I have no idea how you can barely hear them during the broadcasts, but the crowd was very very vocal. Every time an opportunity to score would open up for either team, there were gasps or cheers or boos or something. The crowd was so loud and honestly that was the best part of the experience. After Manchester United scored their first goal, most of the crowd cheered and started singing a song, and it was pretty cool to join in on that and just feel the elation of the scoring team.

The whole game was a great experience and was well worth me going. I'd love to do it again and would recommend it to anyone who is a soccer fan, and even to those who aren't. The Uber ride back to the hotel was twice as much this time, but that's because of the high demand. This guy's name was Jon, and he was even more courteous then the first driver, and I didn't think that was possible. He got me home in under a half hour and we talked and joked the whole way. Uber was one of the best experiences that I've had, and is cheaper than taking a taxi.

The last bit of my day was not a great experience, but was what capped off the whole trip really. I decided to head out to grab some food because I hadn't eaten since like 6 o'clock and it was now after midnight. Unfortunately the Jack in the Box that was next to the gas station was drive through only, so I was bummed, but I headed into the gas station to grab some snacks or whatever.

There was a Spanish guy that was working the place, and he told he he had some mopping and other stuff to do, and just to holler when I was done. I thanked him and took a look around while he started cleaning up. This next part is what really caught me off guard and made me uncomfortable. He yelled across the store "If I saw a N******, I would not be okay with this. I do not trust them. But your kind, you are all right."

I was speechless, because I honestly didn't expect this, especially from another race who also deals with racism and oppression. "I call them chicken chasers." He says to me. I didn't know what to say or do. I think at best I said 'Oh.'

I feel pretty bad, feeling like I should have said something to him, but I didn't want to start a conflict and we were the only two who were there. I really didn't know how to handle the situation, and can only imagine how bad it gets. We really are privileged being white, and I honestly wish it wasn't this way. I love all people, and I love hearing each person's story and life events. Everyone is unique and has their own story to tell and I can't understand disliking someone for their ethnicity. I can understand disliking someone cause they're a dillhole.

Honestly, the whole trip was a blast and gave me many new experiences and things that will change how I live and the way I perceive things. It might have only been one day but it was well worth it, and I thank you all who have sat around the fire this long to listen to me ramble. I would love to hear each and everyone of your stories some day, because the world is a big place and we all have our own experiences. It's nice to share them with others.