Heading home today

The weather has been beautiful in Portland, but this morning has dawned yucky and rainy. Glad it waited until we were leaving! It's going to be a long day of airports.

We've had fun, but as always, we're ready to go home. Kids are running out of money--had to loan one girl $20 so she could eat today because she bought $60 sweatpants from Victoria's Secret--and getting homesick. This has been a really good group, which I appreciate since I am here by myself with them!

Yesterday we went to the Saturday Market, which is the largest open air craft market in the US. It was crazy, and very much a lesson in cultural diversity for these students. It wasn't the touristy crowd we'd been with--this was a local crowd, and at times a little scary for them. There were some other tourists and some "normal" looking people too, though, to make it safe. They all bought something, and got some good deals on cool, locally-made products.

They were cracked up by these signs:

• Breakdancers on the street, wanting money to "stay legit"
• Man in a Rabbit costume "need $ for carrots"
• Man in a Zebra costume "need $ to bring family from Africa"
• Man with sign"will take beer, cigs, hookers, anything green"

I'll be home in 12 hours!