So, I fell of the planet for a bit, and on my last night in the hostel I was putting together this blog, only to realize the next day upon moving into my apartment that I wasn't able to set up the internet at my apartment on my computer, and then to endure about four days sans internet while trying to figure it all out, along with everything else.
So now I am finally starting this blog which will hopefully help me to keep in touch with everybody even despite the time difference and our differences in schedules! I'm thinking I'll type up what I wrote in my journal on the plane ride and then I'll post new entries for each following day since, so that I can kind of keep it all separate in my head, yes? Let's begin.
On Monday, February 9th at 4:20 p.m. my flight via Lufthansa airlines took off from the DFW airport for Frankfurt, Germany. From my journal:
Big day! Today, I'm moving to a foreign country where I will live for the next five months. I'm sitting in my airport, waiting to board at 3:30 and take off at 4:20. It's currently 2:55, so I have an hour and 55 minutes left in the United States.Technically, what I wrote next was what I take to be the next day, so! Another entry!
I've decided that I'll be excited tomorrow, and that today I'm allowed to be sad about leaving. As of this morning, I cried when I had to say some goodbyes, and the only thing people could tell me was to go get on a plane and not come home for five months. Awful, no? I'm going to miss everybody. I'm going to miss home.
Miranda and I picked up Daddy to drive out to the airport, where Mom met us. I checked my two bags, and wheeled my carry-on and camera bag to security. It's apparently becoming the norm for me to be completely patted down and to have all my bags searched, and today I was even told to stand in this big cylindrical tube with my arms up while, I assume, a scanner thing spun around. then I was patted down by a sweet elderly lady, and watched while another woman serached and swabbed everything I was taking on the plan. Alas, such is life - I'd rather deal with that than not make it on the plane.
I don't know where I'll be living yet. I'm hoping I can go to an apartment complex and ask the front desk if anybody is looking for a subleaser. I'll be in the hostel Kate reserved for tomorrow and Wednesday night, though, so I'll be fine.
The news is on right now, and they're discussing President Obama's plan for the economic stimulus, with plans to create jobs by improving roads, expanding hospitals, etc. but the downside is that a lot of spending will be cut across the baord - including for education, which is a concern. Also, they mentioned rumors that the war in Afghanistan will be worse than the Iraq war, which is no good. With Trey having just joined the navy, David Cochran in the Marines, cousin Jim at the Naval Academy, Jaron wanting to join the Navy, Stuart in the Air Force, and Matt wanting to join the Marines...I just don't want an awful war.
Tonight is Obama's first prime-time news conferece on CNN as president - I'll miss it because I'll still be flying, but hopefully it will go well. 'Yes, we can', right?
Oh, haha! On a lighter note, the lady searching my bag found Mateo's glasses - the bear Matt gave me - and she thought they were mine and said something about how they were so tiny and that I would have had to have a tiny face, but when I told her they were for the bear, she thought it was adorable. It is adorable : )
Five minutes til boarding - until nine and a half hours of confinement to seat 30D.
Goodbye, America! Goodbye, Texas! I'll keep up with this as best I can, until next time,
- Alex
4:45 p.m.
Our plane is taxiing to the runway right now. However, two things:
1) Before getting in line to board, I got a tuna sandwich and then ate it in line. When we started to move, this rude, bald man in a white sweater stepped right past me as if I wasn't in line at all. I blew it off and smiled because - since we were boarding by seating - I knew I wouldn't sit next to him.
2) The man at the counter called my name over the speakers asking if I could please come up to the counter. Wondering what I could have possible done wrong, I went up and they told me the seat I was in, 30D, was broken and that I would be moved to a new seat, 36G.
The man in the white sweater is now sitting right next to me, across the aisle. Karma.
p.s. everything on this flight, and all the crew, is in/speak German. It's kinda fun : ) There were German newspapers in the tunnel while boarding and when I was getting my sandwich, a woman asked if I was also on this flight, then started seapking to me in German when I said yes, I think asking if I'm from there. I guess I could pass for German then, eh? : ) --- Lift off!!
- Alex
6:26 p.m.
Ground speed: 616 mph
Altitude: 35,000 ft.
Outside temperature: -72 F
7:45 hours left
6:55 pm
Just finished dinner - pasta, rice, cheese, bread, and a brownie, and I had my first legal glass of red wine : ) Matt was so vexed that I would technically be legal to drink before him, even though his birthday is now less than a month away - he told me to have a drink on my flight for him, and so I did! For some reason I was still nervous I'd get into trouble - I didnt' ask for wine until the third time thye came around. Silly America, with it's rules.
The T.V. display shows our flight progress when they're not playing anything, and we're just about to fly over the East coast, it looks like. The flight attendants are wheeling carts of merchandise for in-flight shopping (duty free), and each cart has a box full of cartons of cigarettes on top. All I can think of is how the guys back home would be drooling. My dorks - I missed them enough when I went to Missouri, so I think this will be rought, almost half a year!
Goals:
- Do better to keep in touch with friends/family
- Go to a professional football (soccer!) game, maybe Bayern Munich? (Luca Toni!)
- Visit atleast four other countries (Italy, Ireland, France, Greece)
- See all family - Rome, Madrid
- Find and accomplish atleast one photo story
- Learn a dance
- Learn how to cook atleast one ethnic dish
- Be physically active; bike
- Alex
9:14 p.m.
I just watched the new Woody Allen move, 'Vicky Cristina Barcelona' and I'm more excited to see Spain. The artwork in the movie is amazing.
There are 2756 miles and 5 hours left of this flight. I ate some of the Spanish chocolate I have for the flight - it's amazing, but very rich. It may last me a very long time, which I'm okay with. That's one more thing I have from home, right? : )
I think this is going to be a grand adventure. Anna and I were talking with Betsy last semester, about how everybody deserves a love story - Anna thought this one boy would be mine. I think that sort of love story can be so amazing, and who knows? I may have one of my own, but I think Spain - or just these next five months - could be a love story, too. A chance to fall in love with myself, with life, with culture, art, music, food, knowledge, beauty, everything.
As much as I already miss the people from home, I think I've realized something - I would like nothing more than to take those people and make all of us just wake up! Do something, go somewhere, see everything!
That may be one of the many reasons I absolutely love Chelsea so much. She goes to nuclear power plants in her free time, spends Thanksgiving on the Amazon river, and goes to Germany for new years - she's alive.
1:15 a.m.
I watched both in flight movies expecting to then be tired enough to sleep until landing, but I think I got...two hours of sleep? And now I have just been fed breakfast at 12:45 a.m., but I suppose in Spain it was 6:45 a.m. Still, this time change will take some getting used to. As it is, not only do I not normally eat at this hour, but I tried to put salt on my eggs and hasbrowns and it all poured out of the packet, so my stomach is displeased. Oh well! We should land in an hour, it looks like.
- Alex
Hasta luego!
Alex
No comments:
Post a Comment