One Down!
Well it's July 26. I'm all settled in at my aunt and uncle's house for the night. Tomorrow our plane leaves at 2 pm for Frankfurt. It doesn't even seem real.
Today was hard. I had to finish packing (one suitcase for a year is a joke but I'm really glad I don't have more...I was already toppling over). Staying under 50 pounds was really difficult but I guess I was only able to take what I REALLLLLY wanted. Saying goodbye to family was really tough , I already miss them, but I think I kept it together quite well. A year is a long time, but I'm so excited. I'm sure I'll get homesick but I think the next 2 weeks are going to be way too busy for me to even think!
I flew out of Long Beach this afternoon without a hitch. When I got to SFO, things became a little challenging. With my backpack and 16 pound carry-on I hobbled (quite quickly and efficiently) to the baggage claim. It is quite the trek to baggage claim 12 from the Jetblue terminal at SFO. Retrieving my suitcase was also quite the fiasco. A 5'1" girl and a 48.7 lb bag on a moving carousel don't exactly mix well. Then it was time to find BART. Hobbling even more than before...I tried to find the elevator to go back upstairs but I was going to collapse if I stopped moving for 5 seconds! So 75 pounds of luggage and myself went up the escalator and booked it to the BART station (another trek). I buy my ticket JUST as I need to be boarding the train, luckily I made it, never mind that I was the absolute last person to jump on, I made it. I found a seat next to this kid from France ( I only know this because of my discrete creeping skills, I read his luggage tag) my suspicions were confirmed when he answered his phone and spoke in French for a good 15 minutes. By the time I got on BART I was too tired to move, literally. I sat there from SFO to Lafayette with my carry-on and backpack on top of me. Just sitting. Getting in the car and driving to my Aunt and Uncle's gave me an accomplished feeling. One step down on getting to Germany. After dinner, I repacked my carry-on. It is now ONE bag and I really hope it's not 20 pounds. Thank goodness my uncle travels light and his suitcase only weighed 30 pounds...hello Sarah's things!
Well now it's 10:57 pm and definitely time to bed. I'm so nervous right now (but a good, excited nervous)! Tomorrow's an early morning and step two on my travels to Germany! :]
goodnight!
