So.....my original plan was to post a blog entry a few days before I left for Germany: detailing how I was feeling, and what I was doing to get ready for my trip, accompanied by several pictures of me wrestling with two giant suitcases, but that obviously never happened. Partly because I spent every available second I had with my incredible, zany family (who I already miss terribly), and partly because I was so frustrated with the whole packing process that the thought of sitting down and documenting it made me want to take a hammer to my laptop, which would have been counter-productive. All you really need to know is that by some miracle I kept everything under my weight limit (taking into account the seventy dollars I already had to pay for an extra bag), and that I'm fairly certain I've over-packed, no shocker there.
(Last few moments with my feet on United States soil. Thank you my bestest friend for this picture :)
Now I've been in Germany for a little under a week and I feel like I've been on a roller ride thus far; I can only imagine what the next year might bring. The flight was pretty uneventful. I did not, for those of you that were wondering, sit next to any gorgeous European men. My sister and I have decided that we are both entirely unlucky when it comes to fortunate events such as this, and of course that streak would not be broken simply by me flying to Germany. The man in front of me had his seat reclined the entire flight, even when the food was being served; I retaliated by getting up to go to the bathroom and walk around every two hours or so, and the flight attendants addressed me several times in German instead of in English, which made me smile because they would switch languages based on what nationality they thought the passenger might be. Of course the moment I opened my mouth I ruined everything, but for a few seconds, I was unequivocally German :)
When we landed at the airport in Munich they couldn't get the walkway from the gate to attach to the plane. Twenty minutes later they rolled out these massive stairs and had everyone bused to the baggage claim, which was fine with me because I was worried about getting lost finding my way from the terminals to the front of the airport. Problemo solved. My host family was waiting for me in the greeting area, and the boys were holding homemade signs with my name written on them surrounded by Disney stickers. They've all been very welcoming and nice, and the boys are adorable. It has definitely been an adjustment getting used to my new surroundings, and I've had little moments of homesickness, but for the most part it's been really great, and I get better and better everyday. For now I'm just taking it one step at a time, next up: conquering the U-Bahn and S-Bahn trains. More about Germany and the millions of wonderful and amazing things surrounding me next time; for now, Gute Nacht and Good Night.
XO
Sarah
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