I just arrived in Australia and have started settling in. It is about 10:30 in the morning right now, and I am ready for bed. I think I'll be okay with the jet lag thing, but the past day (2 days? This time thing is confusing me already) has been quite eventful. To recap...
I started this whole journey on a rather stupid note, choosing to pack essentially everything the night before. Well, I didn't really choose. Working straight until the day before I left kind of left me with no option. Anyway. This honestly would have been okay, because that's what I always do and it always seems to work, had I not been faced with a million other things to do as well-folding all my clothes, printing out important travel details, getting school stuff together, writing some very important letters...and the list goes on. So I just didn't sleep. At all. Not even for a minute. I then began my day (not like the previous one ever ended) around 7, getting everything in the car and saying goodbye to everything familiar for the next four months. My mom, Ian and I departed for New York shortly after that, beginning the first leg of my trip. We made record time driving there, barely hitting any traffic. I managed to get about 20 minutes of sleep in, armed with a pillow and a very comfortable lap. We checked in my luggage - I didn't have to pay anything for it, surprisingly enough - and got everything ready to go, then spent the next few hours eating and sitting and talking. I gave Ian the letters, which honestly I think are going to help me just as much, if not more, than they help him.
Then it was time to go. As I am not really one for crying, I really despised the fact that I completely broke down when I realized that this was it. I was leaving. Leaving everyone I loved, everything I was used to, everything I've known my whole life, to travel to a completely new place, essentially by myself. After some especially long hugs, I love yous, and assurances that everything would be okay, I walked through security and started the "alone" part of my journey. I was forewarned about the bins at the security checkpoint, but geez I didn't expect them to move so fast! I guess all those jokes are true - my stuff was EVERYWHERE by the end of that process, and I had a very pissed-off Asian businessman waiting behind me while I struggled to find my left flip-flop and re-shove my laptop into an already bulging backpack. I spent the next hour or so on the phone with Caitlin and playing with an adorable little boy, two things that were completely successful in making me happy and excited again. After nearly two hours of sitting, waiting, I was finally able to board my first plane, headed for Los Angeles. We left late due to the impending hurricane, finally taking off at about 4:20pm. The flight went well and we touched down around 11:30pm (LA time-I'm really bad at this).
I then played the waiting game again, passing the time by talking to both Ian and my mom. I had some great comfort food-McDonald's and a Starbucks pumpkin frappuccino, but I really was too excited to eat. As I was walking around I ran into Maureen, another St. Rose girl. She showed me the way to where the three other Australia-bound St. Rose kids were, and we talked for a little while. I eventually found a seat and was delighted to be surrounded by about 7 other people who were going to Bond! One guy was from Albany and knew two people who went to St. Rose, one girl was from Westerly, Rhode Island, and one of the remaining girls (all of whom go to St. Louis University) knew someone from St. Bernard's because they both grew up in Omaha. Small world, isn't it? I was feeling much more relaxed by this point, and boarded the plane completely prepared for what was ahead of me.
One 14 hour flight, a bunch of time zones, one missed dinner and one semi-okay plane breakfast, 2 and a half movies, one guy who almost fell asleep on me, 5 screaming children, and some uncomfortable sleep later, I arrived in Brisbane, Australia on September 5th at around 6:30am. I found the St. Rose people, and we found our bags. In this massive terminal, I was so glad I invested in bright green luggage, even if it is now sporting a freshly-painted-with-dirt look. We got on our shuttle, which was only for Bond students, and drove to what will be our home for the next 4 months. It was raining almost the entire journey, and right now is no exception. I had the pleasure of standing outside in the pouring rain, attempting to juggle three rolling suitcases, a backpack, and a pillow (mental note: two arms+three handles to pull=complete fail) while the accommodation director (who was totally unprepared for our early arrival) bustled to open the office. Eventually we got our keys, which are oddly shaped, and were left to fend for ourselves. My key holder is pink, which I think is a good sign. Right now I am in the Media Center, because there is no internet in the rooms yet. I cannot wait to go to bed!
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