Day 1: And so it begins

Wednesday, June 3 – 9:30 a.m. (Dublin time)

We made it to Dublin! I meant to write [Monday] night, my last night in the U.S., but I was up late packing and didn’t get it done. But now we’re in Dublin, so the marathon day begins…

In preparation for the trip, I wrote my list, checked it twice (or four times) and then packed. Of course, not everything fit in my bag, so I repacked and repacked. Eventually, I gave in and decided to use a big bag and a small bag. Not my original plan, but I’ll make it work.

Chris (my wonderful boyfriend) and I left for Chicago around 8:45 a.m., and it took approx. 5 ½ hours to get there. After a few stops, we made it to the airport at about 4. Allison was already through security, so I checked my bags, and we went to the café.

I ended up being more emotional that I thought I would be. As soon as Chris said he should go, the tears welled up in my eyes. I didn’t sob or bawl, but there were tears. At about 5:15, I pulled it together to go through security. We said our goodbyes, and I was off.

The plane took off at 6:50 p.m. (already the end of a long day), but I didn’t get much sleep. I watched the Twilight movie and an episode of Friends. I think I got a few hours of sleep between the dinner of chicken and rice and the OJ breakfast.

Although the flight was LONG, I suppose it could have seemed longer. Allison and I sat by each other on the outside row of the plane. It was a smooth flight, and we made it safely.

After we landed, we waited in the immigration line for over an hour. Next, we had to traverse quite a maze of back hallways in the Dublin airport. We went through security again, and then made it to our gate.

By this time, we looked really ragged. We took a few pictures as we departed the plane, and we looked gross. Haha… Between the tears, sleeping with my contacts in and being up for 24+ hours at this point, we needed a little freshening.

So here we are, waiting at gate A11 for our flight to Amsterdam.

As we were landing, we discussed our dominant emotions. Allison said “apprehensive.” I’d say mine is “nervous-excited.”

We still have a lot to learn about the program, and it hasn’t truly sunk it yet for either of us. We’re both going to miss some very special people at home, but we know it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the month is going to go very quickly.

That’s all for now.

I’ll probably check back in when we’re settled in Leiden this evening.
I love you all. Special thanks to you, Chris, for driving me to the airport. Also, if Molly happens to be reading this, there’s a flight leaving for Cork, and I’m thinking of you!!