Goodbyes and Hallos
It's 20:32 on Saturday night as I sit down to write this. I've had about 9 hours of sleep in the last three days. I am doing all I can to stay up and hopefully prevent jet lag. The last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind, but I am in Germany and I am ready to tackle this crazy adventure!
Did it take me three days to get here? Nope. So why have I slept so little? Well you see, I was determined to finish a book series before coming here. I stayed up all night Wednesday to do so and went to bed around 7 AM and got up about 3 and half hours later. Thursday I said goodbye to Cane's with my last order of delicious chicken strips and Cane's sauce for the next four months. Then Thursday night my aunt put together the cutest little going away dinner.
And, of course, I did not actually manage to pack until Thursday night and did not finish until 1:30. I never really sleep well before a trip, too nervous/excited. So it was a fitful rest until 3:45 after which we left for the airport incredibly early. From some previous travel snafus, I have learned that it's best to just get to the airport 2 hours before your flight. The flight was scheduled to board at 6:30 and leave at 7 so I got there at 4:45. It was smooth sailing from there to DFW and I managed to sleep most of that flight.
Once at DFW I met up with Devina is who is also from NAU and student teaching at Ramstein. We'll be roommates and most likely travel buddies for the next few months!
DFW to Frankfurt was a 9-hour flight that left at 4:20 central time and arrived in Frankfurt at 9 in the morning. No luck getting any sleep on that flight. Immigration was a breeze. Honestly, we probably spent more time waiting for our luggage than for the passport stamp. Next was a shuttle to Landstuhl. The two stops before us were both on bases (this area is full of bases!) where we had to get out (once with our bags too) and wait at the front gate until the shuttle driver came back since we don't have clearance to get on any bases yet.
We made it to our apartment where we found our Airbnb landlord guy and our principal. Ms. Lee was kind enough to come out and make sure we got checked into our apartment ok and then take us to the grocery store. Check out our living room, my bedroom, the kitchen, and one of the bathrooms in the pictures below!
She was also there to inform us how confused she was about why we'd set up everything ourselves. Her student teachers usually have everything set up for them through DoDEA and their university. Those students usually live on base and have a university advisor who lives on base the whole time to help and advise them. NAU doesn't do things that way. Therefore, we found our own off-base housing (in a less than optimal location apparently, but I did the best I could with what information I had), arranged our own flight and arrival, and planned to figure out the specifics of getting to base once we were here. The base is only about a 10-minute drive away, but the entrance we need is on the west side and we're east of the base. We are not in downtown Landstuhl, where others who go to base live, so we are not conveniently placed for carpooling purposes. There is a public bus, but it doesn't go to the entrance we need and we would have a long walk if we got off at the bases hospital entrance and walked to the school. So for now, it's is pretty up in the air how we will get to base each day. Ms. Lee is hoping that we can move onto the base after a month, but again, it's all up in the air for now. Once I know more about any of that I'll let you know.
As with every trip, hiccups and hurdles happen, we just seem to have hit a kinda big one right at the start, although I am sure it will all work out. I just saw this quote that I think is pretty apt, so I'll leave off with it: "It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way!" - Penelope Riley.
Did it take me three days to get here? Nope. So why have I slept so little? Well you see, I was determined to finish a book series before coming here. I stayed up all night Wednesday to do so and went to bed around 7 AM and got up about 3 and half hours later. Thursday I said goodbye to Cane's with my last order of delicious chicken strips and Cane's sauce for the next four months. Then Thursday night my aunt put together the cutest little going away dinner.
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| Some photos from the photo booth |
Once at DFW I met up with Devina is who is also from NAU and student teaching at Ramstein. We'll be roommates and most likely travel buddies for the next few months!
DFW to Frankfurt was a 9-hour flight that left at 4:20 central time and arrived in Frankfurt at 9 in the morning. No luck getting any sleep on that flight. Immigration was a breeze. Honestly, we probably spent more time waiting for our luggage than for the passport stamp. Next was a shuttle to Landstuhl. The two stops before us were both on bases (this area is full of bases!) where we had to get out (once with our bags too) and wait at the front gate until the shuttle driver came back since we don't have clearance to get on any bases yet.
We made it to our apartment where we found our Airbnb landlord guy and our principal. Ms. Lee was kind enough to come out and make sure we got checked into our apartment ok and then take us to the grocery store. Check out our living room, my bedroom, the kitchen, and one of the bathrooms in the pictures below!
She was also there to inform us how confused she was about why we'd set up everything ourselves. Her student teachers usually have everything set up for them through DoDEA and their university. Those students usually live on base and have a university advisor who lives on base the whole time to help and advise them. NAU doesn't do things that way. Therefore, we found our own off-base housing (in a less than optimal location apparently, but I did the best I could with what information I had), arranged our own flight and arrival, and planned to figure out the specifics of getting to base once we were here. The base is only about a 10-minute drive away, but the entrance we need is on the west side and we're east of the base. We are not in downtown Landstuhl, where others who go to base live, so we are not conveniently placed for carpooling purposes. There is a public bus, but it doesn't go to the entrance we need and we would have a long walk if we got off at the bases hospital entrance and walked to the school. So for now, it's is pretty up in the air how we will get to base each day. Ms. Lee is hoping that we can move onto the base after a month, but again, it's all up in the air for now. Once I know more about any of that I'll let you know.
As with every trip, hiccups and hurdles happen, we just seem to have hit a kinda big one right at the start, although I am sure it will all work out. I just saw this quote that I think is pretty apt, so I'll leave off with it: "It is not the destination where you end up but the mishaps and memories you create along the way!" - Penelope Riley.
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