After long months of preparation I am finally here in Romania. It still has not fully hit me and not sure when it will. I can say that a couple things I will not miss about traveling is the packing part and the security part at air ports :)
How the journey here went... it started with a long ride to Chi town with mom and dad. Once at O'hare I found out my flight would not be leaving until 10pm instead of 8. This was a bummer but things happen. The reason for the delay was because of the ash. I was nervous to go through security but everything went fine. I then was able to meet up with Angie. I believe we will get along very well this summer. You can tell she is passionate about the program we will be starting and has a love for the Romanian people.
On the flight I sat with an older lady who was on her was on vacation with her husband. And an Indian girl who had just graduated college and was returning home to get married. (She said there would be 5,000 people at her wedding! 5,000!) So we had good conversations together. Did sleep well, plus my TV or light didn't work :( so needless to say it was an even longer flight then what it seemed. Toward the end I felt like I was going crazy.
My ears were not bothered by the altitude which I was happy for :)Taking off was pretty fun with how fast you get going and landing is a little scary. But both my flights were fine.
It was an amazing view looking down on London, reminded me of a model rail road set. And seeing the cars drive on the opposite side of the road was a dead give away that I was no longer in Michigan.
Because of my flight in Chi town being delayed we (Angie and I) now had a six hour lay over in London. Right from the start this air port gave me trouble first off I almost left my jacket on the plane because I tucked it so far under the sit. So I ended up having to go back on the plane to get it. Then when we were going through security I put my stuff in the little bins and some how my passport fell between the rollers and into another bin. So I had to wait for someone to pull that bin. The security guard just shook his head because as he was checking me in I put some cash money in the bin and he told me to take it out if I didn't want to lose it. So now having to go back to claim my passport he gave me a hard time. All in fun of course.
We flew out of London at 6pm London time, reached Bucharest around 11pm (Romanian time) I sat next to a Romania business man and we talked on and off. It was kind of scary landing at night plus there was a storm so that made it a little tricky landing the plane. When it came time to get our luggage, Angie found out hers was lost. I felt bad because earlier I asked her if she had ever lost it and she said no. But it should arrive tomm.
We ended up staying with a family that night so we would not have to make the five hour drive to Sigh. Which I was very thankful for. I feel asleep within a couple minutes. It felt like some of the best sleep I had gotten in months.
So then today we hit the road for Sigh. We were able to stop at a castle and take a tour. It took 40 years for the castle to be built. It was so beautiful and overwhelming how much detail was put into the decorations.
We arrived here at our host families house around 7pm their time so around noon back at home. It was so wonderful to finally arrive. It has been a LONG two days, but the moment I met my family it was all worth it. They have three girls living at home still who all speak English very well. They were so welcoming, mama had made a pizza like dish and even though both Angie and I said we were not hungry we got to sample some :) Our host family has hosted well over 50 or so students so this is nothing new for them. They are currently remodeling their house, it looks very nice.
Some things that were surprising to me is how many stray dogs there are running around, they are everywhere you turn. Something that broke my heart was while we were driving through Bucharest a young man with a disability came up to our car and started singing trying to get money. Dorothy said that there are not many resources for people with disabilities so they must beg.
I have been able to shower and now feel ready for bed :) Need to get rest for the fun to begin.
I hope everyone is doing well back home. And know that I am thinking of you and miss you bunches. Until next time.
3 comments:
I enjoyed reading of your travel adventures and look forward to reading more in the days/months to come. All is well here at home. Wire transfer was done earlier today. Remember to "dare to do great things". Love, Mom
Hello Dear!
I am so excited to read about your update! I'm glad that everything went well for your flights and I Hope Angie gets her stuff ok. Also, I'm glad that you are having a great experience so far with your host family it sounds like they are great people for sure! Today was a beautiful day in comparison to all the rain we've had in the last week. I hope you have good weather there! Have fun and be safe! Lots of love!
Good to hear that things have been pretty smooth for you so far. Can't wait for more of your posts. =)
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