Travel!

The last week before travel was nothing short of exhausting. Because I was working full time at Hollywood Elementary and I flew to Europe on Saturday, packing was a bit stressful. I spoke with many friends who have studied abroad to determine the proper amount of "stuff" to prepare for my 6-week stay in Ljubljana. I ended up checking one large suitcase, I brought a smaller suitcase and a backpack with my laptop in it as carry-ons.

The unpleasant worries:
Yeah--I get these. Overall, I was pretty calm and comfortable during pre-departure and for the entire excursion. I have traveled to Europe on my own before so coming here with someone else (Mike) that I know made things quite easy. My main focus of tension revolved around the "fear of the unknown" I suppose, which, ironically, is dually the source of all my excitement!

What could the department have done to lessen these worries/prepared me better for travel? Well, things would have been much easier if I hadn't been required to intern the week prior to my departure. Is this realistic, however? 'Fraid, not! So--there's really nothing to complain about here.

Everyone I came into contact with whilst in transit (at Dulles, in London, and in Ljubljana) were extremely nice/helpful. A note on Munich, though--this may not have been the case, but I felt the stares and judgments of a few convenient store clerks as my American-ness became quickly realized during the time of payment. Oh-the-Germans! Perhaps this is normal--even for large international airports.