After the longest day of my life, I have arrived in Barcelona, Spain. Having never left the country before, or even so much as flown in a plane, I was a little nervous about the whole process. I made it to the airport about 3 hours early, and because no one else was there yet, I got through check-in and security pretty quickly. I also managed to find my gate, which I had been really worried about, meaning all I had left to do was sit and wait. At that point my nerves were starting to calm a little. Sitting and waiting is something I can definitely do.
Eventually it came time to board my first ever plane. I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was so neat! One moment we were racing down the runway and the next we were air born, flying through the air with nothing but shrinking dots below us. I must have had the giddiest grin on my face for the first five minutes of the flight as I stared down in awe at tiny Nashville disappearing into the distance.
Following another long stretch of sitting and waiting at the Newark airport for our five hour layover to be done, it was time to board my second ever plane. The first was tiny and only lasted a couple of hours, but this one was huge, six seats to a row, and taking us across the Atlantic, meaning we were in for 8 hours of sitting. I learned that planes are hard places to sleep, particularly when you’re stuck in the middle. The food was good, though, and the view amazing. I love the ocean!
Finally, the plane landed and, after about an hour getting through security and baggage claims, we were on a bus headed to Collegi Reial Monestir de Santa Isabel. My host mom met me there and we walked around the corner to their flat. I had a few hours to unpack and settle into my room (hopefully I’ll find time to post pictures soon) before walking back to school for orientation. We toured the building, met our teachers, had a snack, and got lots of papers before heading back home. I met all six of my host brothers and sisters, and it’s been a fun evening getting to know them and my host parents. We’ve played board games, eaten delicious food (lots of eating happens in Spain. It’s kind of great), made bracelets, and generally had so much fun I forgot about jetlag. Until now, at least. My first day of school is tomorrow, and I would very much like to get some sleep before then. So good night for now!
Sara
Eventually it came time to board my first ever plane. I didn’t really know what to expect, but it was so neat! One moment we were racing down the runway and the next we were air born, flying through the air with nothing but shrinking dots below us. I must have had the giddiest grin on my face for the first five minutes of the flight as I stared down in awe at tiny Nashville disappearing into the distance.
Following another long stretch of sitting and waiting at the Newark airport for our five hour layover to be done, it was time to board my second ever plane. The first was tiny and only lasted a couple of hours, but this one was huge, six seats to a row, and taking us across the Atlantic, meaning we were in for 8 hours of sitting. I learned that planes are hard places to sleep, particularly when you’re stuck in the middle. The food was good, though, and the view amazing. I love the ocean!
Finally, the plane landed and, after about an hour getting through security and baggage claims, we were on a bus headed to Collegi Reial Monestir de Santa Isabel. My host mom met me there and we walked around the corner to their flat. I had a few hours to unpack and settle into my room (hopefully I’ll find time to post pictures soon) before walking back to school for orientation. We toured the building, met our teachers, had a snack, and got lots of papers before heading back home. I met all six of my host brothers and sisters, and it’s been a fun evening getting to know them and my host parents. We’ve played board games, eaten delicious food (lots of eating happens in Spain. It’s kind of great), made bracelets, and generally had so much fun I forgot about jetlag. Until now, at least. My first day of school is tomorrow, and I would very much like to get some sleep before then. So good night for now!
Sara