I have quartet rehearsal tonight and thank goodness my soprano (Becca) is awesome and lets me use her credit card to book my shuttle. Time just got away from me and I realize that if I don't book my shuttle right now I am going to have to walk to LAX. I might as well have, when I see what time the shuttle is coming to get me- 3a!! For a trip that takes only 20 min without traffic. But I book it, sing some carols with my peeps, cry a little bit, and then head home to pack. Because it's not really a trip until you wait until the last minute to pack your things.
I get home, put Harry Potter 1 in my dvd player (I WILL watch all 6 movies before 7.1 comes out) and start on my list. I have been obsessivly making lists for the past month. Didn't want to forget anything important. Lists about what to pack, what to buy, where to buy it, how much money to bring, budgeting out what I get to spend and where. Luckily I have a job that affords me such time luxuries!
I finish packing at around 2a and start in on my International Marketing homework. My goal is to get everything done so I didn't have to bring anything even resembling homework with me on this trip. That means doing a weeks worth of homework and class worth for both my classes in two days. I succeed! I get everything done (including sending out a transcript request for grad school aps) A few last minute freak outs about remembering everyting and I'm ready to meet the shuttle at 2:45 when it pulls into my driveway.
Thank goodness it's so early! Read the sarcasm there. We get to LAX and it's EMPTY! Just me and about 50 other people waiting for the gates to open and the day to start. I find a chair in the corner, put my feet up on my suitcase, wrap my arms around my carry on and put on my Greek lesson in my iPod. And promptly fall asleep. At 4:30 I wake up to find the airport much busier. I check in, hand over my bag to the Gods of Delta and procceed through security into the gate area. And I still have 2 hours before my flight leaves. So I find another corner, put my iPod back in and close my eyes one more time. I wake up in time to hear the first boarding group being called. I quickly step into the ladies room, then fill up my water bottle at a water fountain and I make my way on the plane.
A flight to JFK where I sleep through most of it. An hour lay over in NYC then on the flight for Athens!! I settle into my seat and see that there are movies right in front of me. I have my own little theater to watch movies and TV shows. This flight is going to fly by. I should sleep, but I spend the time catching up on all my Netflix movies that I have wanted to see. "Just Wright", "Letters to Juliette", "Twilight: Eclipse" (which I put in so I can sleep through it, which I do. Thank you Stephanie Meyers for writing such droll plots so I can get some sleep), and then "Knight and Day" which was much better than I thought it was going to be.
I only freak out once. This freaking out when traveling is new to me. I didn't ever freak out with flying before, but as we pass over the Atlantic Ocean I start to get a little panicky and have to stop thinking. The idea of being suspended over the ocean really bothers me and I can't wrap my head around the logistics of it. When we start to fly over the dry land of Europe and make our way south to Greece I can feel myself physically relax.
We land and I start to wrap my head around the idea of being in a foreign country. I'm in GREECE!! I make my way through the airport, through passport checking (where I correctly said "good morning" and "thank you" to the agent in Greek) and to the currency exchange. I now have Eruos in my pocket and time on my hands. I meet up with the people from Marathon Tours and we make our way to to hotels. I learn there are 900 runners with the tour and lots of people from all over the US. I meet a guy and girl in from San Diego and we commiserate about the long flight.
We get to the hotel and check in. There is a run at 4p and I am certain I am going to make it. I need to run after sitting for 15+ hours. But just a quick shower and nap. My hotel room is small, with no window, which I am still battling. I do not like not being able to see outside. It really bothers me. But I take it as a sign I need to be outside my room more!
So here I am in Greece. GREECE! And I'm taking a nap. Finally. My body ius quick to remind me that it hasn't slept more than 4 hours in the past 48 and maybe lying down is the best thing. But there is nothing cooler than napping in a foreign country with the thought that when I wake up, anything is possible.
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