First off, for anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of packing four months worth of clothing into two suitcases and a backpack, please note that it is harder than it sounds. As I finished up my last minute packing on Wednesday morning (the day of departure; I’m sure this last minute packing is a surprise to none) I was quite pleased with myself. I filled my one large suitcase, one carry on suitcase, and small North Face backpack with everything I thought I would need in the coming months abroad and still managed to leave a lot behind. In my mind, I had done a successful job packing only the essentials. We finally loaded up the car and drove down to Boston, not without getting a little confused with all of the signage at the airport as we tried to figure out where to park. Once in line we chatted with the friendly families of two other study abroaders headed for Barcelona, one of whose sister went to Stonehill (small world!). But, the real fun begins as we get to the counter.
Although I had done my best to pack reasonably, we knew without a doubt that we would be paying the additional €60 fee for my overweight luggage. Little did we know that I would be so grossly over the 23 kilo weight limit. After struggling to lug my large suitcase onto the scale the weight flashes on the screen: 35.8 kilos. Whoops. Apparently, even though we paid the additional fee for my “heavy” (as marked on my luggage with a bright orange tag) suitcase, I was still only allowed 32 kilos maximum. So, we open up my luggage right there in the front of the check-in station with an absurdly long line of people looking on (probably laughing; I was too busy to notice) and started shifting things around. As embarrassing as it was, we succeeded after two tries and my bag proudly wore its HEAVY tag all the way down the conveyor belt. Needless to say, there is no way I’m making it home in January without purchasing another piece of checked luggage. My flight to Madrid had plenty other study abroaders which made traveling alone more comforting. I also found kind men to help me lift my now quite heavy carry on suitcase into and out of the overhead bin. The flight was otherwise uneventful (thankfully) although the time change has confused my schedule a bit. We were served dinner at about 8 pm and then I slept for about two and half hours before the lights came back on and we were being served breakfast (at 11 pm EST). I felt the need to tell these people at Iberia that just because there is a time change does not mean that two hours of sleep is sufficient or that I need to eat breakfast at 11 pm. Regardless, here I am, in Madrid, doing well and strangely awake at 10 am (4 am EST).
The lack of English is as overwhelming as I supposed it would be although I have been able to mostly keep to myself this morning. Hopefully by the time I reach Granada I will gain a bit more confidence and comfort. But for now, I must check to see if a gate has been posted for my next flight. I will do my best to update you all once I arrive in Granada and begin my semester of adventures.
Sending all of my love back to The States! xoxo - Stephanie
No comments:
Post a Comment