Arrival

Jan. 8 - 4:46 p.m. Prague time

I don't know where to start...I left mom and dad and Mitchell at Memphis and got pretty sad about it. Of course, I knew that was gonna happen, but it hurts a lot more than I'd anticipated. Once through security, I successfully navigated my way to my gate and onto the plane. We pull away from the hangar and the left engine won't fire...something about a "starter malfunction." We pull back up and everyone gets off. I roam back to the front ticket desk to try to catch the 3:00 flight. The lady pulls me out of line and to the front because I'm the only one that actually has a chance to make my connection flight at 6:10. My ticket gets changed and by 2:45, I'm sprinting back through security to board the 3:00. My seat is in the middle (not-so-great) but I'm wedged between some very nice people. Praise Jesus! A man on his way to Virginia and a lady on her way home (Atlanta)...she didn't like flying. I arrive in Atlanta - it is huge. I arrive in concourse B and take a train to my gate at E16. En route, I call Dad and Mitchell...stop to tie my shoe..that sort of thing...and board the plane. By the time I get seated, I notice I don't have the pillow Stephanie made for me. I carry it everywhere. I got up and looked down the aisle. I told the stewardess I'd dropped it, and she went and looked around the gate. No success. It must have fallen out from underneath my arm as I was rushing. :'( I head back to my seat. The window seat next to me is eventually filled by a boy named Andy. He's 18 and from Oklahoma (OSU)...and the stewardess that checked for my pillow is his mom. He was very friendly, and a much-needed smile. They'll be in Prague for a couple days.
Anyway, when I arrived in Prague, all I wanted to do was crash. I made it to baggage claim, and waited. ...and waited. For an hour, I waited. No bags. The lady at the counter said they'd left me a message that my luggage was still in Memphis. It will be sent to Atlanta, New York and then Prague. It should be to the airport by 10a.m. tomorrow. Nice, right?

Needless to say, things have been rough so far. But, the first few days are supposed to be, right? I'm going to be optimistic.

I'm very homesick and, honestly, wondering what I'm doing here. Andy said something on the plane...he asked me why I wanted to do my internship abroad. He thought I was getting paid to do it..I said I wasn't. He said,"Well, if you've gotta do it, might as well make it an adventure."

Maybe that's it. Maybe I'll get situated and things will get rolling and then something will click. "This is what I'm doing here!"

We'll see. Regardless, I'll keep you updated.

Pray Hard. Much Love.