Thoughts of a Traveler

8:00 a.m. 9.4.08
Well, it is officially four hours till I need to be at the airport. I cannot tell you that I am not nervous, and I think I am a bit more sad this time; in fact I don't think that I was sad at all last January when I left home. Perhaps I am sadder because my parents are sadder; that changes things. I will say though that I am very excited and look forward to seeing everyone who I left in Greece.

5:00 p.m. 9.4.08
Sitting in Dulles International Airport. It is kind of like being home. I have not flown as much as some people, but I have the process down to a science. Shoes, belt, sunglasses, wallet, watch, iPod in tub one; computer in tub two; rucksack (that is what they call backpacks in Europe; I like it) next; boarding pass and passport in hand. Be pleasant. Don’t pack anything you are not supposed to. Look inspectors in the eyes. Repack quickly and neatly. Get to your gate then go to the bathroom. Board the plane quietly. Help other passengers when possible (good juju for rest of flight). Don’t lean the seat back; deal with the discomfort (especially on smaller planes, anything below a 747). Be ready to disembark before the plane lands, but do not rush. Stay seated until your turn comes. Let someone into the isle who is stuck behind the constant stream of passengers (good juju for the next flight). Read and follow the signs in the new airport and realize that most airports work the same way. Stay calm at customs. Repeat at next stop.

9:10 a.m. 9.5.08
Sitting in Munich’s Franz Josef Strauss International Airport. The flights have been non eventful; I would propose that they were even good. Flying across the Atlantic is an incredible experience; everyone should try it once. While wearing my Medina Swimming shirt; met swimmer from Akron who graduated in 76’; met a woman who grew up in Medina, she lived on Wadsworth Road; had a discussion regarding possible reasons for the excessive amount of broken records at the Summer Olympics. I watched Monty Python: Search for the Holy Grail and a movie about George Hogg (true story) that was amazing; the movie was decent, the story was downright marvelous. I daresay I am calm. I have gained control. I am no longer sad. I am getting excited. I have begun to tackle the challenges that lay ahead. I cannot control things that are out of my control; the things that are within my control are things that I am sure I can handle or will learn to handle.

1:30 p.m. 9.5.08
18 hours is an ungodly long time to be traveling. There is a difference between drained and tired. The trick now is not to sleep until the locals sleep.