PSA: KIRST HAS SAFELY ARRIVED IN INDIA!
To say that the past three days (I think it's been three, I'm not really sure with this jet lag) have been an emotional roller coaster is a total understatement.
For reference, it's currently almost 9AM here in India and it's Wednesday, July 8th... in other words, I'm currently 9.5 hours ahead of my lovely friends and family back home.
This whole traveling thing began Sunday with a late-morning departure to Philadelphia to meet up with my classmates. Although I was excited about what's to come, I couldn't help but shed a few tears as I said goodbye to Mama Rei and Coach Rei for the month. I felt kind of silly crying on an hour and a half long flight from Erie, but hey, I was heading to Asia the next day, and if that isn't somewhat freaky then I don't know what is.
My tears quickly turned into a HUGE smile as I was greeted by my best friend Laura at the Philly airport. Being that my connecting flight to Qatar was not leaving until the next morning, I was able to spend the day with her and the fam (along with her adorable pup, Rosie) and relax before the big day.
I didn't sleep a wink Sunday night, mostly because I was freaking out about pretty much absolutely everything. From worrying about waking up for my 5AM alarm to hoping that my suitcase was going to meet the weight requirement for Qatar Airways, I was tossing and turning all night.
Larz and I hit the road very early to give us plenty of time to get to the airport, park (which is a production all within itself), get me checked in, and try to chill out about the 12 hour flight that I was about to hop on. I waited with excitement at the terminal as all of my fellow travelers filed in and prepared to head up to our gate.
Everyone shared their goodbyes with their parents and siblings; lucky for me, Laura had parked close to where we were heading for security, so she was able to walk me up there before I was whisked away into the world of plastic bins and metal detectors. Parting ways with friends is always tough, and tears again filled my eyes as I hugged and said my final goodbye. Like any protective older sister would, Larz gave me a pen for my customs form, a bow to make a great first impression, and a few letters to read throughout my travels. What a gem.
Security didn't take as long as I thought and before we knew it, the nine of us were sitting at our gate waiting to board. While we were all spread throughout the plane, we were able to board together and see where each other was located on the massive plane.
Much to my surprise, the 12 hour flight didn't drag on too badly. Between catching up on sleep and watching some good movies, I couldn't believe it when we arrived in Qatar so soon. The next leg of the journey however, didn't seem to pass as smoothly. With a 14 hour layover, we explored the cool airport and took quite a few naps before boarding the last part of our journey.
The final 3ish hour flight seemed like nothing compared to our other travels. We quickly landed in Delhi and the reality that I am about to spend a month in India hit me like a ton of bricks. While I was super excited, I was pretty overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle both in and outside the airport. After going through Immigration and Customs, we grabbed our bags and headed to the bus for an hour-long drive to the International Guest House at SRCC. While I was pretty delirious on the ride, it was amazing to view the streets of India for the first time and get a brief taste of the culture that I'm about to be thrown into.
And, now here I am! I've unpacked (slightly, I'm still just planning on living out of my suitcase), talked to my parents, and started to feel a tad bit more comfortable.
After a shower I feel like a completely new person. After this nap I'm about to take, I'm sure I will feel like a million bucks. We just met a few of the Indian students that we will be interacting with over the next ten days and I can already tell that this is going to be an incredible experience.
Here's to a month of adventure and new experiences!
Really need to master brushing my teeth efficiently with a water bottle,
Kirst
To say that the past three days (I think it's been three, I'm not really sure with this jet lag) have been an emotional roller coaster is a total understatement.
For reference, it's currently almost 9AM here in India and it's Wednesday, July 8th... in other words, I'm currently 9.5 hours ahead of my lovely friends and family back home.
This whole traveling thing began Sunday with a late-morning departure to Philadelphia to meet up with my classmates. Although I was excited about what's to come, I couldn't help but shed a few tears as I said goodbye to Mama Rei and Coach Rei for the month. I felt kind of silly crying on an hour and a half long flight from Erie, but hey, I was heading to Asia the next day, and if that isn't somewhat freaky then I don't know what is.
My tears quickly turned into a HUGE smile as I was greeted by my best friend Laura at the Philly airport. Being that my connecting flight to Qatar was not leaving until the next morning, I was able to spend the day with her and the fam (along with her adorable pup, Rosie) and relax before the big day.
I didn't sleep a wink Sunday night, mostly because I was freaking out about pretty much absolutely everything. From worrying about waking up for my 5AM alarm to hoping that my suitcase was going to meet the weight requirement for Qatar Airways, I was tossing and turning all night.
Larz and I hit the road very early to give us plenty of time to get to the airport, park (which is a production all within itself), get me checked in, and try to chill out about the 12 hour flight that I was about to hop on. I waited with excitement at the terminal as all of my fellow travelers filed in and prepared to head up to our gate.
Everyone shared their goodbyes with their parents and siblings; lucky for me, Laura had parked close to where we were heading for security, so she was able to walk me up there before I was whisked away into the world of plastic bins and metal detectors. Parting ways with friends is always tough, and tears again filled my eyes as I hugged and said my final goodbye. Like any protective older sister would, Larz gave me a pen for my customs form, a bow to make a great first impression, and a few letters to read throughout my travels. What a gem.
Security didn't take as long as I thought and before we knew it, the nine of us were sitting at our gate waiting to board. While we were all spread throughout the plane, we were able to board together and see where each other was located on the massive plane.
Much to my surprise, the 12 hour flight didn't drag on too badly. Between catching up on sleep and watching some good movies, I couldn't believe it when we arrived in Qatar so soon. The next leg of the journey however, didn't seem to pass as smoothly. With a 14 hour layover, we explored the cool airport and took quite a few naps before boarding the last part of our journey.
The final 3ish hour flight seemed like nothing compared to our other travels. We quickly landed in Delhi and the reality that I am about to spend a month in India hit me like a ton of bricks. While I was super excited, I was pretty overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle both in and outside the airport. After going through Immigration and Customs, we grabbed our bags and headed to the bus for an hour-long drive to the International Guest House at SRCC. While I was pretty delirious on the ride, it was amazing to view the streets of India for the first time and get a brief taste of the culture that I'm about to be thrown into.
And, now here I am! I've unpacked (slightly, I'm still just planning on living out of my suitcase), talked to my parents, and started to feel a tad bit more comfortable.
After a shower I feel like a completely new person. After this nap I'm about to take, I'm sure I will feel like a million bucks. We just met a few of the Indian students that we will be interacting with over the next ten days and I can already tell that this is going to be an incredible experience.
Here's to a month of adventure and new experiences!
Really need to master brushing my teeth efficiently with a water bottle,
Kirst
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