Auf Wiedersehen, Amerika

*This is actually a blog post I wrote yesterday.  I was unable to post it due to lack of service and lack of WiFi in the airport.  Enjoy!

Well, today is the day.  I am currently sitting near Gate 148 of the Tom Brady International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport.  In a little more than 2 hours, I will be taking off for Frankfurt Airport in Germany.  Saying goodbye to Ben, Sam, and Molly dog was surprisingly hard.  I did not cry, but those three are goofballs through and through, and I am going to miss them immensely.  I wasn’t as strong when saying goodbye to my Momma though.  I definitely cried when hugging her.  She is my best friend and I do not know what I am going to do without this year.  I got FaceTime calls from Jake and Daddio this morning too, so I was feeling very loved before leaving for the airport.  It is going to be a long year without them, but Mom and I already have plans to get the whole family out at some point.

After navigating the terminal and checking my bags, I had a quick immigration crisis.  The guy working the Lufthansa desk did not know the Visa laws for Germany, and he had the wrong information which of course made me freak out because I thought all the research and phone calls I had done were wrong.  But as I said, he had the wrong information and I will be fine entering Germany.  Just a tip for anyone who wants to work for an international airline though:  Make sure you have the correct Visa information unless you want to deal with a 20-year-old experiencing a panic attack.  Once all of that was sorted out, however, I hugged my Momma and went off to security.  The International Terminal’s security line is very deceptive; it looks long and winding, but I actually made it through the whole thing in about 15 minutes.

This Terminal is huge.  They have many full-sized restaurants as well as staples like Starbucks and Duty-Free stores.  I personally chose to get a little cheese and meat snack as well as some other small things for my flight.  When I am nervous I do not get hungry, and I just don’t think I could eat a full meal right now.  I am seeing many childhood favorites like Kinder chocolate and Chupa Chup lollipops everywhere, which has made me smile.

All in all, I am feeling very calm right now.  As I said, I was teary earlier, but I am doing ok for now.  I am not looking forward to my 10/11 ish hour flight, however, especially since I cannot sleep well on planes.  That being said, though, I have about 6 movies downloaded as well as my favorite Spotify playlists, so I think it will be bearable.  Fingers crossed I have a good seatmate.

As nervous as I am, I am very excited for this journey ahead.  As young Donna says in Mamma Mia 2, “Life is short, the world is wide.  I wanna make some memories.”  I have been receiving lots of awesome quotes like these from friends and loved ones these past few weeks.  My Aunt Caroline reminded me that despite my nerves, the things we regret most in life are the things we do not try to do.  My best friend Charlotte reminded me to focus on gratitude: Gratitude that I get this opportunity and gratitude to those who have helped me along the way.  And my amazing mother keeps telling me no to forget to just breathe.

I would not have made it here today if it weren’t for a whole slew of people, and so to everyone who has done something to aid in this process, whether it was just a word of encouragement or physically driving me to the airport, I thank all of you.  I cannot wait to get off the plane in Germany, take a deep breath, and start walking.  That will be the start of an incredible journey.

Thanks again for tuning in.  I will update more once I arrive.

-Meghan