To be able to drop me off, my dad parked diagonally facing the curb. Times like these call for extreme measures. And then he kept trying to take pictures of me. My face most definently did not look anywhere near happy. So when he told me to relax, I promptly burst into tears.
I mean, really, I am leaving for 5 weeks and all he wants to do is take up out limited good bye time to take photos? Daddy, I love you.
After my tearful goodbyes, I realized exactly how heavy my carryon was. It just about made a trench in my shoulder. I spent the rest of the time waiting to go on the plane trying not to cry. Hollis, part of that is your fault. I have your sweater, so whenever I leaned close to it I could smell what I associate to comfort and would be ready to cry all over again. But I dealt.
The plane ride was not too bad. They have personal tv sets on each seat, so I was able to pick and choose my movies. I watched Milk and The Reader. I liked both, with Milk being different then I expected. The Reader was amazingly depressing. But I like those kind of movies. (It may have set off another round of tears).
The strangest thing is never experiencing night on a more then 12 hour voyage. Either the sun was extremely bright, or it was in the process of setting or rising. I have some beautiful pictures of said sunset/sunrises. I will upload my photos tomorrow. The problem with all of the sun and my time schedule being so off is that I did not get much sleep. I am extremely tired.
Amsterdam airport was a let down. It was hot, humid, and not as interesting as I expected. And with my heavy carryon, I did not feel much like wandering to all corners of the airport. I spent three hours waiting and trying to keep from falling asleep on the floor.
To get to my next flight, I boarded a bus that took us outside so we could walk up onto the plane. It reminded me of a private jet, or back in the day when they had that type of thing. This flight was really nice. I fell asleep before the plane even took off, and did not wake up till 45 minutes later in time to get some coffee.
Customs in Wales was ridiculously easy. I basically answered a few basic questions, and then I was free! My aunt was waiting for me right outside at the arrival area. She didn't recognize me at first, but as my uncle just pointed out, the last time she saw me was when I was 16. I think I look different from then. I no longer wear glasses which also makes a difference.
The weather was amazingly beautiful. Sunny with a light breeze. It was about 70, so chilly for me, but nice and warm for them. Its going to take a bit to get used to this weather. Also, apparently this weather will not last for too long. Since we are right off the ocean, the weather "changes every 10 minutes" according to my uncle.
The drive back to their house was a bit scary. More then a bit. I am not used to sitting in the drivers seat with no steering wheel or brakes, nor am I used to the concept of cars rushing towards me. Driving on the left is a concept that will take me a bit to get used to. And there were numerous roundabouts. I greatly dislike them. Another strange road difference is that there are some roads that are wide enough for just one and a half cars, so that while you are speeding away, if a car is coming towards you, you have to do some sort of awkard movement that lets either one of you pass. Scary.
I made it to their house in one piece around 11:30 am. A very tired, bewildered piece. I proceeded to have several adventures, which is for the next post.
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Nice pict - l d
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