Today, as I flew out of Minneapolis, the sun was rising and the clouds beneath us looked like a foaming sea and the contrast of the pure white clouds with the deep pink-orange of the sunrise took my breath away. Then, I got to Philadelphia and remembered how ugly the earth can be. The icy tarmac had been made slippery by the rain and the sky was the dullest color of grey you could imagine. However, I love being in airports no matter what the weather outside. Business people striding purposefully around on their Blackberrys, frazzled mothers dragging toddlers to security checkpoints, huge groups of dawdling Asian tourists and members of the military in dress uniform and posture I can’t even dream of attaining are just a few of the folks I’ve seen today.
I’m not nervous. The business-like brevity of everything at airports makes me feel settled and that everything is in order, and it is. I somehow narrowed all of my belongings down the most important fifty pounds worth of stuff (and two extremely large carry-on bags). Necessities: black platform leather heels, the perfect jeans, lightweight khaki coat, running shoes, Clinique Acne Solutions face wash, and CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion. Things I left behind: ill-fitting skinny jeans from 11th grade, my high school yearbook, wool pea coat, Aussie shampoo, polka-dot rainboots. It was a difficult task but somehow I succeeded. I got a loan from my bank to pay for everything (hopefully) I’ll need in the next five months. I fielded countless interrogations from family members and family friends, along with dire warnings and a few words of encouragement. I’ve set up my Turkish credits to transfer to Gustavus when I come home. I have a calling card and copies of my passport and visa and I notified my credit and debit card of my travels. I have international health insurance and travel insurance and a visa. I’m ready.
The plan: I land in Amsterdam at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow. My boyfriend will pick me up and shuttle me to his house an hour south of Amsterdam, in the city of Eindhoven. After spending a little more than two weeks with Dirk, I will fly to Turkey to begin my semester at Koç University in Istanbul on February 5th.
indeed sounds like you have everything in order for this adventure. I will look forward to reading about it and hearing about it on your return. I hope Turkey and Koc is everything you hope it will be an more.