This past year has been filled with its ups and downs, but I finally made it through, and put my life together. Not really…
Nonetheless, this year had some great opportunities that came my way, like receiving the chance to research abroad in Germany. The research itself has not started exactly, so I can’t give much information on that topic yet, but the trip taken so far has been occupied with many new experiences I haven’t had the pleasure of experiencing in America. Let’s look at the past couple of days, shall we…
Day 1
The clock strikes midnight, and I’m still lying in my bed thinking of all the gelato I’m going to consume, and how I’m going to learn to say every flavor I see in German, French, Italian, and maybe a bit of Russian. Wait, I think it’s time to go to bed…
Fast forward to 7:45 am: Why does my heart feel like it’s beating out of my chest? Am I nervous? Come on now; try to sleep. Oh screw it, you’re not getting anywhere with this! Move your bum and start getting ready. You still have some packing to do before your flight.
It’s 12:20 pm, and I finally get to the smallest airport I have ever seen. Honestly, my parent’s house looks bigger than this. Oh gosh, the first thing that pops into my head is the small plane I took last year for spring break (fyi, I almost died), and sure enough, there is a small 18-seater airplane mocking me from the window. Why am I doing this again? Oh yeah, 8 weeks of solidarity and growth.
Arriving in Toronto is definitely a nice change of pace. Each gate terminal has a place where you can just sit, relax, use their plugs to charge your electronics, and their IPads to scroll through Facebook. I guess I could get used to the 3-hour layover.
Alright, this plane ride won’t be so bad. A 6-hour plane ride with your own television to watch movies, browse through shows, or play games will make the time pass by really quickly!
Bloody hell, what did I get myself into? It’s only been 2 hours and either my butt is sweating or I just peed myself. If I see that little girl go up and down the aisle one more time…
Yes, land. The grime oozing from my skin is making me shudder. I need a bathroom now…oh wait, I misspoke, they are called toilets in England.
Note to self: learn to be more proper and not draw attention to yourself.
Another note to self: don’t skip down to the restrooms; people will think you’re crazy.
Ah, one more 2-hour plane ride and this 24-hour travel nightmare will be over! Ooo, I get an empty seat next to me, score! I don’t have to listen to anyone’s breath other than my own. The German pilot’s English is quite spectacular. Maybe the language barrier won’t be so bad after all!
Oh shoot, how do you say thank you again? Oh yeah, “danka!” I think I need to brush up on some phrases.
I have been up for 27 hours and I just need a bed to sleep in. On second thought, I think I’d be okay with this bit of ground, just leave me here for a few hours and…never mind! I guess we have a place to live.
And it’s 35 minutes away from the university. I am seriously going to have to figure out how to come up with street smarts if I have to take the busing system to my destination everyday. Let’s just all take a quick moment to say a prayer and hope I don’t have to come to terms with my sudden demise. I’m only joking mom and dad…or am I?
There are 24 hours in a day, and not one of them is going to be devoted to sleeping. THE HILLS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF MUSIC, and I seriously need to go explore! So hyper, I need to go and walk this off. The neighborhood looks relatively safe. Eh, I’ll take a few people for security…and they all fell asleep. Theresa and I it is then!
Ooo, such a beautiful day and a beautiful neighborhood and beautiful rocks and beautiful…my gluteus maximus is going to look so good by the end of this walk!
This hill has really made me rethink my exercise capabilities. I guess I’m not as in shape as I thought I was. No, that’s not me breathing hard, that must be Theresa…oh wait, no, that’s definitely me slowly dying on the inside.
Wow, there are a lot of older people in this neighborhood. Is it just me, or are they a little too friendly…
What is up with the motorcycle following us? Oh gosh, this is going to be like one of those Taken movies minus Liam Neeson, great. Where are we going? I think we’re lost, and an older man is muttering and walking toward us. Keep your head down and say nothing. Is that a snake around his neck? I need to get off this street and…wrong move, I think I made myself an enemy. Oh my gosh, I have never been happier to see an apartment building in my life. Wow, we are great navigators!
Number one item on my bucket list: Get lost in a foreign country, check! I would call it a success in my opinion. I think I really love this country.
I am just going to go to bed at 6 pm and wake up at 6 am; it’s a brilliant idea!
12:00 am: I think the others in the next apartment are awake and eating. I need to go back to sleep.
12:05 am: I cannot fall asleep, let me just grab my nook and look at some words and…
12:06 am: THAT IS IT! They are having fun in the next room, and I am bored!
12:10 am: So, I definitely joined in on the fun, and came with some watermelon.
1:00 am: I think Theresa and Bassem got jealous, because they came in to join the festivities. Day one sleepover!
1:10 am: I found someone who has an international plan. I think it’s time to call my mother since this place doesn’t have wifi.
1:11 am: The woman is yelling at me through the phone. “No mother, I don’t have wifi! No I can’t do anything about it! I have to go, I’m using someone’s minutes! Okay bye! No mom, it’s fine! Bye! Yeah, no, I’m not dead yet. It’s all good in the neighborhood. I seriously have to go! Okay mom bye! No, stop arguing with…” *click*
1:13 am: It was for the best that I hung up…
6:00 am: I seriously need to get some sleep.
Day 2
It’s time to go exploring through the big city! First thing’s first, I sincerely need to go buy some wifi or something. I really hope it doesn’t cost an arm, a leg, and my left kidney.
My first meal of the day? You guessed it folks, gelato took the cake, or should I say cream. I even ordered with some mangled version of German. For not knowing a lick of German, my bravery to speak really came in handy on this one.
A further note to self: absorb the country around you, and try to pick up their words. You seriously need to learn how to listen to their accent and replicate, so as to avoid sounding like a dunce in public.
We have located a data stick, and a restaurant with wifi! Alright, I have one hour, time to text the family, and get on snapchat. Emilee will kill me if I mess up our 73-day streak…
I have never gone up so many stairs to reach a floor at a university. Either this is my own personal hell, or this is going to be a really great workout. I’m pretty excited to see my thigh muscles by the end of this trip. Granted, I’ve never seen a university with buildings going from A to Z and beyond. I would have to go so far as to say that it may be a bit too big. But the views from each building are spectacular! Okay, so I would have to say the stairs, the school, and the size are worth it. I would kill to look at this view everyday, and this is exactly what I plan to do. My nook and I are going to have to take a daily journey to the rooftops.
So here is a lesson for you kids, don’t miss the bus, because if you do, you have to wait a really long time before another one comes your way after a certain time. Ooo, and also, if you feel sick, you should probably get off the bus, or else they will make you and everyone else on it exit, and your way of transportation becomes rather limited really fast. You will also more than likely make some enemies on your way out, so keep an eye out for anyone trying to put a hex on you. Not that that happened or anything…
Overall, it’s been a great couple of days! I’ve learned a lot more about Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection and the concept of survival of the fittest in the past couple of days than I have in my 22 years of life. Keep up with my travel, and see what the next 2 months are going to bring in regards to adventure!
Throughout the entirety of my stay, I will be writing down tips and tricks for anyone that would want to take a trip to Europe and see what the fuss is about!
Ciao for now.
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ALHANA just be safe. YES LEARN SOME STREET SMARTS PLEASE.
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