And so it begins…

[I wrote this while I was on the plane.]

My parents and I took the complimentary shuttle from the hotel to Newark airport at 2:30 and was dropped off right in front of Terminal C. The driver was friendly and helpful. My brother Daniel and his girlfriend (Jacqui) met us there then we got in line to check my luggage and get my boarding pass. The line looked long, but we didn’t wait nearly as long as I expected to. We didn’t have a great experience with the woman working the line; she didn’t like that we were unsure of what to do once we got to the computer. I had two huge suitcases- one weighed around 47 pounds and the other weighed 50.5 pounds. These bags aren’t supposed to way more than 50 pounds so I quickly removed my glasses and put them in my carry-on bag and weighed it again- exactly 50 pounds. Woo!

At this point it was about 3:30 so we decided to look for something to eat. There wasn’t anywhere to eat except a little café/bakery-type area. I split a roast beef sandwich (which was on a pretzel bun) with my dad. I was getting antsy.

Around 4:00 we headed to the security gate. I said goodbye to my parents, Daniel, and Jacqui. When my mom started to cry, I began to cry a little. I wasn’t scared to leave, but I got in line, took off my shoes, took my laptop out of my bag, phone out my pocket, and cleared security rather quickly.

I went to the waiting area for my flight to check-in and see if any other IC students had arrived yet. I didn’t see anyone so I began to wander around. I bought Cosmopolitan: The UK Edition from Borders and checked out the Duty Free store (makeup, perfume, and alcohol are sold at discounted, tax-free rate).

I ran into Jake, a friend from school, and he told me where the group room was. There were four others hanging out in the room. They offered complimentary drinks, pretzels, and Oreos. There was also a TV. I chatted with everyone for about 30 minutes until we headed back to the gate to board around 6:00. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 6:25, but was delayed till 7:45.

We eventually boarded the plane around 7, moved a little bit, and then sat for about 40 minutes before we finally took off. The plane is three rows deep with three seats in each row. I have a window seat, Jake is next to me, and Hilary is next to him. Luckily I’m sitting next to people from my school; some people are sitting next to strangers and not talking. Take-off was not bad at all, it was actually fun. It was cool looking out the window as we got faster and higher.

There has been some turbulence, but nothing scary. Each passenger received a small pillow, blanket, and earphones. Each seat has its own small TV and we can watch movies, TV shows, or listen to music. I watched an episode of Friends and the movie The Soloist. I was about asleep when dinner came. Dinner was chicken or beef (I choose beef), a side salad with lite ranch dressing, a roll, and a cookies and cream brownie. I ate everything except the brownie and it was very good. The stewardesses are all very nice and accommodating.

I’m now watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, but I hope to fall asleep soon.

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Soooo much has happened (all good things) since I wrote that on the plane. I'm loving London. I’ll update when I can!

<3