In NYC!
Hi! So we made it to NYC yesterday, we got here at like 10:30 and got to the hotel at about 11:30. The flight from Bar Harbor to Boston was on an 8 person plane and it was wasn't even light out yet..it was freezing! and we couldn't even hear each other, it was so loud. But the second flight was nice. I didn't sleep at all the night before, literally not even an hour so I felt wicked weird and not so great. When we arrived at the hotel we kinda just chilled out, I dozed on Nellies lap in the lobby while we waited for the other AFSers, as we were 3 hours early. The volunteer who was running the orientation ordered pizza for us and after I ate I felt a lot better!
Other students began to trickle in over the next 3 hours, and we all started hanging out and talking right off the bat. In all there's about 36 students here from all over the U.S. There are 16 students going to Italy, 12 to France, a few to Austria and one going to Russia! After everyone showed up we started orientation. I honestly don't remember exactly what we did because I was so tired..it's pretty much a blur. We ate dinner at 6 and did more orientation stuff till 9, where we just talked about what to except the next few months and such. Nellie and I happened to be rooming together, so we just went to our rooms and went to bed!
Today I feel a lot better and more rested, and we have been hanging out with everyone all day and doing group activities. Right now there's a documentary playing about what other countries think of the U.S. Everybody here is really cool, and it's comforting as well as interesting to talk to all these other people who are about to go through the same thing I'm about to. The rest of the students going to Italy and I, as well as the students going to France, are taking a shuttle from the hotel to JFK at 5. Our flight doesn't leave till 9 though. We are traveling with just us, no chaperones but there's a lot of us so it'll be fun. We fly to Switzerland and get there at 10am Swiss time, and then fly to Rome and arrive there around 12. Once in Rome we will have another orientation for a couple days, and then Sunday I will take a train to my host family.
It's really weird because I keep thinking that soon I'll be going home and unpacking and everything will be back to normal; it feels like being in NYC is a whole trip itself. But this is just the very beginning, I have a whole long journey ahead! Saying goodbye to everyone was super sad but I surprisingly don't even miss home yet, I'm not homesick at all. (knock on wood). I feel totally ready and excited about what's to come and I'm just rolling with the punches. So that's about all I have to update on, no photos yet. I will update in Rome hopefully and if not, definitely by the time I get to my host family so keep checking in!
ciao xoxoxo
Other students began to trickle in over the next 3 hours, and we all started hanging out and talking right off the bat. In all there's about 36 students here from all over the U.S. There are 16 students going to Italy, 12 to France, a few to Austria and one going to Russia! After everyone showed up we started orientation. I honestly don't remember exactly what we did because I was so tired..it's pretty much a blur. We ate dinner at 6 and did more orientation stuff till 9, where we just talked about what to except the next few months and such. Nellie and I happened to be rooming together, so we just went to our rooms and went to bed!
Today I feel a lot better and more rested, and we have been hanging out with everyone all day and doing group activities. Right now there's a documentary playing about what other countries think of the U.S. Everybody here is really cool, and it's comforting as well as interesting to talk to all these other people who are about to go through the same thing I'm about to. The rest of the students going to Italy and I, as well as the students going to France, are taking a shuttle from the hotel to JFK at 5. Our flight doesn't leave till 9 though. We are traveling with just us, no chaperones but there's a lot of us so it'll be fun. We fly to Switzerland and get there at 10am Swiss time, and then fly to Rome and arrive there around 12. Once in Rome we will have another orientation for a couple days, and then Sunday I will take a train to my host family.
It's really weird because I keep thinking that soon I'll be going home and unpacking and everything will be back to normal; it feels like being in NYC is a whole trip itself. But this is just the very beginning, I have a whole long journey ahead! Saying goodbye to everyone was super sad but I surprisingly don't even miss home yet, I'm not homesick at all. (knock on wood). I feel totally ready and excited about what's to come and I'm just rolling with the punches. So that's about all I have to update on, no photos yet. I will update in Rome hopefully and if not, definitely by the time I get to my host family so keep checking in!
ciao xoxoxo
Comments
Post a Comment