I can't believe I have gone and done it again. Gone gallivanting away to a foreign land with not much of a plan or really any prior preparation. I heard about this opportunity a little bit before the new year, and then I had submitted my application and decided by mid January maybe?! Not too much time to think it through, until of course I have already been in too deep. But nonetheless, I am happy about the decision and as I sit here in the Madrid airport after one hour of sleep, I'm feeling surprisingly pretty good about this. My flight from Houston to London was all right, I watched 3 movies and a few TV shows, but no matter how hard I tried, there was no sleeping going down. I guess I am excited? Well, I mean yes, I know I am excited, but I'm not sure if that is why I couldn't sleep or what. Anyway, after circling London a few times in the airplane due to congestion, and then sitting on the plane for another at least 30 minutes waiting on a bus to come pick us up, I made that the decision that damn, you think JFK is bad? You a'int seen nothin yet! The London airport is HORRID! It is more of a bus stop than an airport really because you have to take the bus everywhere. (P.S. SIDE NOTE, SEEING THE BIGGEST RATTAIL EVER RIGHT NOW!!!) After getting off the plane on to a bus, you take the bus to a terminal, where you then just have to turn around and take another bus ride that is at least 15 minutes to another terminal, and then, for the most poorly designed part of it, you sit in a giant hodge podge of people waiting until one hour before your flight, and then, and only then, will you know what gate to go to. So hundreds of people sit around this screen waiting for their gate to be shown, and then when it is, you walk back in to the deserted peaceful part of the airport where only the privileged less-than-one-hour types prowl. To look on the bright side though, I do think I saw that boy from Gossip Girl that plays Nate. I don't know his real name, but it doesn't really matter. I think most of the actors on that show are British, so that would make sense to see him there in the international terminal… If it wasn't him, it was a damn fine lookin lookalike, and it made my sleepiness a little more bearable. After sitting in the serene and clean peaceful gate for about thirty minutes, I got to take yet another bus to my next plane. But before I leave London to Madrid, I must add in case there are any doubters out there, that yes, there is a grand and epic castle in London, and yes, they drive (very fast I might add) in the left lane. It made for some wild and crazy bus rides. I managed to sleep for an hour on the flight from London to Madrid and had a hard time waking up, even after landing, but I made it, and got my exercise wandering about the Madrid airport, which is very quiet, but very big. I found it weird that there are almost NO signs saying where your gate is! I had to go up to an Iberia consultant and ask him to look it up, and then I got to take a 30 minute walk to my very empty destination, gate J58. I was the first person here, but since I got here, 2 more people have arrived… my flight is in less than 2 hours now I guess… I guess that is still a while. I got my stamp on my passport! Woot woot! I wonder how many I will get this year………… Pues, I hope that next time I am in this airport (which I'm assuming will be when I am leaving) I am more fluent. I already feel like I wish I knew MORE of the language, but all my responses come out "ummm…" or in Greek, and that will just not work. What will also not work is my background on my computer. I was staring at it as my computer was booting up and realizing it will just not do. It is a picture of a cute little piggie. He is so cute! But, I am in Spain now and I will be most likely eating a lot of little piggies this year, so I think my background should change from dinner, to something a little less evil. Well, t-minus 1 hr and 40 minutes to go!!!!!!
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