Well, I have finally arrived. After mountains of paperwork and planning for months, after spending two days packing two suitcases nearly fifty pounds each, after shedding a few, okay a lot, of tears saying goodbye to my family, after over 15 hours spent in airports or airplanes flying from Chicago to Newark to London to Belfast, I am now sitting at my desk in my on-campus apartment at the University of Ulster Jordanstown just outside of Belfast. I can't believe I'm actually here and this is really my new home for the next four and a half months!
A few highlights from the trek across the pond...
1) Reading the entries in the journal my GCC friends gave me. I've been dying to read it since my surprise going away party, but it was definitely worth the wait and exactly the encouragement and humor I needed while I passed the time at Newark Int'l Airport. Thanks guys!
2) (Laura this one is for you) Sitting at the gate in Newark listening to a Russian woman speak to a friend...our accent needs a little work!
3) Being served lunch, dinner, breakfast and countless beverages on my two longest flights and having lots of free movies to choose from.
4) Boarding my flight to London to find it was nearly empty, which meant ample space for every passenger to have his or her own row to spread out on, which also meant I got a solid two hours of sleep during the five and a half hour flight. The only bad part about that flight was that the man in the row in front of me had this horrendous cough!
5) Meeting two girls while transferring from my London flight to my Belfast flight - Carrie and Casey - who were heading to Coleraine to study at the University of Ulster campus there. God sent me two guardian angels in these girls because we all had never traveled outside North America and we were all exhausted, confused, nervous and alone. It always helps to know you're not the only one!
6) Being surrounded by British accents as I walked through London Heathrow airport...Adam, you do a pretty darn good impression!!
7) Making it through customs without a problem.
8) Seeing green fields and snow covered peaks of mountains as my plane landed in Belfast.
9) Finding both of my suitcases at the baggage claim in Belfast.
10) HIGHLIGHT OF THE ENTIRE DAY: After a slightly terrifying moment that involved being unable to use the pay phone and my speedy pin number to call my parents, I went to get all of my US currency exchanged into British pounds and pence. There was the nicest lady behind the desk named Elsie (pronounced Elsa). She had just finished exchanging all my cash and I asked where I could get a taxi. Through casual conversation we discovered that I needed to get to the University of Ulster at Jordanstown and she lived just down the road from the Jordanstown Campus. Now get ready for this...she offered me - a complete and total stranger who looked like crap from 15 hours of airports and airplanes - a ride to campus!! Talk about another God-send! At first I said no because she didn't get off work for another thirty minutes and I just wanted to get to campus, but after finally talking to my parents, I took her up on the offer. Totally worth it! It was like having my own chauffeur and tour guide. She pointed out all the sites on the road to the University - the docks where the Titanic was built and set sail from, the capitol building, the new shopping center with a glass dome, a huge building - the name of which I can't remember - that has an ice hockey arena, arcades, restaurants and many other attractions, Belfast's castle, the parks and walking paths along the lake, Carrickfergus and more. As we neared the University, she told me that she rents a flat to students studying at the University and her currents tennets are two young men from Texas. The best part...she invited me to dinner at her house on Sunday night! All the books are right...the Irish are super nice and extremely hospitable. Finally, she dropped me off right at the door of the Residential Services building and left me with her business card and instructions to call her on Sunday.
And that's how I got to be here...at my desk just outside of Belfast.
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