Layover in Amsterdam

Well, I finally made it. I am currently sitting in the Amsterdam airport waiting for my flight to Madrid. The seven-and-a-half-hour flight here from Minneapolis was actually pretty bearable. I watched Aquaman for the first time, slept through Harry Potter because I had seen it before, and watched Brdiget Jones’s Diary. All very good movies. 

I’m not going to lie, it’s been exhausting. The only sleep I’ve gotten was those two hours on the plane, and now I’m trying to force myself to stay awake so I can adjust to a seven-hour time change. We arrived here around 4 a.m. US time, but 11 a.m. here so I’m forced to stay up because of jet lag or whatever. I hope it’s not as bad as people say. 

It’s crazy. I can’t believe I’m actually here. I have been so stressed about getting here that I haven’t even thought about what it’s going to be like once I arrive, you know? I’ve made it this far, but what now? Granted, I still have to make it to Madrid and to the place that I’m staying at with my host family. I have a feeling I’m going to crash pretty hard once I get there, but that’s okay. 

Then it’s on to orientation and a couple days of freedom before classes start. It will be an interesting semester, that’s for sure, but I will keep you guys updated to make sure you all know how Spain is if you’re interested. 

Preparing for studying abroad, we had to do readings about mental health and we still have to attend a meeting about it. At first I thought it was going to be no big deal. My mom’s a counselor and my grandpa’s a therapist - if I haven’t learned to cope with my mental health by now…. But now that I’m here and away from Minnesota and my family and friends I can feel the looming presence of anxiety along with a possible panic attack. But hopefully with this meeting and those readings, it will all be okay. I’m sure it will be. 

I’m going to be exploring Spain simply because I can. I get a week off for spring break, so I’m  hoping to hop on a train to France. Maybe there I’ll try being one of those girls who go to Paris and drink coffee from tiny cups and take lots of pictures. I’m cool like that. 

I don’t know if you readers are interested at all in this journey I will be taking, but you are all welcome to read along as I explain everything going on in my life. 

My Determination: “Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.” – Roy M. Goodman