travel day 1

I've arrived safely in Madrid!  I'm staying the night at a hotel until someone from my school comes to pick me up tomorrow.  Today's travel process was almost too easy to be true!  I'm so thankful though- today wasn't a day for any extra stress or anxiety.

Mom, Dad, and I left Sunday morning around 8:30 to head to Chicago.  We stopped at The Cheesecake Factory and a mall just about 20 minutes away from O'Hare for a few last minute items.  We navigated through the airport, found my terminal, and checked my overweight suitcase.  What's a $100 heavy baggage fee when you've already spent a thousand dollars on a flight, right? We said goodbye and I waited in line at security for what seemed like forever.  By the time I made it through, walked to my gate, grabbed a Starbucks drink, and went to the restroom, it was time to board.  I was glad that I didn't have to sit and wait on my plane by myself for a long time.

The plane seemed somewhat empty as I was boarding, but I figured it would fill up as time went on.  I ended up with a row of two seats to myself, which made the trip so much more comfortable and enjoyable.  I watched several movies, read a little, and didn't sleep at all.  I was comfy and relaxed, but I just couldn't get to sleep.  I'm still wide awake as I'm writing this in my hotel room, even though my biological clock is thinking it's about 4 am.  I didn't eat much while on board, but they served us a hot dinner and breakfast.

Inside the HUGE plane- each seat has a TV screen with movies, TV shows, and music to choose from.  You can also monitor and track your flight during the ride, and it tells you how far you've traveled, your speed, your arrival time, etc.

The Madrid Airport is indescribably huge.  There is a terminal (T4s) for international arrivals only, so everyone who is in that part of the airport goes through customs before passing on to the main building- of terminal 4 (still not the whole airport).  And by "customs" I mean walking through a line where a security guard scans your passport.  So low key.  After customs, I then went down several flights of escalators to a train that goes to the main building of terminal 4.  It's about a 5 minute ride between these buildings, which gives some sense of how massive the airport is.  Then I followed arrows and signs to my baggage claim area, walked outside, easily found my airport hotel shuttle, and hopped on!  We drove past all of the other terminal buildings on the way to the hotel- it feels like Madrid is a city, and then the Madrid airport is a city in itself.        

Inside T4s... I clocked 1.26 miles in steps on my phone just getting from my plane to my shuttle- which is all within the international arrivals terminal.  

Tomorrow (Tuesday) around noon I will meet up with a couple affiliated with ECA.  They'll take me to Camarma de Esteruelas.  We're making a pitstop at an Orange Wireless so I can get my phone set up, and then I will hang out at the school until Pilar gets off of work around 6.  I'll get a tour of the school, have a chance to observe, and get to meet some people before I settle in to my new "home" tomorrow evening.  Wednesday will be my first official day in the classroom.

I'm already feeling a little homesick and alone... Thankfully everything has gone so smoothly thus far.  Keep me in your thoughts and prayers, especially during the next week as I settle into a new routine and get adjusted!