Touch down! Finally! It’s been about 24hrs since I left home for the airport in Montreal. Note to travelers: Be sure to have at least a 2hr interval between connecting flights, buses, or any means of transportation. Or else…bad things may happen. I missed the only flight from Brussels to Manchester today because my flight from Montreal was delayed. Now I didn’t mind being in Brussels, especially after Air Canada was able to find a spot for me with another airline. What sucked was:

A) Being given the run-arounds throughout the airport for airline information
B) I missed my flight by 5 minutes and had to wait another 8 hours for my next flight.

On to the better parts of my voyage; never underestimate the PSU network. I was at the airport in Montreal, sporting my PSU hat when one of the workers asked me if I attended Penn State. He explained that he was a huge fan and his friend, who happens to be an alum, got them tickets to the Ohio game this year. He was really excited about it, and I was excited for him! Be nice to him Nittany Lions!

Tip #2 for travelers: Get your send-off entourage to come with an extra piece of luggage in case you have excess luggage, so they can go back with it, instead of you having to throw anything away. It is also advisable to arrive a lot earlier to the airport so that you will have time to weigh you baggage yourself, with one of their scales,  before check-in to avoid unpleasant surprises.
After the hugs and kisses from loved one, the second highlight of my trip was the boy I met from France who sat next to me from Montreal to Brussels. He spoke little English but with the French I could dig up from dusty armors in my mind, we ended up chatting for about 3hrs. Besides our matching phones (what a coincidence) and the fact that we both later missed our connecting flights, at the end of the day, we were just two students trying to make a change in our part of the world. I find it amazing how much two strangers can have in common and not even realize until a simple “hi” is uttered.

Tip #3 for travelers: One word- coins. You never know who you may need to call and when. Of course you can buy a calling card, or charge to your credit card, but when the conversation needs to only be quick and you can avoid a 3% charge on your card, why not? It may seem “old school” to carry around some local currency coins, when there is wi-fi and cellphones everywhere, but batteries do die, while coins last for centuries. Sometimes they are the best option.
All in all, faithful readers, here I am. In England. I won’t lie, hearing the first accent upon arrival, brought me to a giggle fit, and for the first couple of minutes, everything reminded me of Harry Potter, or Adele, or anything English in US pop culture. The right-hand driving and the antique pieces of art at the Trafford Center are all things I will get used to, as well as the very gloomy weather. We left the sunshine in Zurich and this is about the last glimpse of it I caught for you in this picture. The scenery from my seat on the plane was beautiful. When there were a few buildings in sight, everything appear as small as a dollhouse. It brought about humility, remembering how small I am in this big world, it was almost as if I had stepped in God’s shoes for 2 seconds, looking down on the world.

Fun Fact: I watched Midnight in Paris. Interesting movie that got me appreciating the here and now.

Peace & Love Always.
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Location: England