Hello Everyone! I made it safely
back from Central Europe and am now finishing the final portion of my class. I
had an amazing time! As part of my class I have been asked to write ten blog
posts about my experiences both for my own grade and as a resource for future
students. This first entry is about traveling to Europe and advice for future
students.
The first tips I have for future
students involve packing. I used a small suitcase not much larger than carry-on
size, a large backpack that I use for school, and a cross-shoulder purse. This
does not sound like a lot of space, and truly it is not. However, if you pack
carefully, you can have plenty of room in this arrangement. I as far as
clothes, I brought 5 shirts, a jacket, a rain coat, pajamas, 3 shorts, 2 capri
pants, and a pair of jeans. This doesn’t sound like much for a full month
abroad, but if you frequently wash your clothes in the sink, there is never a
problem and you always have clean(ish) clothes. I suggest rolling your clothes
when you pack them to save space. I used my backpack as my carry-on and the
main space where I put the souvenirs I bought along the trip. I used my
relatively large purse as my day bag. Space is limited, but if you plan ahead
you will have no problems.
I had quite an experience traveling
to Europe, and I have a lot of advice for future travelers. First, I flew from
a small regional airport to Chicago. I met up with another girl from my class
to fly to Newark, New Jersey. Then we flew from Newark to Berlin Tegel Airport.
We encountered no problems or setbacks until after we got on our international
flight in Newark. We were on the runway when the plane’s back up battery did
not work. We sat on the runway for a hour before there was finally a space open
where it could be fixed back at the airport. It took another hour to get the
plane fixed and most of another hour before we could take off. This would have
simply been an inconvenience, but while the plane was being worked on, the
power on the plane was turned off. It was 90 degrees Fahrenheit outside, making
the inside of the plane around 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It was around dinner time
so everyone was hungry and progressively more irritable. I was hungry and
overheated just like everyone else. Finally, the plane and therefore the air
conditioning turned back on and we were finally able to take off to Europe.
Not long after we were in the air,
dinner was served. I was hungry and my body temperature was finally returning
to normal. Unfortunately, I ate too much too quickly and the addition of the
warm food caused me overheat. I fainted and threw up. I do not get motion sick,
so my illness was the combination of the stresses of traveling and the heat.
Thankfully I had a change of clothes, so I could get cleaned up on the plane. I
spent the rest of the plane ride trying to sleep. I was excited for Europe, but
I had a relatively miserable plane ride.
My advice for future European
travelers (or travelers anywhere) is to always pack a change of clothes in your
carry-on. Anything can happen when you travel and its best to be prepared. I
also suggest either purchasing or filling up your water bottle at the airport
before getting on the plane. Even if the plane has beverage service, you never
know if you are going to get stuck on the tarmac for hours. It is important to
stay hydrated when you travel. I also suggest always keeping a positive
attitude. Traveling is hard on everyone and there are often many
inconveniences. A negative attitude just makes it more unpleasant both for you
and everyone around you. It is not worth getting upset about things you cannot
control.
It was easy to find our professor in
Tegel Airport after we landed. It was time for our adventure in Europe to
begin!
Picture
References:
1.
Emily
Herkert. Plane from Chicago to Newark. May 27, 2014. Chicago, Illinois.
2.
Emily
Herkert. Berlin Tegel Airport. May 28, 2014. Berlin, Germany.
