Bonjour tout le monde!!
Today started bright and early with a 6:40 wake up call. Andrea and I's check out time was 7:30, so we needed to get ready and do some last minute packing. Andrea's flight was leaving at 12, so she was leaving campus around 8. We got our room inspected and I helped her get ready to go. Talia had slept at Clarisse's house the night before, so she was with Clarisse for our check out. Talia and I went and woke up all of the boys so that everyone could say goodbye to Andrea. Talia and I walked Andrea to the tram station and sent her off. Andrea had become a little sister to me, and watching her leave made me want to cry.
Talia and I went back to my room and finished tidying up. We had a group breakfast in the library at 8:30, so we headed down there. We found out that another girl on our program tested positive for COVID and couldn't get back into her country. They had all of us take tests before coming to breakfast, and luckily we were all negative. I was leaving straight from the breakfast, so I took a last look at our apartment and locked the door. The boys carried my bag to the library and we had our goodbye breakfast.
our empty room; saying bye to Andrea
Tara asked us all what our summer plans were and we enjoyed some chocolate croissants and juice. At 10, it was my turn to say goodbye. The boys helped me carry my bag to the tram stop, and we said our goodbyes. I hugged each of them and we cracked some last minute jokes. Talia came on the tram with me for awhile, but got off at an earlier stop.
Once I was alone, I got really sad to be leaving. There is a specific train that leaves from the train station to the airport that comes every 20 minutes, and unfortunately I walked up as it was pulling away, so I had to wait another 20 minutes. When I got to the airport, I was 3 hours early like they advise. However I was told I couldn't check my bag until 2 hours before my flight. I found a sandwich shop and got my last french ham sandwich. French ham sandwiches hit different, they're so good. I enjoyed my lunch and got in line to check my bag. Everything went smoothly, and I made it to my gate with plenty of time. I was really stressed about this travel day because of how bad my trip here was, and I had short layovers. My first flight was from Lyon to Amsterdam, and we ended up being delayed 20 minutes. I was accidentally marked for needing assistance, so I got to board first which was weird. The flight went smoothly and we landed in Amsterdam. I only had an hour, so I rushed through the airport. Luckily the passport check line was only a few people long, and I made it to my gate with enough time to use the bathroom and fill my water bottle. This was the long flight, so I settled in for 8 hours of sitting. I hadn't been feeling well the last few days, and I confirmed my fears of a sinus infection on this flight. The pressure in my face was unpleasant, but deal-able at this point. I ate pasta and a salad, and watched some movies. I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, Mamma Mia 2, and The Hating Game. They also gave us a pizza wrap thing that was good. Overall the flight was as enjoyable as an 8 hour flight could be.
When we landed in New York, the real battle began. I had about an hour and a half to get through customs, recheck my bag, get through security, and find my gate. I walked into the room where the customs line started, and almost lost my mind. I couldn't even tell where the line ended. It was also incredibly overestimating to be surrounded by people yelling in English and even English customs. I had become very used to hearing French in the background of my life, and French people are A LOT quieter than Americans. I tried to wait patiently for awhile, but it quickly became apparent that if I stayed in the line I would miss my flight. When I found a lady who worked there, I told her my flight would start boarding in thirty minutes and asked if there was anything I could do. She looked at me and opened the ribbon so I could come through. She put me in the front section of the line, and I got through in like 5 minutes. I was running on pure adrenaline at this point, desperate to not spend another night in JFK. I walked up to baggage claim and my bag happened to be right in front, so I grabbed it and fast walked to the recheck counter. Luckily all I had to do was hand it to someone, and they pointed me in the right direction. I speed walked through the airport and made it to security. The line was moving quickly, so I tried to stay calm and made my way through. Luckily I got through with no issues, so now I just had to find my gate. Of course, it was at the very very end of the terminal. I fast walked through the terminal, seeing landmarks from my initial stay. It was funny to see them again, it felt like that experience was so long ago and like 4 personalities ago. I made it to my gate as they started boarding, so I quickly used the restroom and refilled my water bottle. I hadn't even put things back in my bag from security, so I reorganized and got in line. I wanted to cry of relief as I boarded that flight. My face also was hurting from the sinus pressure, so I knew this flight wasn't going to be fun. I texted my parents that I made it an my dad left our house to get to the airport.
I luckily slept for most of this flight, but when I was awake I thought my face was going to explode. I was exhausted and just hoping for the flight to end. By some miracle, my two hour flight only lasted an hour and fifteen minutes. I swear it was the quickest trip from New York to Pittsburgh ever.
When I got to the Pittsburgh airport I felt relieved to be home. Because our flight was so fast my dad wasn't there yet, so I found my bag and then found a seat to wait. When he pulled up I went outside and got in the car. He had brought me snacks and drinks, and I started telling stories of the trip. Before we even made it to Morgantown I was asleep and I didn't wake up until we got home.
I am so happy to be home, but I'm also sad to be back in the states. I miss everything about France already.
À plus tard,
Maggie
(written for June 15)