The Adventure Begins

My journey began today with an early morning flight out to Washington DC. I'm spending the night at a classy hotel out at the airport (thanks to mom's AAA card discounts!) before embarking on a 17 hour flight to Johannesburg tomorrow. I'm starting the trip off with the first of many new experiences- I've never spent a night in a hotel alone before, but it's turning out to be a good thing. All day long people have been helpful and nice to me, from the lady in line at security with me whose daughter graduated from both my high school and my college, to the airport shuttle driver who offered me both information and conversation. I'd like to think of it as a little message from the universe telling me that while I may be feeling the most independent I've ever been and a little alone, there are always people willing to help out and offer friendship. The experience is also making me excited to meet the rest of the students in my study abroad program tomorrow. While traveling alone has been much better than I expected it would be, I still feel like an essential part of the traveler's experience is the ability to share moments with others. I can't wait to meet my fellow adventurers! Lastly, this first part of my trip has reminded me why I love to travel. I love the constant traffic in airports, the swarms of people and airport personnel all moving non-stop in a carefully orchestrated dance that ships people and their things around the world. Call me crazy, but in some way, airports always make me feel more connected to the rest of humanity. And as much as I don't like change, I was reminded today how much I like experiencing new places and meeting new people. Today's smallish trip across the country made me realize how much I have to look forward to over the next few months. Despite a few butterflies, I'm ready to go!