Weinerschnitzel!

February 10th (9th, 11th???) It depends where you are…
I am sitting here alone in the Frankfurt Airport waiting for my flight to Bangalore and it’s finally occuring to me that this is actually happening. I feel like I’ve been planning this trip forever and now the hour is at hand! (That was supposed to sound overly dramatic). I haven’t done anything really by myself in a long time and now that I’m sitting on this bench of seats looking out on the rainy tarmac in a fluorescent waiting area in Germany with Me, Myself and I, I’m getting pretty smug and proud of myself. I know that there is no way in this world I would have been able to get to this moment without the help of so many people (some of whom I hope are reading this right now… gotta make sure I’m making good on your investments. THANK YOU!), but at the same time I’m very aware of the fact that I did it! Who knows, maybe I’m growing up… we’ll see.
It was definitely hard to leave – that good old adage about never knowing what you have applies here. It seemed like just before I left things started feeling really good, but someone recently reminded me that the times when you are getting complacent are the best times to make changes. No one ever gets where they want to go by standing still…
My friend Katherine told me I should relay this anecdote:
When I got to the airport in Chicago (after the usual tearful good-bye to my mom) and got up to the check-in desk, I handed the gate agent my passport and was waiting for her to check me in. I must have looked tense or sad because she stopped what she was doing and said “Are you alright?” (read mild irritation, not compassion). I told her I was nervous and she quickly shut me down, telling me it was going to be great. I think that might have been the moment when I realized I was doing the right thing. Anyway – that might not seem like a big deal, but it stood out to me – and I’m really doing this blog so I remember what I was thinking. (I mean, it’s for all of you too, but mostly me. Ha)
For anyone who’s interested, I highly recommend Lufthansa Airlines. Clean, comfortable, punctual (gotta love those Germans), and decent food (free booze). I watched three movies on the way here and plan on watching three more on the way to India. There’s also a weird statue of Goethe in the middle of the Frankfurt Airport. All things to be duly noted.
Ok, that’s it for now, I’ll try to avoid being so long-winded in the future, but I can’t promise anything. I know there’s only going to be more and more to write about in the coming days.
Aufwiedersein!