Whirlwind!

What a week! I don’t even know where to start updating, so I guess I’ll just start with last week. 

Thursday (Feb 25):  Danny and I went to see Alice in Chains at the Tabernacle in Atlanta! They have been my favorite band for quite awhile, and they were amazing, even without Layne! It was really special to be able to spend some time with Danny before I left too.

Friday (Feb 26): Last day of work. My coworkers got pizza for my going-away-lunch, very sweet! I sure am going to miss working with such an amazing group of women. Friday night my friends and I hung out at 283, and I was shocked at how many people came out (nearly 30!). I was really happy to get to see everyone before I left, and felt so special that everyone came out to see me!

Saturday (Feb 27): Going away party at my mom’s house. My aunt Gaye Anne and her husband Joey came from South Carolina to surprise me! I was so grateful to see my grandparents, and Jana and her boys too.

Sunday (Feb 28): Going away party at my Aunt Terri’s house, with my dad’s side of the family. Again, really happy to get to see everyone. How lucky am I to have such a wonderful family (both sides!). Sunday night I had dinner with Allison, Joe, and Jason T. at the Globe. My besties!

Monday (Mar 1). A very hard day.  Amie was an angel and stayed with me Sunday night and Monday to help finish up the madness packing. If not for her, I surely would have had a major breakdown!  Mom brought Jonathan over after school, and I said goodbye to them. Gah, thinking of it makes me cry. Then Amie left (blah, horrible day), and I met Dad at shop. Said bye to Danny (another cry for me), and Dad and Laura took me to the airport.  Panick at check-in, did not realize checking extra bags would be SO expensive, so Dad and I combined bags, and I carried on an extra. Said bye to Dad, and had a good cry all the way through security. I dare say, the fact that I was crying made them rush me through a bit, haha.

My flight was at 11 pm. Amie had said she would be outside her house waving when I took off, so obviously I had ANOTHER good cry when I took off over the Atlanta skyline. My seat-neighbor, a nice gent from Oxford, was very kind though, and tried to entertain me. I didn’t get much sleep on the flight (the man behind me was playing the touch-screen games on the screen on the back of my headrest with a vengeance), but it seemed to go very fast.

Tuesday (Mar 2): Arrival. I was so grateful that my job sent someone from the office to collect me. We took a cab about 45 minutes to my office, where I met everyone briefly. The lady I’m staying with, Carmen, met us there, where we took another cab to her home. She showed me around the house, walked me around the neighborhood, showing me which bus to use the next day, and got me an Oyster card (a frequent-user-bus pass). I took a walk around the neighborhood, got to Skype Amie and Danny, and then bought a few groceries, then went back to the flat, and tried to get settled in and unpacked, but fell asleep around 7pm!

Wednesday (Mar 3).  Woke up, had a very confusing battle with the shower, had to end up taking a bath (ew), then headed to my orientation meeting at work (at 2 pm). They told me a million things to I need to do, but luckily I have Thurs. and Fri. off to sort things out. Got a wireless card for my phone, but the connection is spotty so I don’t think it will be reliable. I also got a charger for my laptop, so that is nice. Got to have a nice long chat with Mom, which made me feel tons better.

Today! Now I’m at a coffee shop, chatting with some buddies on gchat, and Dad on Skype, so I feel much better.  This afternoon I’m going to try to get my cell sorted out, and open a bank account.

I miss home very badly, but am trying to be brave. I’m sure once I get my bearings here, things will calm down and I’ll feel better. But for now I’m just feeling overwhelmed. There is so much to do, but it’s hard to get started without a phone or internet.

Will write more soon!