As we finished breakfast and the pilot announced we needed to prepare for landing, I had the biggest mix of emotions ever. I had completed my first flight, and was about to step foot in a country I had dreamed of being in for so long, and I couldn't wait to get out the airport. Leaving the plane was a breeze, and after getting my passport stamped for the first time (by a very handsome Swiss man, I must add), it was time to get my luggage. With the help of my other group members, I was able to navigate through Zurich airport to find all of my luggage, and soon find my instructor, David Brinberg. After the group gathered all their belongings (with unfortunately one girl's luggage being lost), we navigated our way to the bus which would take us all from Zurich to Lugano.
The bus ride was for about three hours, and while my plan was to stay awake to see all of our first travels through Switzerland, I quickly realized the jet lag was catching up to me too quickly, and before I knew it, I had fallen asleep with the rest of the bus. As we neared Lugano, Brinberg woke us all up, and the excitement between all of us took over. We unloaded the bus, and took our first trip up the hill to the Montarina (which was a struggle to say the least), our home for the next 106 days. We all made our way up, and then it was time to find out our room assignments. My room, Room 3, was located on the first floor, which meant I didn't have to drag all my stuff up any stairs (thank goodness!). I was the first of my roomates(s) to my room and quickly chose the bed near the window. Within a few minutes, I met my roommate Emily and my (temporary) roommate Haley. We all agreed on our beds, and then Haley was offered a room with one of her close friends, and decided to move upstairs (more room for us!).
After beginning to unpack, it was time for our first European meal, lunch provided by the Montarina. We were served some yummy tortellini, which some of us struggled to eat because with the time change, we felt like it was 6am, and pasta that early in the morning is fairly strange for most of us. At lunch I sat with Sheley and Emily, and some of the girls Emily already knew before the trip. After lunch, we came back and met more people and continued to unpack. We then all met for a quick mini tour around Lugano from Brinberg and our "house moms." The tour was fun, and then Brinberg told us to explore wherever we wanted, just as long as we were back in time for dinner. Sheley, Jess, and I began exploring, and explored a little too far, quickly realizing we were already lost on day 1 of being in Europe. But, we eventually retraced our steps and found our way back with time to spare. Dinner that evening was another meal served by the Montarina, and after dinner we all just basically went straight to sleep from being so exhausted from traveling.
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