Starting our adventure

So the last few days in Olympia were very stressful and hectic. Saying bye to friends and family who have kept me stable was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. The hardest goodbye was to my brother. He is at a hard stage in life and heading off to Korea is the last thing I want to do for him. I have come to understand that this is really a journey for me, even if it means being a little selfish, to gain more independence. As Helena says I am not my father/ brother’s keeper.

So I spent my last few days trying to connect with all my friends and packing up my room and moving all my stuff. I was really hoping I would be able to sell my car before this trip so as to have a little more funds for this year but I didn’t so I left it in the care of my dad in hopes he will be able to sell it. Unfortunately I packed the title so the night before take off I was digging through all of our storage boxes but luckily I found it!

Sunday my dad, brother, Eddie, and I headed for Oregon to visit my grandma before I took off for a year. She spent most of the time trying to talk me out of this adventure but here I am! My uncle Dwain showed up and we all ate together then we set off back home to finish packing and get ready for the moving truck Tuesday.

When I came back, Monday, I found out my financial aid hadn’t gone through and so I had to pay for school. Unfortunately I couldn’t pay it Wednesday so Eddie paid for my first quarter of school. On the plus side I got my contract all signed and ready to go so I am registered and paid for and so I will be getting credit for this trip!

Tuesday was spent moving all of our boxes out to Eddie’s parent’s barn in Dayton and packing up. Wednesday we finished everything up and then said bye to everyone. Tara and Jennie drove us out to Dayton where we slept for like 3 hours till 3:30am then we took off for the airport.

Our plane left at 7:20AM and we reached San Francisco just after 9AM but the hotel didn’t let us check in until 3pm so Eddie and I spent the day curled up in a ball in the hotel’s living room on a small loveseat. The rest of the day was spent sleeping in our room and then we went to Houlihans for some really delicious food. The next day we went exploring around town which wasn’t too exciting because we couldn’t get too far without at car but we spent some time in their very fancy mall and then walking around the streets which are very diverse. On one street it is very fancy expensive shops then the next one over is like a ghetto with lots of beggars and people sleeping on the sidewalks. It was a fun day but Eddie and I didn’t wear the right kind of shoes for the adventure. We spent the next day at the hotel. We went for some IHOP for our traditional breakfast then to Houlihans again for dinner but mostly stayed in since it was raining and cold out. Sunday was our last full day so we went to the Golden Gate Bridge for some tourist activities. The bridge was very amazing and to my surprise it is red not golden!

Monday we got on a 12 and a half-hour flight and headed for Korea. The plane was very nice and there were lots of things to do. Each seat had a TV screen in front of it that we used to play board games, arcade games, watch TV shows and movies of our choosing. The staff was very helpful and friendly. I slept for about 2 hours and then read a little of my book. The only complaint I had was that my ears wouldn’t pop for a long time which was very uncomfortable!!