Greetings from across the sea!

So I'm sitting on the floor of the Hoikkala house right now with Sanni and Lauren by my side and the sun still in the sky at 11:00 p.m.-- right where it is going to stay for the next several days!

That's right, I made it to Rauma, Finland! And although my body is still trying to figure out what in the world is going on and why it hasn't eaten or slept properly at all, the pure excitement of being in Europe is keeping me from laying my head on a pillow and closing my eyes to this new world they have only just begun to see.

Leavin' Amurica!

Every moment starting from when I hugged my parents goodbye at the Memphis airport yesterday (was that only yesterday?) to typing on my computer right now has been permanently engraved on my mind as some of the most exciting and surreal moments of my life. And most of what I have done so far is spend hours and hours and hours in airports, on airplanes, and in cars! But I can still see my mom jumping up and down and waving at me as I turned the corner towards my gate in the airport and waved goodbye one last time, and I can still remember what it felt like to walk through the doors of the Helsinki airport and feel the air of a new country hit my face. I can remember bouncing down the halls of every airport, and I'm pretty sure everybody who saw the ridiculous grin I walked around with all day long thought I was high.

Well, I was. High on life! I won't go through all the grueling details of tedious airline travel, but the trip over the Atlantic was certainly one of the most unreal things I have ever experienced. I was squished into the back of the plane in the middle seat of the middle aisle, and had two retired British men on either side of me. They had been visiting the States to sit at the Atlanta airport and record the numbers written on the side of airplanes for every incoming and outgoing flight they saw. (People can certainly make a hobby out of anything!) I had a great time getting to know them though-- they had a wonderful sense of humor and made my 7 hour and 45 minute trip considerably less lonely. As bodily sustenance on the plane I was served prepackaged lasagna, a stale roll, a wilting salad but a "gourmet" triangle of cheese (at least they have their priorities straight!) for dinner, and in the "morning" was I was woken up with a breakfast of creamy, blueberry yogurt, a buttery croissant, and orange juice. I don't know if it could actually be called morning, though, since night only lasted about 3 hours, which I also think is how long I slept but I really have absolutely no idea.

First glimpse of England!

All I know is that by the end of the longest 7 hours and 45 minutes of my life I wasn't sure if my bottom was still attached to my body since I couldn't really feel it, but I almost cried for joy when I looked out the window and caught my first glimpse of England. Now I really couldn't stop smiling and kept saying over and over again, "I'm in Europe! I'm in Europe!" Upon landing in Manchester I was whisked through the airport to wait for my final flight to Helsinki and I met a fellow American, college-aged girl traveling to Europe to visit friends. She had been on the inbound flight from Chicago with me and I am so grateful for her, because once we ended up at the Finnair gate where nobody was speaking English we were able to console each other in our cluelessness ;) On the flight to Helsinki I sat by a very nice man who shared his Salmon bagel with me-- he claimed he was full and couldn't eat the whole thing, but I think he really just fell sorry for me because I didn't have any Euros to buy food with and he could tell I was positively starving.

After another restless 2 and a half hours, I had finally made it to Helsinki, Finland. I rushed through the airport, grinning from ear to ear, and breezed through Passport control. When the officer picked up his stamp and left his mark in my Passport with it I just about died of joy.

I have my first stamp in my Passport. The first of many more to come!

After making it safely through the gate I rushed down to the baggage claim where a small, blonde girl wearing glasses was sitting on top of a suitcase and leaning against the wall across a room full of people from me. As soon as we realized who the other was she jumped up and we both ran towards each other, laughing and ending up in a huge embrace. The international sisters Michelle and Sanni had finally been reunited!

"Sisters" reunited!

Once Lauren arrived we were all treated to a much needed snack from Starbucks by Sanni's very kind and friendly father and then we piled into the car for the three hour trip back to Rauma. I stared out the window at this brand new country whizzing past my eyes for as long as I could before drifting off to sleep, and when we arrived at the Hoikkala house Sanni's mother had a wonderful spread of fruit, vegetables, bread, tea and juice waiting for us. We chowed down on an evening snack, took a walk around the lake and through the woods of Sanni's neighborhood, and now...now, I should probably go to bed ;)

Goodnight!

I can't believe I'm in Europe :) :) :) This really is a dream come true.