Day 1 (traveling)

          Left my house at 9 in the morning. Just that night before, I started to get really sick. I didn’t
have a fever, but my head felt like it was in a bubble. I couldn’t breathe out of my nose, and I had to listen extremely close to what people were saying because my hearing was off. Nothing improved that day of. Anyway, it was only when I left my house that it felt like I might actually get a chance to go to Ukraine even though this has been planned for a while. I have been looking forward to this day for almost nine months, and it’s finally happening. I said goodbye to my parents at the airport. Mom was tearing up which made me tear up too. I sat in the airport for a while, patiently waiting to board. While doing so, I w
as on my computer looking at things to do in Vienna. This guy sat down right across from me. His face was kind of blocked, but we made eye contact a few times. He looked exactly like Benedict Cumberbatch. He had lighter brown hair, but other than that, the same. What is odd is the last time I flew on an airplane, there was a different guy that looked exactly like him as well. Odd. Now if only I saw the real Cumberbatch.
          The flight to Chicago was pretty short which was good. Chicago was the real challenge. I had no idea where gate M was. I saw got off on gate C, went under the road through the tunnel, and to the largest part of the airport where most of the gates are located. I noticed that they were in alphabetical order, so I thought if I just keep walking, I will end up in M. I walked which felt like miles all the way to L. No M to be found. I saw an employee and stopped her to ask where M was. She said “I don’t know anything; I just work for Spirit.” That’s when I saw a map. I checked the map, and M wasn’t even on there. I found someone else and asked them. He told me that in order to go there, I need to hop on a train outside of the airport, and it would take me there. I was super confused, but I walked outside of security. Right outside was a sign that said Terminal Five with an arrow pointed up. I was about to hop on when a security guard stopped me and said the train is out of service, but I can take a bus. So I walked outside, hopped on a bus, and just prayed I got on the right one. Thankfully, I did. After driving on busy roads for a few minutes, we arrived at terminal 5, or gate M. This, I guess, is for the international flights.
          Before I boarded the plane, my carryon had to be weighed, and the lady told me it was too heavy. It was about 9.5 lbs, and the weight limit was 8 lbs. After going back and forth, she reluctantly gave me a luggage tag, and I was able to take it on. It gave me a scare, though. ANOTHER thing that got me worried is I lost my boarding pass. I had it just a few minutes before, and they needed to scan it and check my passport before I got my tag, but then it disappeared. Thankfully, they were able to print me a new one. This plane ride was one of the most uncomfortable plane rides ever. I was right in the middle of two men who hogged the arm rests with their fat arms and bulky pillows, and right behind a crazy lady who claimed I kept on kicking her feet, which I wasn’t. I could not move one muscle without someone getting on to me. Unfortunately, I could not watch any movies because I had Bluetooth headphones, and in order to hook them up, they needed to have a cord. I could not even go to sleep. The thing I was looking forward to the most was also a slight disappointment. I was reading about Austrian airlines, and was told that they had great plane food. That was false. The best thing about the meal was the coke, but that was bottled. This plane ride was about 8.5 hours long, and we arrived that next morning.