Getting there

I chose wanderlust because it is a noun that means a very strong desire or impulse to travel the world. And then added the 10 to the end because of the 10 countries I will go to on this trip.

This isn't the best writing and it's a lot of random thoughts so apologies for that before you read.

April 28, 2:30pm EST
Sitting in Chicago's airport right now. Now that I'm alone I feel more calm but I think I'm still shaking a little. If you would have told me I would be doing this a year ago I would have told you you're crazy. This is really taking a huge step out of my comfort zone. I know it is something I need to do for myself though. I think it's the most terrifying thing I've ever done.
In saying goodbye I haven't cried as much as I thought I would. I don't feel super nervous, but I felt like I was shaking like crazy before. I don't know if other people could see or not. I know it will be a great experience and I know once I am there it will be fine... Minus the whole typhoid, hep a, maybe malaria doctor notification mishap. Gotta be super careful these first 3 days to say the least.
In other news, I just spilled water all over myself and found out just how fast my quick drying pants dry. Super fast!
And I'm sick. Stuffy and all so that blows.

6:37pm EST
It's weird because I know there is this huge adventure ahead of me but because I don't really have any idea what to expect, all I can think of is returning home in 3.5 months. It's the only concrete thing I can picture. Everything else I just have no idea what to expect so I have no expectations. Blank slate!
I kept tearing up in the airport. I think there are so many things I am feeling right now that I can't really process them and they just come out as overwhelmed. Apparently I express that through tears at this moment in time.
It's kinda one of those things where I just get pulled into the shuffle. Like at the Swedish house mafia concert when I got to the front because I was carried away with the people pushing and shoving around me. Like it is happening and I'm pretty chill about it now. I'll just go with the flow.
It's always weird because when you go away for a period of time your life at home kind of pauses since you're not there. But it isn't paused at all. Everyone else's keeps going. I remember that being kinda strange when I got home from study abroad.

4:16am EST
On the plane I met a woman, Alyssa, and her son, Jordan. They were on their way to Kenya for a family reunion. She was born in Amsterdam, grew up in Kenya, has brothers in Sudan and Chicago and parents in Somalia. What?!? And Jordan was just in OT this past year for sensory problems.
I think I slept most of the flight. Jordan slept on my shoulder/arm for part of it. It was cute. I've just been siting in the airport lounge in Amsterdam thinking. Not really even sure about what. (Retrospectively, I people watched for 8 hrs straight). I'm ready to sleep again, that's for sure.

6:28am EST
Went to the first gate number posted. Got there. Sat down. Started looking around and noticed everyone looked Chinese... Started listening and heard Chinese. I was for sure in the wrong place. I had just been thinking that I wasn't sure if I could tell the difference between all the Asian and Middle Eastern nationalities. I think I'm better at it than I thought. This gate looks and sounds more like India to me.
And yes, I realize that is super politically incorrect.

12:31pm EST
For sure in foreign territory. No idea what I just ate on the plane. A tomato salad? Rice, spicy potatoes and some white clumpy thing? Didn't eat the container of lime pickle. There was normal butter and a container of what I only assume from my other travels was fat with spices for the bread. That one wasn't a hard choice. Dessert, I tried it, was some type of cake or bread soaked in sweet juices with pistachios over it.

April 29 5:14am Delhi time
The breakfast on the plane was more normal. Fruit. A pickled salad maybe? A wrap with green beans and something spicy in it.
Got off the airplane and got through passport control easily. The guy was really mean looking though and didn't say anything to me. I was glad he was all but 10 seconds of my life.
I waited for my bag for a while. Kind of half expected it to not be there. But it came. I was supposed to have a transfer service from the airport to the hotel but I didn't see anyone there with my name. I waited for 10 minutes and then ventured to find a taxi. Taxi drivers kept coming up to me asking if I needed a ride. Not from you!!! Ahh!!! I said no and kept walking as they yelled questions at me about where I was going. I saw a stand that said taxi and airport registered and decided that was good.
Holy monkeys. There was no seat belt buckle to put my seat belt in. Good start. I don't know if there are lanes or not. It looks like there are but it doesn't look like they're used. Drivers just honk when they want you to know they're coming through. They weave in and out of trucks and cars. A lot of the trucks say honk or blow horn too on the back. Honestly it was like in harry potter when harry gets on the nighy bus and it squeezes between cars by distorting itself... minus the distortion part. But that is how tight it seemed. There were so many people on the road for 2am! I couldn't believe it. There were 3 people on 1 motorcycle, groups of people shoved into the back of trucks and jeeps which in the US would look super sketch. There were even 2 horse drawn carriages on the highway.
The cab driver slowed down and pulled off to the side and I was like ok and now is when I find out i chose the wrong cab... But he turned around and asked the address again. He had no idea where it was. He was calling dispatch (maybe) and pulling off to the side to ask people directions. It was kinda nerve racking but at the same time I couldn't do anything or understand what was going on so I assumed it
was still fine. I made it. So yey!
Then I paid him and I didn't know about tip or any of that. He didn't seem to wonder about it either so I didn't leave any. I got inside and the guy seemed angry. I didn't know why or what was going on. Later I understood. Apparently my travel agent booked the car for last night instead of tonight. He said the car waited for 3 hrs for me and they lost 750 rp. I apologized. It wasn't my fault so I wasn't sure what to do.
The room is pretty nice. There's a fan. A normal toilet. A bed. The shower has buckets in it. I iMessaged court and she explained that one to me haha. You fill up the bucket with water and use the smaller cup to pour it over yourself. I'll tackle that later. I ended up giving the guys who helped me to my room 100 rp as a tip. Idk if you're supposed to or not and that may be a lot. But o well.
Brushed my teeth using my bottled water and not the sink water. Now I just hope that the hotel I am at now is actually the hotel my group is joining at because there are discrepancies between this and the
sheet. But my travel agent said she called to ask and this was it. Fingers crossed.
I'm going to try to sleep before I need to get up to take my malaria pill.