The Ride Out
Ok, I didn't get the chance to write an entry after all this happened, so let me write about the trip out here to Moorea.
I left from RI, and leaving was relatively painless and uneventful. I sat next to some cool people who graduated from SK a couple years ahead of Mike. They were headed to Cali, and said that I was free to visit them while I was in the area during the second half of the program, and gave me their e-mail. So that flight turned out to be pretty nice.
I had a short layover in Chicago, and then got onto a really packed 747 to LA. Again, things went smoothly and I got there fine, although the flight was generally uncomfortable.
That night was new years, which turned out to be a total blast. It was really awesome to see all my east/west friends again, they are all so great :D. I got a tiny bit drunk on white wine, got into a putting-ice-cubes-down-your-pants fight with Will (and a bit with Nate and Eddie too). The next morning we all had to get up, repack, and leave for our flight to Tahiti.
My wallet was stolen.
I have no idea where or how, but when I went to get it so that I could go to breakfast with everyone that morning, it was nowhere to be found. It's possible that it fell out of my purse, or was stolen from the lobby when Jill and I were hanging out with our luggage for a while... I really don't know. I called hotel lost and found, and no one had turned it in. I continued searching through the rooms and my things to make sure I hadn't just misplaced it. I didn't. It was totally gone. I lost lik $100 cash, and my credit and debit card. We got to the airport and I was kinda down about it obviously. My only way of paying for things now was the few travelers checks I had in my purse. When we got to the airport I called my mom to ask her to call the people for me to cancel my card and freeze my bank account so no one could spend my money. She argued with me and told me I should do it, despite the fact that I was at the airport getting ready to board a plane out of the country. Crazy person...
So I settled that and got into the line to check my baggage. When you get on a plane there are two weight limits. One is usually 50 pounds, this is the limit over which you have to pay extra to get it on the plane. I knew both of my bags were over this limit. The other limit is usually 100 pounds. This is the limit over which they will not let you put your baggage onto the plane at all. My first bag was 78 lbs on the trip out to Cali, and my second bag was about 100 lbs. Yea, heavy I know, but it had all my scuba stuff and lead weights.
There was a problem.
Tahiti air has different weight standards. My large bag was too heavy to get on the plane by something like 25 lbs (They do it in kgs). My smaller bag was just about AT the weight limit somehow, so it got checked. I had to find a store in the airport and BUY another bag to put my stuff into. Move things over to it from my large bag, and go through the bag checking and scanning process again. At this point I was getting kinda nervous because pretty much everyone was already through and was at the gate getting ready to board. Jill stayed and helped me out getting a new bag and filling it with stuff. After that she had to go to the gate to make sure she herself didn't miss the flight. For some reason this time my bags went through the scanner they got flagged. 20 minutes later they still have my bags. I'm basically freaking out as my flight is supposed to leave in something like 10 minutes, and I'm not even done checking my bags, and I have no idea why they still have them. Some guy finally comes over and says that one bag messed up there machine or something so they had to take forever and go through everything, and gave me some paper to sign. Then I finally got to check them onto the plane, and their weights were both under the limit. I should have had to pay something like $60 for each bag over the first weight limit, and extra for my third checked bag. I was so close to the departure time thought at this point that they didn't make me pay for anything and ushered me to the gate. They were all really nice! hehe
After a generally eventful morning I made it onto my plane to Tahiti ready for things to get easier!
Luckily that rough start only meant the beginning of a wonderful time! I'm REALLY busy all the time, but despite all this I seem to not be stressed at all.
Also on another note last Wednesday was Dalal's birthday, and we all went to the Sheraton where I can drink legally. :D
I had a coco passion, whatever that is (tasty). The hotel was GORGEOUS, and I told my friends I'd be back someday with my surgeon husban ;) hehehe, I'm a dreamer what can I say.
We went back to the Marine Station and had a dance party, and did shots. Shots make me drunk. Lol, I did a couple shots of tequila and one of So Co. I was drunker than I've ever been with these guys on the program, and had a hilariously good time. I also did some things of questionable insanity, hehe, basically it was an amazing time had by all! (Happy Birthday Dalal!)
One more thing, and then I have to go eat breakast, (by the way it's 5 hours earlier here than it is for you guys). I am somehow good at volleyball! I don't suck! Me being someone who is bad at every sport ever invented and generally every competitive game I have ever tried to play (except Soul Calibur II hehe) DON'T SUCK at volleyball! I could even be considered "good" by some people casual standards. IT'S SO FUN! We play a game here every day before dinner, and I'm going to be sooo sad when we have to leave! :D
So here I am - completely different life style. I eat generally well, I do exercise (one dive or snorkel and around an hour of volleyball a day), and I'm getting TAN. That's right, ME, with a TAN. Lol :). I know it's kinda incomprehensible, but try and wrap your mind around it. I feel like I'm going to look like a diferent person when I get back, but it's a good thing!
Again, I love and miss you all!
And don't hate me too much out of jealousy ;)
I left from RI, and leaving was relatively painless and uneventful. I sat next to some cool people who graduated from SK a couple years ahead of Mike. They were headed to Cali, and said that I was free to visit them while I was in the area during the second half of the program, and gave me their e-mail. So that flight turned out to be pretty nice.
I had a short layover in Chicago, and then got onto a really packed 747 to LA. Again, things went smoothly and I got there fine, although the flight was generally uncomfortable.
That night was new years, which turned out to be a total blast. It was really awesome to see all my east/west friends again, they are all so great :D. I got a tiny bit drunk on white wine, got into a putting-ice-cubes-down-your-pants fight with Will (and a bit with Nate and Eddie too). The next morning we all had to get up, repack, and leave for our flight to Tahiti.
My wallet was stolen.
I have no idea where or how, but when I went to get it so that I could go to breakfast with everyone that morning, it was nowhere to be found. It's possible that it fell out of my purse, or was stolen from the lobby when Jill and I were hanging out with our luggage for a while... I really don't know. I called hotel lost and found, and no one had turned it in. I continued searching through the rooms and my things to make sure I hadn't just misplaced it. I didn't. It was totally gone. I lost lik $100 cash, and my credit and debit card. We got to the airport and I was kinda down about it obviously. My only way of paying for things now was the few travelers checks I had in my purse. When we got to the airport I called my mom to ask her to call the people for me to cancel my card and freeze my bank account so no one could spend my money. She argued with me and told me I should do it, despite the fact that I was at the airport getting ready to board a plane out of the country. Crazy person...
So I settled that and got into the line to check my baggage. When you get on a plane there are two weight limits. One is usually 50 pounds, this is the limit over which you have to pay extra to get it on the plane. I knew both of my bags were over this limit. The other limit is usually 100 pounds. This is the limit over which they will not let you put your baggage onto the plane at all. My first bag was 78 lbs on the trip out to Cali, and my second bag was about 100 lbs. Yea, heavy I know, but it had all my scuba stuff and lead weights.
There was a problem.
Tahiti air has different weight standards. My large bag was too heavy to get on the plane by something like 25 lbs (They do it in kgs). My smaller bag was just about AT the weight limit somehow, so it got checked. I had to find a store in the airport and BUY another bag to put my stuff into. Move things over to it from my large bag, and go through the bag checking and scanning process again. At this point I was getting kinda nervous because pretty much everyone was already through and was at the gate getting ready to board. Jill stayed and helped me out getting a new bag and filling it with stuff. After that she had to go to the gate to make sure she herself didn't miss the flight. For some reason this time my bags went through the scanner they got flagged. 20 minutes later they still have my bags. I'm basically freaking out as my flight is supposed to leave in something like 10 minutes, and I'm not even done checking my bags, and I have no idea why they still have them. Some guy finally comes over and says that one bag messed up there machine or something so they had to take forever and go through everything, and gave me some paper to sign. Then I finally got to check them onto the plane, and their weights were both under the limit. I should have had to pay something like $60 for each bag over the first weight limit, and extra for my third checked bag. I was so close to the departure time thought at this point that they didn't make me pay for anything and ushered me to the gate. They were all really nice! hehe
After a generally eventful morning I made it onto my plane to Tahiti ready for things to get easier!
Luckily that rough start only meant the beginning of a wonderful time! I'm REALLY busy all the time, but despite all this I seem to not be stressed at all.
Also on another note last Wednesday was Dalal's birthday, and we all went to the Sheraton where I can drink legally. :D
I had a coco passion, whatever that is (tasty). The hotel was GORGEOUS, and I told my friends I'd be back someday with my surgeon husban ;) hehehe, I'm a dreamer what can I say.
We went back to the Marine Station and had a dance party, and did shots. Shots make me drunk. Lol, I did a couple shots of tequila and one of So Co. I was drunker than I've ever been with these guys on the program, and had a hilariously good time. I also did some things of questionable insanity, hehe, basically it was an amazing time had by all! (Happy Birthday Dalal!)
One more thing, and then I have to go eat breakast, (by the way it's 5 hours earlier here than it is for you guys). I am somehow good at volleyball! I don't suck! Me being someone who is bad at every sport ever invented and generally every competitive game I have ever tried to play (except Soul Calibur II hehe) DON'T SUCK at volleyball! I could even be considered "good" by some people casual standards. IT'S SO FUN! We play a game here every day before dinner, and I'm going to be sooo sad when we have to leave! :D
So here I am - completely different life style. I eat generally well, I do exercise (one dive or snorkel and around an hour of volleyball a day), and I'm getting TAN. That's right, ME, with a TAN. Lol :). I know it's kinda incomprehensible, but try and wrap your mind around it. I feel like I'm going to look like a diferent person when I get back, but it's a good thing!
Again, I love and miss you all!
And don't hate me too much out of jealousy ;)