Calm Before the Storm

I made it to Fort Lauderdale, FL. It was a rough day: 24 hours of no sleep, a 6am flight, and then a combination of a little over 5 hours of flying time. I forgot what high humidity feels like. And I nearly fell over twice with the ridiculous amount of weight in my travel backpack. Needless to say I'm a little wiped out, but adrenaline has kept me going all day....well, that and the FREE wine and beer happy hour put on by the hotel. Let me tell you, that extra full glass of red wine was a blessing in disguise after being on the plane all day long!

Met my "crew". I'm excited for the relationships I've already built, and ones still to come. I've got my travel buds, and we're more than ready for the adventures to come! Reality still hasn't set in. We received our orientation itinerary for the next 5 days. I cannot believe this time tomorrow I will be sailing over the Atlantic heading to the Bahamas for student pick up.

As I sit here in my hotel room listening to the soothing sounds of thunder, lightening, and rain, I am nervous, anxious, and excited. There will be roughly 46 students on my floor, the Adriatic Sea. Our floor color is purple. I know I will be challenged in ways that I have not yet faced, but I see this as the opportune time to grow personally and professionally. I have so many expectations for myself for this voyage - being great at my job (Residence Life isn't my normal functional area), creating community with my floor during the short 2-month span, and taking full advantage of this trip and the places I'll be going to. Once we pick them up and do a brief orientation it's off to the first port - Barcelona, Spain!!!

Wow, let me pinch myself really quickly......

Oh, this is what living in a dreamworld feels like. :-)