I've left my family many times before to head to the University of South Carolina and figured that I would be emotionally prepared to leave again for a few months. I woke up all my little brothers to say goodbye and tell them that I loved them the morning that I left. After my suitcases were placed in the car, I hugged my dad tightly and couldn’t help but cry. My mom and I then set out to the airport to make my 6:00 am flight.
I was really pumped walking up to the airline counter to receive my boarding passes and to check in for the flight... Little did I know that my bag was 10 pounds overweight and would cost an additional $100. I cried some more due to being stressed and sleep deprived. My mom ripped open my bags to rearrange them so that I they were at the correct weight. My final goodbye to my mom was the toughest but I was excited to get on the plane and begin this new adventure.
The flights were long, and I regretted not trying harder to fall asleep. My last flight before I got to Juneau landed in Seattle, Washington where I had a 6-hour layover. I originally planned to stay in the airport and wait for my gate to be announced but the lovely lady working the Alaska Airlines desk told me I should go downtown. I threw my bags in storage and hoped on The Link and headed to Pike Place in Downtown Seattle. It was a pleasant 45-minute train ride where I got to see amazing murals as I made my way to the final stop.
Whenever I go somewhere new my first mission was to find food. I got a panini sandwich and coffee (That was not Starbucks) and walked around Seattle in the rain. After a couple hours, I braced myself for the train ride back and having to walk through security again. If I had been more sociable while waiting to board the plane, I would have realized that my roommate was on the same flight as me and I could have stayed with them. Of course, I didn’t, and it led me to sitting alone in the airport till the next morning. So pro tip talk to people on planes and call housing ahead of time if you're unsure because they would have helped me out...
That night I think I slept for roughly an hour which is honestly more than I thought I was going to get. Juneau has the smallest airport so there wasn’t much I could do in terms of exploration. I read a book I got in Seattle and played a wide variety of games to keep me from losing my mind. When it finally came time for me to step outside the airport I was in awe of my surroundings. Since I flew in at night, I wasn't able to see the vast mountains, valleys, and ocean that surrounded me. My face was glued to the window as I headed to campus.