ARE YOU FLIPPIN' KIDDING ME!?!?!

So, right now I'm sitting in my ginormous hotel room in cold, foggy Vicenza, Italy w/ my roommate who has also been my travel partner and this outrageous adventure.....let me tell you about it...

Monday Jan. 17th -7:45 A.M.: Jamie's Log (get it like captains log on star trek...okay give me a break I've had a long two days)...I wake up late...imagine that huh...but I get every thing around okay! Mom, Jawny and Dad showed up about 8:3o and we packed up Dad and Eric's cars! We left right on time too...how that happens IDK but we did. The morning is foggy and the roads are wet and thats when we find out Eric's car is a pile and his stupid washer fluid cord is broken so we had to dump water on it the whole way to Des Moines so he could see to drive...but that isn't the worst of yet!

10 am - 2 pm I get all check in fine w/ the air lines....Me, Mom Eric, Jawny and Dad go grab a bite to eat and then check the schedule to make sure everything is okay...well the flight is delayed about 30 min which was fine because I has a lay over in Dallas...so we go sit down again, look through the gift shop and decided to check the departure times again...well now we see my flight is delayed again and we determine I would miss my connecting flight in Dallas so we go up to the desk...as we are talking to the lady she tells us the flight is CANCLED...seriously what now...what can go wrong...so the lady was nice and got my flight switched....I was now going to fly into Chicago then to Madrid and then to Venice...well once again we go sit down and wait...Dad, the man that he is was constantly checking the flight times...thank goodness for that this time around..
He came back saying my flight was delayed to Chicago and I was going to miss the connecting flight to Madrid...AWESOME!! Eric swore that the car thing and these flight delays was a sign that I shouldn't go but I was bound and determined!! So dad and I got back to the desk and they put me on a flight to Dallas again, this one was suppose to leave at 10 am but got delayed till 240...by the time I got put on that flight I had to get through TSA fast but I made it...up at the Gate I met Steph, another girl going to Vicenza...she was nice and found out she was a music spanish major...at first I thought oh boy am I going to have to listen to spanish, like listening to my father, but little did I know her spanish was going to come in very handy!!


Tuesday Jan 18th 10 am- 3:30 p.m Madrid Spain time: We have just arrived in Madrid...Toto we are definitely not in Kansas any more....good thing there is English under the signs and Steph knows Spanish. The flight was really good...it didn't seem like 9 hrs at all. I slept and watched a movie so it went by pretty fast. The flight wasn't full either so I had two seats to myself so I could kinda lay down. The food was NASTEY...I had roast beef and mashed tators...the tators were think and kinda hard but I was hungry for some real food (if thats what you want to call it). As we look for a connecting flight information, Steph finds out that the gate and other information wont be posted until an hour before our flight...so we have from 10 am to about 3 pm to worry about where we are going to have to be and to get food.
It was a long lay over and towards the end I could barely keep my eyes open...I tried to call mom when we landed but the number would go through or something. stupid stupid stupid!

6:30 p.m - present Vicenza, Italy (same time as Madrid): The flight was good alittle crowded but I slept most of the way....got of the plane in a good mood and that changed real quick when I go the luggage pick up. YOUR WORST NIGHT MARE HAPPENED...you guessed it, my luggage didn't come off the plane...i don't even know if it was on it..im guessing things got messed up when I got switched to 3 flippin different flights in Des Moines. I just wanted to call my mommy and cry but i couldn't b/c i couldn't find a phone and who even knows if it would have work any way! I held it together though...its kinda hard for a Big Beautiful Woman to find clothes in an unknown place but I'm praying they will get here tom. A Marco Polo goes and checks the air port once a day to see if there is any luggage that needs to be brought to the base b/c the air port can't just bring it here, and its even harder here b/c I don't have an address or phone number for them here on base to call and let me know the status of my bags....err...its one thing after another i swear...After talking to the claim lady, who was very nice and I could at least understand her, Steph and I head out to meet Michael, my project coordinator. He will take us on the hour drive from Vince to Vicenza...and yes I fell asleep on the ride but only after I hear Michael say this is the nicest facility he has been on...and he was right..
Right now I am sitting in my hotel, on base, which is kinda separated into two rooms...there is a bed room and then a common area...the common area has a pull out couch, and that is wear steph said she would sleep so i get the bed...AMAZING already. There is a little kitchen w/ a microwave, little stove, freezer, fridge, plate and silver wear. There are two closets, two tvs, and I even have two pillows to sleep w/...three if i really want another one :) I have internet so I can easily get on Facebook and check emails and my blog!


I haven't really seen much yet, we came in and night and it was really foggy...I haven't really talked to any one either. We pretty much came from the air port straight to the hotel. The first meeting is at 8:30 tom. morning where I will get to meet the other interns...so I better get off to bed...I am 7 hours ahead so its about 11 at night here and 4 in the afternoon in the states. I have to check in my 1030 on the week days so I'll try to get on facebook or skype (jthom33) around then maybe 2 times a week...that may change as I will get to explore more as the weeks go on! Miss everyone!!! Lets hope things get better!!!!!!!!