After a very long uncertain time I have finally arrived in Raleigh, North Carolina and have moved in with my host family. I already feel so at home here, it’s crazy to think that I have only been here a few days. After doing all the preparation I was ready to board my flights and take off on a new adventure.
The International Flight
My mom and brother dropped me off at Schiphol, the biggest Airport in The Netherlands which is in Amsterdam. Luckily, they were allowed into the airport with me to say goodbye. They escorted me to the check in desk. While checking in they had to call the consulate to double check if I really received the visa waiver. Longest minute of my life. After that they checked me in, and moment of truth, I had to put my suitcase on the scales. It was almost 2 kilos too heavy, I thought I was going to have to pay extra. But no, the lady didn’t even say anything about it. I figured out why later.
After checking in, I went back to my mom and brother for one last goodbye. I teared up, I will admit. But I was not going to cry because I did not want a messy goodbye. I went up to the security line, and after one last wave I was gone. As you can probably imagine there was basically no one else at security because practically no one is allowed to fly at the moment. Especially long distance flights. From now on I had to wear a face mask – which gets annoying and hot after a while.
As soon as I was through security I went straight to the starbucks and ordered my favorite summer drink: An iced dirty chai (basically a chai latte that is iced with a shot of espresso). Plus, you are allowed to take off your mask if you have food or drink. So you can imagine that I took as long as possible finishing that drink. Finding my gate was relatively easy and when I arrived there I saw a total of maybe 20 other people waiting to board a plane that can carry about 160 people. I realized then that they probably don’t really care about luggage allowance with so few people on board.
It was heaven, give me a mask and an empty plane any day. I had a whole row for myself. Which wasn’t that exceptional on the plane considering I could only see about 5 others. The stewards and stewardesses’ were so nice, consistently offering us food or drinks. They had so much food we were allowed to have 2 portions of each meal 😅 . I was able to lay down flat and sleep for most of the journey. The rest of the time I just listened to a playlist my aunt made for me, which was really sweet.
Border Control
When we got off the plane in Newark, New Jersey everyone’s temperature was checked and we had to fill in a health form. Everything was okay so I went to the line, well they put my in a line. When I got to the security officer they told me that I needed to go to a different line because of my VISA. When I was almost at the front of that queue, I got sent back to the first line. When I got to the officer again, well you can guess what happened. I was sent back to the other line, and had to start from the back again. When I finally got to the front of that queue my VISA was admitted and I could go to my connecting flight. Not before getting another starbucks though
Flight to Raleigh
Normally I have the worst luck with traveling, it’s either delayed or completely canceled. This was the complete opposite. On the plane I was the only one without someone sitting next to me. Which is really nice especially in these times. And we landed an hour early. Well almost, but still, an hour! It was such a smooth flight, I listened to some music, and it was a really clear sky so I could look out the window almost the whole way.
Seeing my host family
I was so excited and jumpy when I got off the plane, I knew that they were going to come and pick me up. I was also really hoping they were going to be there because we landed so early. But as I rounded the corner to go out the gates I saw them standing there with a huge bunch of flowers and a beautiful welcome poster. One of my host kids immediately started telling em which frozen stickers he had used and which handprints on it were his. It was really really nice. My suitcase was on the carousel when we got down and we were off to my new home!
When we got there they showed my to my new room. I quickly showered and got changed, because you know, airports and stuff. And then we had dinner, they ordered Indian which is my favorite. I watched the nighttime routine and then we just sat and talked for a bit before we all went to sleep.
It was such an amazing day, although a very long one, I was almost up for 24 hours but the adrenaline helped. I can’t wait to really start my au pair job and learn about all the routines. I already adore these kids, they are so cute! I just want to learn more about them and their personalities.
Belgian Waffle Recipe
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Healthy Tomato Soup
You might be thinking, isn’t all tomato soup healthy? Well, probably, but this particular recipe is packed with hidden vegetables to make it even more nutritious. I grew up eating this soup, it has been a staple in my parents household for a long time, especially in the winter. It was one of the few…
Time for something new!
If you’ve been following the blog or know me, you know I was an au pair in North Carolina. My term ended in August and my stress level was through the roof of what to do next. This is still my most asked question ever! And I’m guilty of asking other au pairs to 😅.…
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