All Systems A Go

The first piece of good news is that carry-on restrictions have been revised over the past few days. In London they've gone from a strict no carry-on policy to a policy that allows for a tiny carry-on (the size as a small laptop bag), as long as it contains no cosmetics, liquids, etc. Just my luck that I am transiting London.

Second item of good news: my flight hasn't been cancelled. No explanation needed there.

Deep down I am trying to deny that these restrictions have forced me to be more sensible in my packing, which is definitely a good thing. As much as I love my fake fur coat, I probably can get along without it. Same goes for my red blanket with the 3 bears on it that I never used as a child but have taken a strong liking to in recent years. (WARNING: the red blanket may still manage to find its way into one of my suitcases though!) I did manage to sneak in 7 pairs of shoes and 5 purses, cut from about 10 pairs of shoes and 10 purses. I probably packed an excess of jackets and sweaters but seeing as how I am always cold, that seemed like a smarter choice than 5 pairs of flip flops. A tough choice, but a smarter one.

My flight leaves tonight at 6pm from Logan Intl. Airport in Boston, and by noontime tomorrow (Budapest time, 6am on the east coast of the U.S.) I will be in Hungary. My Rotary host counselor will be picking me up from the airport and taking me to my host family's home. I will be seeing my Hungarian friend Tamas this weekend, and I hope to meet up with Aaron Varner (another Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from the U.S.) on Sunday. Noah (from Massachusetts) and I start the same language training program on Monday, and we are also in the same program of study at the Central European University.

Thank you for your prayers and well-wishes for a safe journey. Next update will be from Budapest!