7:55am – Munich Airport, sitting on floor with power and juice
“There’s nothing that says 11 o’clock like 6 o’clock” Ryan Motter spoke the truth. The Bosnia contingent flew to a new continent with few stumbles in our journey. All six of the students and two leaders made it to O’Hare on time. After eating at 
the Chili’s cafe, European style (aka standing, loitering at high tables), we boarded our Lufthansa flight. I remarked to one of the leaders that “you know it’s a good plane when the jet bridge has to ascend to get to the door of the plane.” I was mostly right. This was a great cabin crew, and a good plane with one slight problem: it’s in-flight entertainment system wasn’t reliable. They restarted it three times in the 8 hr 45 min flight. That, and there wasn’t a power plug in my seat, which meant my laptop battery died mid-flight. But not having constant movies didn’t mean we were without entertainment; with Johnny Wray and Amy Gopp in the seat behind you there’s sure to be laughter! (And there was.)
I’m sitting on the floor of the Munich airport. I’d been skeptical of German airports since connecting through Frankfurt back in 2005; Frankfurt was a nightmare compared to the cleanliness and simple vastness of Munich’s terminal. I’m avoiding jet-lag (and I think most of the rest of the group is as well). In Frankfurt it wasn’t hard to stay awake – you had to wait for gate announcements at this screen with those rotating metal spinners that changed letters and entries. Munich is digital and high-tech, which means our conversations and mental meanderings are what sustain us. As Ryan so wisely said, “there’s nothing that says 11 o’clock like 6 o’clock!”
OH! And I didn’t realize how weak the US dollar is. I knew it was weaker than when I came to Europe last, but not this bad. Two pancakes cost 7,90 euros at the airport, which meant 12.18 in US dollars. ‘Tis a good thing they fed us breakfast on the plane. Yikes! I guess it’s time to start thinking in exchange rates again … :/
