Riley's Rules for International Flights

1.) Be nice. Chances are, you're all in the same boat, anyways. Delayed plane? Yeah, it sucks, but it sucks just as badly for the other dozens of people on the plane, too. Just remember that sometimes being that person with the friendly attitude or the ability to crack a joke in those situations may sometimes play in your favor later on.

2.) Fly direct if at all possible. This is especially true on the way home, because it is not fun claiming and rechecking your bags after Customs! It also eats up a lot of layover time and, before you know it, your two-hour layover that seemed perfect is now pushing it. Sure, direct flights can end up being a couple hundred dollars more, but it may be worth it, especially if the alternative includes a short layover.

3.) Dress comfortably. Don't wrry about looking chic to go to Paris or Rome because no one looks chic after lugging a 55lb. bag and carry-ons through Customs. Planes are unpredictable things when it comes to temperature, so dress accordingly. My usual airplane uniform: sweatpants, a tank top, a cardigan, a jacket, and my black Chuck Taylors. I will throw a pair of khakis or something in my carry on, too, so I can change at the airport if I don't want to look too much like I just got out of bed. Comfortable shoes are definitely a must.

4.) Wear glasses. Yes, even if you're a die-hard contact lens-wearer like me, after 8 hours in recirculating air, everyone is dehydrated and that includes their eyes. Just remember your 3oz or smaller bottle of saline solution and a baggie if you want to take your contacts with you on the plane.

5.) Pack lightly. You don't get much room and chances are, on an international flight, you'll get some form of in-flight entertainment. Limit your carry-on to the essentials. For me, that means my carry-on includes my iPod Touch, my laptop, a journal, a book, some gum, and all of my various chargers).

C'est Fini

I'm finished with finals! I just finished my French Grammar final exam, and, although it was difficult, at least I am finished! Now, I have about 40 minutes until the IES lunch fete, then an afternoon of sightseeing (the Catacombs, Arc de Triomphe, and La Defense). I need to call and reserve a cab to take me to the airport tomorrow. My flight leaves at 1:30pm Paris time (that's 7:30am Indiana time), so I'm planning on leaving my homestay at 10:30am. I arrive in Philadelphia at 3:55pm Indiana time, have a two hour layover, then I'll be back home again in Indiana at 8:18pm! I am very excited to get home, even though it feels like there's no way seven weeks could've passed already.

It's been fun. I've gotten a lot better with my French. I've made some friends. But I'm glad to be coming back.

Riley =)

Free Wireless in Philadelphia!

After walking around the airport in Philadelphia forever, I found some free wireless! Here is a picture to illustrate how I feel about this:

So, I'm sitting here in a food court at Philadelphia International Airport, listening to music and chillin. In about 2 hours and 15 minutes, I'll be on my way to Paris! It's crazy that this is finally actually here...I feel like I've been talking about it forever. I still don't know if it has quite hit me yet, though, cause I'm very calm and haven't started freaking out about anything yet.

Everything went well this morning (well, other than me sleeping through my alarm). I was up until 4:30am last night and discovered that Skype works really well...so those of you with microphones on your computers should definitely download Skype (it's free) and call me with it. If I find some wireless access somewhere by my home in Paris, you can call me with it on my laptop and we can talk over the computer for free. It's like 2 cents a minute if you call a phone with it.

Well, I'm going to miss everyone. Thanks to everyone who stopped in to say hi before I left!

And now my adventure begins...

Riley =)