first day and baggage

Note: This entry was originally posted to an old blog of mine called Go Out and See the World. It can be seen in its original here, including all comments, which were not imported. The entries are separate from Sunny Day Happy Face, but were imported for posterity! Enjoy!

Hello, everybody!

'Tis my first post from Europe and here I am in Prague, somewhere in Wenceslas Square, which is in one of the districts called New Town. I left Newark last night with only about a 15-20 minute delay. However, this small delay greatly impacted me as we arrived in Paris this morning. My flight to Prague was supposed to leave at 9:55 and my plane from Paris got in at about 9:10, but didn't disembark until at least 9:30. All the flight attendants were telling me I had to rebook because I'd never be able to make the flight. Well, I went to the rebooking desk and they told me the flight to Prague was delayed, too, so I could still make it, and I did. However -- and this is a really sad, big however -- my bag wasn't as quick as I was. It got left behind in Paris. When I arrived in Prague, I waited and waited and no bag!

I took a cab to the hostel. The desk clerk was friendly, but very disorganized and informed me that there was no more room in the hostel, that he would bring me to the "sister hostel", which is really two apartments a few streets away. After a lot of waiting, a large group of us went over to this new location. The apartment has 4 bedrooms - in one are two Finnish girls and in another are some people I haven't met yet. I have my own room, which has 5 beds in it, but it's all to myself. My door locks, which is the most important thing to me right now.

After I ran around to find a phone card and payphone to call my mom, I went back to the apartment to take a nap. I was a bit depressed by this point, wanting to go home of course because I was so stressed about the day and having been moved and not knowing where the heck I was! Finally I fell asleep and woke up a few hours later feeling very comfortable with where I was. That's when I ventured out and came here.

Today, I can only hope that my bag comes to the hostel. It's 8:00 now, so any time is fair game for them to deliver it. It would make me so happy to be able to take a shower and change into fresh clothes! If I don't have this bag by tomorrow, I think I'll be greatly set back because of not being able to take pictures! And I'll be really sweaty and dirty. (Though people in Europe are notoriously smelly because they don't use deoderant and many women don't shave their legs nor their armpits. It's gross.)

This internet cafe is bustling with young people waiting to use the internet. I must have arrived just before a rush because now people are waiting over my shoulder for this computer! So, I guess that about wraps it up, I don't hae too much else to report, but I'm sure I'll have lots to say tomorrow or the next day, depending on how things go. Life as the solo traveler isn't as easy as I thought, especially without a bag, but I'm learning to make due. I can't wait to see this beautiful city!