MIA

I'm sitting here in the airport in Miami waiting for my flight to Port au Prince in about 1.5 hours. I am completely exhausted, which is something I, for some reason, did not expect. Looking back, that was naive.

Leaving London yesterday morning was incredibly emotional. I was that girl crying on the street, the bus, the plane, etc, all by myself. I had to pack up my backpack at my friend's house where I've been staying, go back to my old flat and repack my backpack and two big bags I was checking, take a taxi to the airport, sit on the runway for an hour before even taking off, and sit through a 7+ hour flight to Boston. I had the shortest overnight layover in Boston known to man (got to my parent's house around 8pm, went to bed around 10, woke up at 4:30am and left for the airport at 5:45) and caught my flight to Miami this morning.

Sitting here in Miami I think I'm experiencing a bit of culture shock. Everything being written and announced in both English and Spanish is something I'm definitely not used to. American accents everywhere is also quite strange, as is the number of people who have smiled at me and been friendly for no particular reason. Toto, we're not in London anymore. It doesn't really matter, though, since after less than 24 hours in the US I'm heading to a brand new culture.

Still not sure what to expect when I arrive. I'm not sure who is picking me up or where I'll be taken or what is expected of me today. So I just had a coke and am hoping the caffeine fuels me for a while so I can take it all in. I've been told to expect chaos at the airport in PaP, so I'm hoping Conakry will have prepared me somewhat for that.

Ok, wish me luck! Will write more when I can.