6:02 PM - Europe Chapter 1
Okay, here we go, I thought as I went downstairs on the morning before I left for London. Mom was crying, and Dad was clutching a big wad of cash nervously. I had my backpack full of important stuff (4 T-shirts, 4 pairs of jeans, my iPod, a few guidebooks, some moolah, and other things). I didn't want to take my cell phone or my laptop, cuz I'd probably have no place to charge them. Anyway, Mom hugged me and whispered a lot of sentimental stuff in my ear and to keep some change in case I should need help, I could call from a pay phone. Dad handed me the money, and told me to be good and not to do anything I couldn't undo -- meaning no tattoos, piercings, or things with boys if you know what I mean. After that, Mom and I got in the car and headed for the airport, which was in Omaha. Omaha was about 100 miles from my house in Millistead. Mom was silent the whole way (probably just to keep from crying). I listened to my iPod since we weren't talking. We got there in record time, one hour. I was nearly two hours early for my flight, so I bought some cookies and a soda while Mom took my billion-pound bookbag to be checked. I waited and read for a half hour until Mom arrived by my seat. She told me to be safe and she loved me. Then, after what only seemed like a few minutes, I heard the call for all passengers riding flight 189 to London to begin boarding, so I headed for the gate. The second I got on the plane, I found a seat that seemed pretty decent, and I made it known that that was my seat. I put on my iPod and went to sleep before we even took off. I didn't wake up until the announcement was made that we were about to land in London. I ran my fingers through my hair and put on a little lipgloss and mascara (you never know who will be waiting on someone in an international airport). When we landed, I was the first one off of the plane. The London airport was extremely fancy. They even had a shmancy little machine that I could use to change all of my American money into pounds, or British currency. I didn't count how much American money I had, but it changed over to exactly two thousand pounds. Anyway, I was in London, and it was time to start on my shopping list.