Nostalgia

Hello everyone!
So I am finally in Firenze! To say that it took a while to get here is the understatement of the year. About 26+ hours actually.
I left Guatemala City at 2.00 pm. When I checked in, they could not give me my boarding passes for the Panama-Amsterdam flight or the Amsterdam-Firenze flight, so I was a little worried that my bags were getting checked all the way to Firenze when I technically wasn't. Oh well... hoped for the best.
Once I arrived in Panama I got my boarding tickets and it was all good. When it was finally time to board the plane, I realized they were going to check EVERY SINGLE PERSON'S CARRY ON before we could get on the airplane. GREAT. I just sat down and waited for the line to pass. I got on the plane and... just my luck. A 6 month old baby on his father's lap in front of me and a 5 year old kicking my seat behind me. JUST DANDY. After we go dinner though, apparently the 5 year-old got tired and hit the sac. Thank God. I was able to watch Rio, some Hawaii 5-0 and get some sleep. We finally landed in AmsterDAMAGE and guess what.... they were going to check each person's passport as we unloaded the plane. Yet another line. After about an hour waiting to get off the plane, I finally handed my passport to security and said "Firenze" when they asked what my final destination was. YEY.

Now.... the dreaded 8 hour layover in Amsterdam. Ugh. I grabbed some lunch (who knew a Capresse panini was cheaper than McDonalds), bought an Italian book, some perfumes and headed over to my gate. I took a nappie at the gate (probably looked a little homeless), played a lot of solitaire on my iPod (my new obsession), skyped Miss Granoff (people were for sure staring at the crazy lady yelling at her computer) and finally we boarded the plane.

The flight twas fine, I slept through most of it (except when... just was we took off, you know that moment when the plane is literally at an angle? Well, the lady on the window seat of my row decided to go to the bathroom.... talk about bad timing). And then we landed at the Florence airport. YEY. Little did I know, what was waiting inside. People were pushing and shoving (I was going to fit right in, clearly) and we were finally inside. After waiting like 30 minutes for our bags, they started coming out. After about 15 or 20 bags they stoped. We waited again. Then somehow... they started coming out again...  but in a different carrusel. Someone forgot to put this info on the little screen. When I finally got my bags, I took the plastic wrapping off (yes, I actually wrapped my bags with plastic at the airport.... and I am ver glad I did, thank you very much,) - which was not easy- I headed out. At this point it was about 11.30 pm. I walk outside and there is LITERALLY a 30 people waiting line for a cab. KILL ME.
After about 45 minutes, it is finally my turn. My cab arrives, and a nice man jumps out and takes my bags. When I got into the cab the song Nostalgia (hence the tittle) by Guns n Roses was playing. How fitting I thought. I was kind of nostalgic I was not back in Denver for Perfection Week with everyone else, yet I was in Florence!

The cab ride was fine, until the very end when a car decided to cut us off and my lovely cab driver decided he was NOT taking that. We started chasing the car and yelling. Again, it felt like home and Guatemalan driving. Finally, I arrived at Grand Hotel Medirerraneo.

Firenze, here I come!

Now I have orientation week to look forward to!