Arrived in Krakow, Poland

I am finally in Krakow and settling into international living. I've already noticed things are much cheaper here than in the US. 

My Day 1/2:  I arrived in Krakow on Wednesday, April 28th, after leaving Lafayette, LA, on Tuesday, April 27th, around 1 pm. Krakow is seven hours ahead of CST, the time zone I left. Wearing a mask for nearly 20 hours is NOT my idea of fun, but alas, I could not have gotten here without having worn one in the airport and on the plane, three planes actually. I went from Lafayette to Atlanta, from Atlanta to Amsterdam, from Amsterdam to Krakow. 

Upon arrival in Atlanta, I was directed to a gate for international travel to process my COVID paperwork. Yes, they check to make sure you have a negative COVID test before boarding international flights. I had an hour layover and then boarded the plane. They also do facial recognition photography before boarding the flight. Why I don't know. 

The flight was eight and a half hours, and besides having absolute crap to choose from as far as inflight movies, it was a relatively pleasant flight. I sat next to a woman who works for the US National Security Council based in the German Alps, and we talked for hours. So, when she spilled red wine all over my seat when I got up to go the bathroom, I didn't get mad. Thankfully she had wiped most of it off before I got back to my seat.

By the way, you get free booze on international flights. I don't remember that from my travels abroad before. The inflight meal actually wasn't bad either. I flew first class from Lafayette to Atlanta and comfort class from Atlanta to Amsterdam.

I cannot sleep on planes, and by the time I got to Amsterdam, I had been awake for at least a day...when you are flying internationally, you lose track of what time it is. 

Arriving in Amsterdam, I had half an hour to get to my plane and go through the passport checkpoint, which was in another terminal. When I got to the passport checkpoint, it was packed. I told one of the passport workers about my time, and she let me cut the line. Thank God!

I landed in Terminal D. My plane was in Terminal B. And because Schiphol Airport is constructing a new airport to be finished in 2023, they let the existing one go. Most of the electronic walkways were inoperational. I was hurrying as quickly as I could.

Upon arrival at the gate, the entire Kenyan football team waited to board a bus to take them to the plane. It was to be a packed flight to Krakow. In fact, the flight from Atlanta to Amersterdam was also packed. So, much for people not traveling in times of COVID.

Standing in line for the bus, I met a Polish couple I briefly talked to, and then KLM announced that the plane was having technical issues, which gave me time to sit down and catch my breath.

About an hour later, we all boarded the bus, then the plane, and just short of two hours, I arrived in Krakow. Unfortunately, part of my checked baggage did not. I made it through customs having proof of a negative COVID test and a working Visa. Then I went to baggage claim, filled out a report, and called the driver who had texted, telling him I was delayed. I was completely spent at this point, no sleep, running from one side of the airport with a heavy carry-on bag and still wearing a mask.

The driver was Polish and very nice. We talked about world politics, which I enjoy. My company had the wrong address for the hostel I was to stay at, but my driver was ahead of the game and said there are two hostels with similar names, and he drove me to the correct one.

When I got to the hostel, I had to provide my work permit and Visa because US citizens still aren't allowed in Europe without a Visa. I stayed at a hostel because hotels and restaurants are closed because of COVID until mid-May. When I got to my room, I broke down and cried. I was so exhausted and questioned my sanity of moving abroad during a worldwide pandemic.  My body was still on US CST, and I didn't sleep a wink the first night in the hostel. 

Day 2/3: Much better day. The last of my luggage arrived in the afternoon. The hostel manager has been so nice, bringing me breakfast and Americano coffee in the morning. I stayed in my room my second full day in Krakow and took a short nap, but I didn't want to sleep too long, for I had to get my body used to the new time zone. 

Day 3/4: I ventured out today. Getting some water and paper towels at a small grocery store. Still jet-lagged. Took some photos and headed back to the hotel. Setting up a bank account and looking for an apartment next week. Not in a hurry to start work. My Advanced TEFL class doesn't start until September. I have a creative work Visa, so I can work as a writer and a TEFL instructor. Planning on seeking part-time writing work this summer.

At least now, I have something to write about again.