5 days more, 5 more days, another destiny, the never ending road to Berlin

With five days until I depart for Berlin, the pressure is building.

Two days ago we had a major scare when I realized I had deleted the email containing my flight details. Commence an hour scrambling around the Kayak, Lufthansa, and Orbitz websites in an attempt to recover the information. We eventually found it under the Orbitz account in my name that I hadn’t created, but had been receiving emails from for weeks.

This afternoon, I discovered that the camera I bought four days ago refused to turn on. I tried charging it, taking the battering out, charging it via USB, removing the SD card, and various other methods suggested by internet users with the same problem, but nothing helped. So, tomorrow it’s back to Best Buy to return the jank camera and purchase a new one.

I suppose these are hardly a taste of the things that could go wrong in Europe.

For Christmas, my parents bought me a super extreme anti-theft purse that has wire in the shoulder straps to prevent cutting, a mechanism that locks the zipper shut, and numerous other anti-theft measures. Christmas morning I came downstairs to find my dad eyeing the bag nervously. “I tried to touch your purse, and alarms went off,” he told me.

While I know I am going to find myself in uncomfortable situations that not even the most detailed planning can prevent, I’m filled more with excitement than anxiety. For years it has been my dream to go to Europe, to experience new cultures, meet crazy people, learn new languages, to travel, and stand in places rich with history. Germany is part of my heritage, and I am excited to experience the country where my Oma was born, and travel to Belgium, the original home of the Lamine side of my family.

I have no idea what to expect in the next four months, but I know they will be months that will change me. The reality that this is real, that this is happening, has not hit yet, and I doubt it will until I step onto the plane, alone, on Monday evening. Above all, I am grateful to my parents, my school, and to God for giving me such an incredible opportunity to experience the world.

Check back here periodically for updates, pictures, and stories about my experience. I don’t know how often I’ll be updating, but I hope to write as much as a short entry weekly.

Rachel Lamine