We Made It!

Off we go

My day started at 5:15 AM, which is much too early for my liking. While I wasn't in the best mood because of my early awakening, I got my self ready and arrived at El Cerrito High School right before 6:45 AM. My excitement for the coming day was the only thing keeping me going, that and the prospect of coffee in the near future. 

When I arrived Don helped me weigh my bags, one was really underweight while the other was about 48 lbs (the limit is 50 lbs so it was a close call). The idea that my bags could be overweight was a bit nerve-wracking, but in the end, when we checked our luggage I was fine. After all our bags were weighed and ready Don gave us a few words of wisdom for our upcoming adventure. The whole getting ready experience was a bit surreal, I had been waiting for this day since December and it was finally happening, and happening quickly.

Before I knew it we had boarded the shuttle and were on our way to the airport. On the way there we talked about social media (we all exchanged snapchats and such) and had a pretty in depth discussion about movies, specifically movies about dogs. It was a sort of weird subject, but it was a fun way to get to know each other more and gauge each other's movie knowledge. 

The source of my energy for the day

We arrived at the airport and checked our bags, and then we headed though security. Joceline, Maddie, and I were TSA pre-checked so our security process took significantly less time than Jennifer and Evan. I'm sort of curious as to how they choose who is TSA pre-check and who isn't, maybe I'll do some research into it if I have free time. We then got to our gate, we were about 45 minutes early, so we agreed on a time that we would meet up after getting a lunch/breakfast at the airport. Joceline and I went to Peet's Coffee, where we both got yogurt parfaits and lattes (I finally got my coffee fix). 

Soon enough we were lining up to board the plane. We ended up sitting together but were able to talk to a group of teens that were sitting behind us. They were coming home from a mission trip, the group of about twenty teens had spent time encouraging a congregation in a small town near San Francisco. They only had good things to say about their time in the Bay Area but were clearly excited to be coming home. Taylor, Tyler, and Hank, some of the missionaries, also shared stories about their previous mission trip to Honduras where they built eight houses. Their stories made me think of my recent time in Nicaragua on a somewhat similar trip, it was interesting to hear about another experience similar to mine.

Arriving at the hotel

During the flight I also watched The Godfather with Evan and Joceline, it was my first time seeing it so Evan had to explain things to me throughout the movie. I didn't realize how long the movie was, but it finished right as we started our descent to Tennessee, the timing was perfect. 

Our landing was smooth for the most part, with a few bumps which lead to collective oohs and ahhs that echoed throughout the plane. We then went to pick up our luggage at the baggage claim. It was hot and humid, but the weather did nothing to lessen my excited energy. We were finally in Nashville, all our hard work so far had paid off. 

Testing out the bikes in Nashville

We quickly got a taxi and were on our way to the hotel. Throughout the whole ride, I was looking out the window, trying to take in the new place that will be my home for the next three weeks. 

We arrived at the Hampton Inn and were greeted by a front door with "Howdy Y'all" written on it, that little detail brought a smile to my face. We got all checked in and went to our rooms, Maddie, Joceline, and I will be sharing a room for the next few nights. We have a nice view of the pool, which I hope I'll get the chance to try out, and two queen sized beds. After settling in we all had an informal group meeting, where we talked about what we would be doing for the next days and our plans for the night. 

Relaxing on the Swing 

Once we were clear on our plans, we went downstairs and started walking to our dinner destination, Hog Heaven. On our walk we passed by the Vanderbilt campus, all of us got excited when we saw the sign. After a few minutes, we arrived at the restaurant, where we each perused the menus and eventually chose a meal. I had a pulled pork sandwich which was delicious, it was a great way to start the trip, and I think everyone enjoyed their meals. We finished up dinner with a peach cobbler that we split, it melted in your mouth and was a great final dish. 

After dinner, we decided to walk around Centennial Park. We saw some people playing what I think might have been rugby, I'm not entirely sure, and then came across a playground. I went straight for the swings, as did Maddie and Joceline. We stopped there and took in our surrounding a bit, looking at all the beautiful greenery that surrounded us. 

Next, we walked to the Parthenon Replica, where we took some pictures and took in the scenery a bit more. We walked around Nashville for a while, looking at cute shops and restaurants, posing for pictures occasionally. After a bit, we decided to head back, as the looming rain clouds seemed to be posing a possible threat. We all retired to our rooms and started working on our blogs, I'm looking forward to a good night's sleep tonight after such an eventful day.

Probably my favorite part of the day, seeing the Parthenon