Another One of Those Gosh-Darn Pre-Trip Posts

Right. We were to Madrid. Yes, Madrid.

...In other news, I'm most likely going to Oslo tomorrow in order to visit a good friend of mine, Lizzi, for the weekend.

That's right. It's another one of those gosh-darn lovable pre-trip posts. Which means that any substantial updating about the previous trip I took may or may not be delayed (just like my flight--oooooooh, I went there. Wait; my flight may or may not be canceled). It depends on how bored I am tonight, really.

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past week, you may have heard of a little volcano in Iceland creating a big stink because no one will pay attention to it. And if either my flight tomorrow or my return flight Monday is canceled, I will personally row my way to Iceland and punch that volcano right in its ashy nuts.

Yes. I went there.

If this were to occur (the cancellation part; not the punching), I suppose I'd rather the first flight be canceled, as that would prevent me from being stranded in Oslo and unable to go to work (and causing Lizzi, who has very considerately offered up the remaining space in her dorm, to board me for a longer period of time...er, right, Lizzi? ...Lizzi?). I have a feeling, though, that things will work out, as they have a tendency of doing in life. A cancellation to Oslo would simply mean that I'd have to reschedule, and one from Oslo would mean that I'd just have to wait a bit to go back to Celle. In the grand scope of things, it's really not that bad.

Speaking of Lizzi's hospitality, I'm going to give her a shout-out right here and now for extending an invitation to me and offering up her dorm space, along with catering me around the city and the places she so loves and cherishes. So, Lizzi, thank you for letting me share in that. And, you know, it'll be kind of super-awesome that I get to see my dear, INTENSE friend.

I usually have pre-trip nerves, and I do admittedly have some now. I have to be at the Hamburg airport (so, we meet again, Hamburg) about two hours before the flight, so I'll get to see firsthand how the construction at the Celle Bahnhof is coming along...and I know that the airport will be a mess, considering all of the flight cancellations within the past week (I'm looking at you, Iceland...and perhaps unnecessary airspace restrictions). And there could be the occurrence that I could be shunted aside for someone else to fly to Norway, if my plane is full and priority is given to stranded passengers. But, you know what? If that happens, well, I can spend a bit of time in Hamburg before heading back to Celle.

This will be one of, if not the, last international trips I'll take while living in Europe this go-round, and I'm a-okay with that. I love traveling, and I will continue doing so when I'm back in the States, but it's enough for right now. If I can, I'd like to see if I can visit my English relatives again, and I want to see more of Niedersachsen. In fact, my coworker, Elisabeth, has decided that we will go to a couple of places in Niedersachsen a couple of Wednesdays in June, which I look forward to. She frequently scolds me for going to all of these places abroad and not seeing what's here in my state, and I have to agree with her on that. And that will be rectified.

I also look forward to spending my time in Celle. It's a quirky town, yes, but I love it dearly. When the weather is continuously warm (which looks to be starting next week, yay!), I will spend my time in the field, in the Altstadt, at the school, and at Maryle's, enjoying the time spent here in my beloved town. It's a sweet respite for the busy life of a Fulbright scholar--the town in which one is placed.