On past trips to Germany, I never had the time to indulge my jet lag. But today, I slept until after 1pm. It could also be the overnight flight, the overabundance of stress or the late nights of packing over the past week. Which is why I let myself sleep for 14 hours without feeling too guilty. I will worry about breaking the jet lag tomorrow.

So, me and my four bags arrived in Hamburg yesterday morning (with boxes of books on the way, and a few bags waiting to be picked up during our trip to New York in November), after a flight through Düsseldorf on a German discount airline called LTU (or Air Berlin within Germany). The flights were primarily filled with German speakers and German is the primary language of the airline, so I was able to start speaking even before I left New York! I was able to manage two flights, immigration, security, directions, and asking around for change to get a baggage cart in Hamburg. Maybe not super impressive to you, but a good start for me!

There were welcome gifts waiting for me: flowers, coffee, a coffee cup, chocolate, a German Vogue, Radiohead tickets, and other wonderful little things. I’m mostly unpacked, except for a few items that will come straight with me to Bonn on Monday, and I am already signed up for a cell phone which will hopefully arrive soon. Tomorrow will be my day to run around (provided I wake up at a decent hour) and see if I can manage to open a bank account and buy a Bahn Card.

Thanks for all the good wishes! It makes the transition all the easier for me.