And here we go!

So its midnight on Friday night (Alaska time) and I'm still packing...oops. I guess thats what you get when you get notice 24 hours in advance that you have a flight option to Asia. Thats how the military works, and thats what we've got to work with, so I'm not complaining. Ok, I should probably have started by explaining how this all works, because we're not flying on a regular flight to Korea, but those lovely cargo military planes! Flying on these cargo planes is fun (I think) but a little hectic. You only get a 24 hour notice as to when/where flights are departing, and then you show up when they tell you to, and then MAYBE you get on a flight - kind of like standby flying on any airline. The other day, we could've flown to Hickam AFB in Hawaii (darn)! Well, my mom called this morning and low and behold, TWO flights are departing from Elmendorf Air Force Base right here in Anchorage to Yokota Air Base, Japan! Odds are, we'll get on, seeing as there are 54 seats open on each flight. However, you never know when flights need to get diverted, so we won't know until we get there if flying to Korea is an actuality - one of the first tests of my adaptability! 


Heres the cool thing about this, even though we aren't going directly to South Korea - Yokota Air Base is right outside of Tokyo. So even though we won't be seeing my dad right away, we'll still be in a different country and possibly get the chance to explore (depending on the flight availability to Osan Air Base in Korea). Now, we all want to get to Korea as fast as possible, but I don't mind having a few extra "field trips" along the way!


So now that my summer adventure is here - I mean, in less than 24 hours I could be on an airplane over the Pacific, I'm actually starting to get a little nervous. I've never been anywhere outside of North America, so this is a brand new experience for me. I love planes, but have never flown on one for 8ish hours (at one time). I love the ocean, but have never flown over it...all of these things that keep running through my mind! I'm going to miss having friends and family just a phone call away (or cheap phone calls), and I'm definitely going to miss being able to effectively communicate with people all the time. However, at the same time I'm sooo excited. I can't wait to be able to experience a whole new culture (or multiple!), sample the local food, and see all of the amazing sights! I can't wait to break out of my shell a little bit and expose myself to so many new experiences - I can't wait to see how much I grow from this experience. Now, that means leaving everything comfortable behind, and its a little hard for a homebody like me, but I can't wait...even though I'm nervous. So I guess thats how I'm feeling - a jumbled up mess of emotions ranging from scared out of my mind to what the hell were you thinking to being so excited I probably won't be able to sleep tonight. Not that I mind - I do need to finish the book I'm reading before the flight so I don't have to lug it around! 


I promise that if I'm allowed to take pictures inside the plane (I hope!) I'll post them, because its a first for me! Well, not flying standby, but taking one of these military hops. I promise to post Facebook pictures and pictures on this blog as often as I can, so there is something else to distract you amazing readers from my boring thoughts and memories ;) 


So I guess its off to Elmendorf AFB tomorrow, and we'll see how it all goes...


Hopefully I'll be in Japan next blog post! Cross your fingers!