The big Day has arrived. On 11 August 2024 at 10:40 was scheduled my flight from Václav Havel Airport in Prague to Taiwan so I had to get up quite early in the morning. The check-in of the suitcases went very quickly and smoothly, so we still had time for my last meal in the Czech Republic. I ordered the biggest chocolate bomb they offered at Starbucks, and it slowly started to dawn on me that in a few minutes I would be leaving not only this cafe, but also this airport, this country, my family, my friends and everything I was used to and took for granted.

I was determined not to cry, but believe me, no one can prepare you for this moment. One last hug with your mom before you don't see her for a year is just hard. 

One last wave through the glass and there it was.

From that moment on, everything was in my hands and with tears in my eyes, I had to find the right gate, go through security check and board the plane on time.

Luckily, I managed to do it all! I found my seat and immediately started looking on the screen for a movie to watch. It didn't stop at one movie, because the flight was 13 hours long, so even the Lord of the Rings marathon wasn't enough.

And if you ever fly with China Airlines, you really don't need to bring any food because they feed you with so much food during the flight that you don't want to eat for another week. The whole time, I was well taken care of so the trip kind of flew by.

"Mommy, we're here!" ????????

And really. The little girl behind me woke me up with that sentence and I saw my dream host country. It's 6 hours more in Taiwan than in the Czech Republic, so I arrived around 5:30am to a beautiful sunrise. I went through another checkpoint, showed my visa and then just waited for my baggage.

Finally, I was happily strolling towards my host family who were waiting for me with open arms. They greeted me nicely, gave me a hug and so began my adventure in Taiwan.

Together, we still had a nearly four-hour drive to Tainan, which I slept through and spent the rest of the time chatting with my host sister Sandy.

And more about my first day next time!

Love,  Eli (aka 陳婕)

https://rye2240.org/cesta-pres-pulku-sveta/