California

Okay, I think I'm in love with California already and I've only been here an hour. I decided it was best to do a running update about this trip, as opposed to one big blog update at the end. Plus, great things have happened already that I want to share with you!

My travel today started out a bit rough, but ended up fine. I arrived in Manchester in plenty of time for my 10am flight, which turned into an 11:30am flight due to snow in Chicago. For a while they were worried we weren't going to go at all, since no flights were arriving or leaving Chicago at that point. They had boarded us, thinking we would go, then got word that nothing was coming in or out, so we sat on the plane for an hour or so. Luckily I had a good book and they turned off the AC on the plane so I wasn't freezing. And I had a few hours before my connection in Chicago, so I was hopeful it would all work out.

I got to Chicago with plenty of time to make my initial connection, which, of course, was delayed, along with every other flight in Chicago this afternoon. But while I was waiting for my flight, the snow stopped and the sun came out. Plus I found a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, so I was happy. My flight left an hour and a half later than it was suppose to, which put me into Oakland at 6:45 tonight. I didn't realize the flight from Chicago to Oakland was over 4 hours - California is far!!!

I arrived in Oakland to a clear, beautiful sky and bright sunshine, then got to watch the sunset as I drove to the hotel. The driving was much less traumatic than I expected it to be (I'm sure the fact that it is a Sunday night was helpful), but I still had some direction issues. I really hope I can find the school tomorrow! But I got to my hotel after a little trial and error and fell in love with it immediately. It is right across from Jack London Square, which is, apparently, the tourist center of Oakland. The square is right on the water and there are lots of restaurants and shops that I'm looking forward to checking out tomorrow afternoon. The hotel is beautiful and the people here are incredibly nice! The guy at the front desk was one of the friendliest people I've met - he asked if I'd ever been to Oakland before and when I told him that it was my first time in CA, he was very excited. I got up to my room and fell in love with it immediately. It is super fun and I wish I could just stay here forever (I love hotels).

I started unpacking (I need to iron my interview clothes for tomorrow) and was poking around when there was a knock on my door. It was the doorman from the hotel who had brought in my luggage and taken care of my car and look what he brought me! He said he and the front desk guy just wanted to welcome me to Oakland and wish me luck on my interview. They wrote a nice note and brought snacks and printed out a list of interview dos and donts and a list of foods that help your brain. Very sweet! Seriously, the last 15 minutes has been the best experience I've ever had with a hotel.

Hopefully all of this bodes well for my interview tomorrow...