Feb 1: Arrival

Welcome to 4 months, 3 seasons, 1 suitcse!

First day in Ljubljana, Slovenia

Fifteen hours of travel has a way of stretching time into something abstract. It starts to get measured less in minutes and more in emotions and gate numbers. I left Cleveland at 2:15 p.m., transferring first in Chicago and then again in Frankfurt, watching the familiar give way to the unknown. Saying goodbye to Tony and Loen at the airport was harder than I expected. The moment felt heavier than my luggage, and I was full of anticipation, but also the quiet ache that comes with stepping into something new alone.

Somewhere above the clouds, snow-capped mountains appeared outside the airplane window. It was the first visual hint that I was truly on my way to somewhere different, somewhere I had only imagined until now.

Landing in Ljubljana at 9:30 a.m., the air felt crisp and clean. By 10:30 I was in a taxi, luggage beside me, winding through streets lined with pastel buildings and narrow cobblestone paths. My apartment door closed behind me an hour later, and just like that, the journey that had existed for months as a plan on paper became real.

A message from my cousin Nina appeared on my phone not long after. She invited me to dinner that evening. Before meeting her, I wandered the neighborhood, letting my senses adjust, then surrendered to jet lag with a short nap.

Nina and her oldest son arrived later with groceries in hand. It was a thoughtful kindness, especially since the markets are closed on Sundays. We went out for pizza, talked easily, and conversation flowed the way it does when family bridges distance without effort.

The day started with tearful goodbyes and long flights, but it ended with full grocery bags, shared stories, and the comforting realization that I was not alone here.

 A wonderful start to the trip, grounded in both adventure and belonging.