the worst is over

I'm here, everybody!
So yeah, after many anxious nights worrying about today, I AM HERE! How great is that? (so great.)
I woke up today when Karin said goodbye (she and her boyfriend are going on a vacation to Corsica), and then shifted a bunch of stuff around in my bags, and worried, and, so on. Then I took my two roll-ey-bags and two little-er bags in two trips down the two flights of stairs in Karin's brother's apartment building... nearly without a hitch... Then I walked to the train station, which took about 20 minutes, but really wasn't that far... I just kept falling apart. I mean my suitcases. Getting on the train was pretty fun, and I got a lot of eye-rolls from Germans, but I finally stashed myself in a compartment with a punk-y looking backpacker who helped me put my suitcases on the overhead shelves. I looked pretty darn silly with all of my luggage... but I don't have to see any of these people again... plus... I mean, it's a semester... I probably have less than the other girls I'm living with, right?The train ride from Regensburg to Prague took about 4 hours, and during this time I got gradually more and more nervous, as we passed some really tiny run-down train stations... I had been hoping and praying this whole time that the train station at which I would arrive would have a taxi stand and an ATM. The train I took did not run directly into the main station, but instead what my guidebook described as a "more obscure suburban station," which could mean anything, really.
But I did arrive, I got off the train fairly smoothly. And to the station... which was frightening. All the signs and announcements were in Czech. The main building, right in front of our platform, was all broken windows and covered up, closed and broken. I am standing there, lost-looking, with my rediculous amount of luggage... and a nice old woman comes up and asks me something... in czech? or dutch? or something? I thought it was a german dialect, but, eh... I just said... "no idea" (and laughed)... and she said "you neither?" in german or english or something, and laughed.. and then I asked her if she was also looking for a taxi, and she told me she didn't speak german. So... I eventually found a sign that said "bus".. and followed those arrows, and this lead me outside. To a bustling transportation hub! Yay! There was a taxi stand and everything. Even an ATM! So... I got cash, found the taxi stand, and said, "taxi?". The nice man helped me put my obscene number of bags in the car, and said something... at which point I realized that he didn't speak english... and I took out the address that I had so cleverly written down, showed it to him, and he drove me to my hostel! I was soooo happy! We drove by the Fred & Ginger "dancing" building...And a bunch of older buldings, too, and I understood what people kept telling me about how the archictecture is from all different eras and really awesome. Good thing I'm taking a class on Prague's architecture, eh? (eh!)
So, now I'm at my hostel, right? He drove me here, so I'm here, right! I saw a sign for my hostel, which is good. I just needed to cross the road... and... done. A nice driver stopped to let me go (something no one would do in a German city). And as I cross the road, I see... about three flights of concrete steps, leading up to the hostel. "Well, darn." I thought to myself. But I made it. Took a couple trips. The dude at reception was nice, I accidentally slipped into German a bunch, but, eh... so yeah! I'm here! I haven't thought much past this point. I want to go into the city, but I'll just try to meet some folks first to travel with and... boom!
The hostel is really nice. My room looks a bit like... There are 4 bunk beds and pretty painted walls, the room locks as does the cabinet where I'm keeping my stuff.
I am staying here two nights, and then Thursday at 8am I will meet my program leader in front of my apartment, in order that I might move in there.
So yeah.... it goes. How are you?

(none of these photos are mine. once I move into my apartment I'll be able to do that stuff.)