I recently began my study abroad program. My parents and brother dropped me off at the airport, I checked my luggage, had all of my cash basically glued to my body, and got through security with no problem. I thought I was in the clear, but that was far from the truth.

Almost anyone knows what it's like to have a delayed flight for a few hours or to have a carry-on that is too big and has to be put under the plane with all of your in-flight activities, but my trip from Chicago to Athens was anything but smooth, including everything you could imagine going wrong.

When you get on the airplane.

When you sit on the plane for 40 minutes and you aren't moving.

When you have to get off the plane again.

When you realize that you're going to miss your connecting flight.

When you're given a new flight...

then another new flight...

then another new flight...

and finally, a real flight from Chicago to Paris to Athens, four hours after you were supposed to get there.

When you finally land in Paris, exhausted.

When you realize you have 20 minutes to get through customs and onto your next plane.

RUNNING THROUGH THE AIRPORT.

Finding out that your next flight is actually delayed.

Not being able to call your study abroad contacts to change your pick-up time.

When you're so close to Athens that you can practically see it.

When you finally land, but they lost your luggage and it takes three days in a new country, studying abroad, before it arrives.

When you finally get to unpack.

Based on the real life events of my travel.