My plane landed almost on time around 6.20-6.30 am in Sydney. I had a transfer in Frankfurt and a stop in Singapore. My suitcase got here with no problem, too, which was nice.

The people in Frankfurt seemed to think every traveller is German. There was this mean-looking lady at the security check gates and suddenly she just pulled me over to the chair. I couldn’t catch what she was saying (asking me to take my shoes off) even though I know a bit of German. I had to sit down, take my shoes off, and have them ran through a scanner.

I boarded a 747 in Frankfurt. It was rainy, so when the engine (turbine?) started all the water on the runway splashed backwards. The pilots on the plane (both from Frankfurt to Singapore and Singapore to Sydney) were really good, the landing and breaking went very smoothly; unlike on the Finnair flight to Frankfurt… (the pilot had to slam on the breaks)

So, I got through the customs and out of the airport around 7:15 am — my friend and her fiancé picked me up. The temperature felt really nice from the very start. Even though it’s warm, it’s also humid so I seem to be handling it better. It got quite hot and sunny on our way from a grocery store (I should’ve worn my sunglasses…).

It’s so different here! All the sights and sounds — the trees and the birds make me feel like I’m walking in a tropical zoo.

There was a dinner tonight with a bunch of people, and I was nicknamed Finland or Finnie. :)

I didn’t get any sleep on the flights because it was so loud on the plane. It didn’t matter though; I slept for 5 hours today after lunch, it’s 12:30 am now, and I’m properly tired. Will the jetlag hit me later because now it feels quite normal? We’ll see…