*Caution - the writer of this blog will use strong language at times when necessary*
Packing is hell.
Especialy once you make the sacrifices of a shirt here or a skirt there, only to find that your bag is STILL overweight. Then once its underweight you find a stack full of things you forgot about. Then it starts over. Last night, I unpacked and re-packed my carry-on six times. Six. Times. all to fit one more thing. Then ended up taking something else out anyway. So I gave up.
Today marked my first solo flights - and two in a row at that.
As I explained previously, I had a connecting flight from LaGuardia to Philly and then Philly to Dallas Fort Worth. So I naturally finished packing around midnight, couldn't sleep a wink until about 3 am, then got up at 7 to shower. Then was ready to go at 7:50. Andrea and Amanda both came over to say goodbye.
It had snowed a bit. Which I was okay with really, because it just cemented how smart it was for me to get here a day early. It sort of made my purchasing the insurance moot...but better safe than sorry.
My parents drove me to LaGuardia and I was getting really anxious.
Anxious for me is like, constant knot in my stomach, heart-burn on an empty stomach, nausea, shakes, chills and hot flashes, heart palpitations...which really all began the second I woke up today.
When I checked my bag, it was STILL a half pound over weight, and I was all prepared to take one or two things out and either put them on or shove them in my carry-on, but the woman at the desk insisted I not and she didn't charge me for a half pound. Which was very nice of her (though I dont know if she would have done the same had I not already been charged for checking a bag in the first place - because the flight to Philly was a teeny tiny plane).
I gave both my parents a hug and kiss. and another hug.
I stood on line to security, took out my laptop, took off my shoes, had my passport and phone in the bucket, was freaking out that theyd say my carry-on or backpack were too big - so I forgot to take the baggy of liquids out of the front of my carry-on.
I had my first trip into the body scanner, which was interesting. I thought it was going to take a few seconds,so I was standing there in an X like an asshole while the security woman is shouting "...you can get out now....you can get OUT NOW." and I was like, me? oh.
Then she told me she had to pat under my ponytail. because apparently we all wildly underestimate where people have ever thought to hide things.
Then once I shoved everything back into my backpack, I waved the final goodbye to my parents who had been waiting to see me from the other side.
Then I sort of wandered around, trying to find food and water. Milled around and saw they had a by-the-weight salad bar so I got a half spoonful of every type of macaroni salad. and some regular salad. Then I shoveled it into my face because I thought I still had a ways to wander to find the gate. But then it was only around the corner. So then I sat down aimlessly, feeling sicker than before just because I ate too fast.
Then they called that the flight to Philly was boarding and to go downstairs. So we all went downstairs, where we had to stand for a good twenty minutes - instead of sitting in the gate. My dad had warned me about this eariler, but this plane was so small that all carry-ons had to be tagged and dropped off outside the plane and then picked up outside the plane. So my one piece of happiness left - that at least 1/3 of my belongings would make it with me to Dallas - was dodged.
I got the window seat, and the plane had to be only 60 seats tops. I was in the fourth row, and in the window seat. We drove around the tarmac for a while, waiting in line, switching lanes, chilling, and then the pilot gets on and says we will be taking off 30 mins late. So everyone groaned. I tried to relax and maybe fall asleep.
When we finally got up in the air, it was very shaky, but I actually don't mind turbulence because then it feels like a car. I felt for the most part that we were all in a coach bus on an unpaved road. I was fine with that. It was whenever it was weightless was what bothered me. Plus I had my whole heart-burn nausea pulse problem going on. The flight only lasted about 40 minutes.
In Dallas I had to get on the shuttle bus with everyone to a different terminal, and then trekking on the people movers I witnessed an elderly woman get too overzealous with the momentum and sort of run pitching-forward and eventually fell. I helped her up, she was fine, only her pride was hurt but she had a good laugh about it. She wanted to keep running even as I helped her.
This was where something great happened. I think traveling alone has made me appreciate the people around me more.
You know when you're out shopping and theres a really long line to the check out, and just something catches your eye that the people standing around you just start talking to you? Like we all have this understanding of a situation and need to laugh about it and then it'll be okay? Because humans are social creatures and when we all get along it's just like a palpable energy that just fills some kind of void somewhere for a few minutes. I love that.
I had that moment with the man in front of me and the woman behind me, while we waited to board the plane to Dallas.
We were all in the first few rows of coach, so naturally we got to board last. By the time we got up, we weren't allowed to carry-on our bags because there was no more room. So they had to tag our bags and all that jazz. So the three of us had a good chat over how it makes no sense that there wouldn't be room if everyone had their assigned number of bags and how women hate to be separated from our bags because people can steal our shoes and other things. Then I said how I'd just had to check my bag for my connecting flight so now I was used to not having it with me, and she called her friend who was picking her up in Dallas to tell her that she would be a few more minutes because of the baggage delay.
So that was fine.
The flight to Dallas was much longer, so I was expecting televisions but there were none. So I had to just deal with iPod and drowsy-Bonine. I slept most of the flight. I woke up to buy a $3 jar of pringles because the Bonine made me super hungry as usual - despite my ferocious heartburn and nausea. good old ginger ale didn't even help.
I was on the aisle seat, which was perfect for the fact that the plane was full. I hate feeling trapped. If I get the flu in the coming days, it was definitely the fault of hacky-mc-phlegmphlegm-snotface sitting next to me.
She was also broad-shouldered so I couldnt fit in the seat next to her with my arms at my sides, so I had them crossed the whole time. Awkward.
I had a moment where I thought I was gonna be an hour late for Emily meeting me in Dallas, because I told her I was landing at 5, but then I looked at my iPod and it was 5:42 and the pilot was just talking about the frequent flyer mastercard deal, so I was frantically trying to get a hold of her to say I was gonna be that late. Then the guy in my row explained that it was the time difference, so it was 5 pm DALLAS time. Womp womp.
Landed in Dallas, and started texting Emily. Walked over to baggage claim, and was standing there for a few minutes when I hear a squeal, turn to my left, and see this running figure and then we were hugging. I love airport reunions. They're the best.
I looked at her face and I had this instant of - we were never separated. We hadn't seen each other since graduation last May, and that one split second of seeing her face before the running hug - I was like, yes this is normal, this isn't a special reunion of two friends after months and months - it's just another tuesday.
So we waited for my bags, which my carry-on was literally the second to last bag on the entire belt. My checked bag is permanently crushed on one corner, but hey, nothing is missing so far that I can tell. I just want to be unpacked in Australia so I don't have to keep feeling like I don't have something or that something went missing today - but I don't want to obsess either.
We got the complimentary shuttle back to the Park Inn and the room is HUGE. I literally didn't make the connection until I said to Emily that this was literally the biggest hotel room I've ever been in - and then I was like, wait its because everything is bigger in Texas!
I'm in Texas.
It was the weirdest thing. I never feel like I'm far away, you know? I can't wrap my brain around how big the world is, even seeing it from the window of the plane today I just thought I was looking at a piece of fabric or something. You think of how big just your neighborhood is, and how it would take you hours to walk to a place that is a 10 minute drive - and then think about how in 4 hours total you got to Dallas Texas in what would have been a 4-day drive had you broken speed limits everywhere and never stopped.
Then you think about how the Earth is one of the smallest planets in our solar system, and how many suns there are that each have their own solar system, and how many galaxies there are and how there is infinite space and infinite knowledge and no one could possibly understand it all and yet we humans can do so much yet are held back in so many ways.
I don't relish in the time between places, I admire my time spent in the destination I meant and all of the people around me and all of the things I get to see and share with you. I can't believe that I am going to be in Australia tomorrow and I can't believe how far it is from everything I've ever known - yet won't feel much different. I can't believe I'm going to Australia any more than I can't believe I actually lived in London for 3 months. I think about being abroad literally every single day. I think about Hollins every single day. When I was away, I thought of Long Island every single day.
So we think about how big the country is, how big the earth is, how big the galaxy is, how much the odds are stacked against us - and how crazy it is to just pick up and move to Australia literally just because you can - and then all of a sudden you're sitting in a restaurant getting authentic tex-mex with your good friend, feeling like you were never really apart for so long - if at all - and then you look past her, to the woman sitting two feet away at the table next to you - and it's the woman you struck up a conversation with inside Philadelphia airport. A conversation that put a smile on your face and reminded you that we're not all so different.
I spoke to her again, and we were just aghast at the odds. What are the odds? Does anyone want to do the math? Not only that she would be behind me in the airport, that we would talk, that we would land in the same place only to land in the same restaurant almost eight hours after the fact - and then that we would be in adjacent tables? I'm sorry but I mean, are you fucking kidding me?
After dinner, we called the hotel and asked them to at El Fenix to their pick-ups on the shuttles next trip - and were kind of going crazy standing outside the restaurant practicing our Australian accent and being ridiculous goofballs and then once we had been waiting for 40 minutes, I started calling the hotel every fifteen, then ten, then five minutes until he finally got the guy to come back. So a beautiful night with delicious fajitas and margaritas and sangria was smeared with the waiting-outside-for-over-an-hour thing, but I didn't really let it ruin much of the night, especially when I think of the conversations we would have missed had he come on time.
Optimism! There you are!
Emily and I just got off of Skype with Emily U in Australia, just generally ridiculously excited for us to just get there already. I just want to be there, be settled, and get ready to start looking around. I enjoyed my first night in the great country of Texas (edit: joking - i know its not a country, jeez) and I'm soooo looking forward to all that is in store in the future :)
If you want, you can track my flight tomorrow starting at 11pm, New York time - Qantas flight 008 leaving from DFW. The next time you hear from me, I'll be in Australia!
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