I will write sometime about how things are going here thus far. But, much like how I could not write about Morocco immediately following the trip, I am feeling a bit too overwhelmed right now to write about things here. In the meantime, here is what I wrote to occupy time during my 7 hour layover in London.
Traveling is not fun. Visit places, seeing new things, THAT is fun. The actual act of getting somewhere is not. Airports do offer a good opportunity for one of my favorite pastimes-people watching. However, while seemingly interesting at the time, once the journey is over, the memorable moments (low lights, usually) are usually things like the pain caused by my backpack or watching the same stupid episode of How I Met Your Mother on every single American Airlines flight I have taken since the show started. Despite that, I still always find myself sitting at the gate, watching people. If it is an international flight, I like to try and pick up on the subtle differences between cultures, and at what point on the flight do I feel like I have entered the new country? It always makes me laugh that on American Airlines, the second meal on the flight over to France is a croissant and yogurt. The second meal on the flight to the US is a mini pizza. One of my biggest France pet peeves slapped me in the face while still in Chicago last Wednesday. In one of his essays, David Sedaris wrote about how the French act like there is a shortage of change in the country. SO TRUE, not that there is actually a shortage of change, but that they act as if there is a shortage of change. French cashiers will always ask if you have the 63 cents, rather than give you the 37 cents in coins. They are super annoyed when you say, no, sorry. This drives me bonkers. So Wednesday, when I was waiting to board the plane, I decided to get some gum and water. My total was $3.37. I handed the cashier a ten. She looked at me and said "Don't you have 37 cents?" Never, in my 27+ years of living in America have I been asked for exact coins. A penny or two? Sure. But 37 cents?? I was stunned. I was also without any coins because I took all mine to the bank the day before I left, aside from the $3 in pennies which I will be using to bribe my students throughout the year. So I looked at the cashier, processing what she said. I slowly replied "noooo" and she rolled her eyes at me. It was as if she knew where I was headed and was trying to get me ready again.
Some other observations from my trip thus far...
I haven't flown out of the international terminal at O'Hare since I was 16. Since I flew British Airways, I had to leave from the international terminal this time, and I have to say it is pretty sad in comparison to the other terminals. There is no place for coffee (Starbucks!) or food. There are no airport bookstores selling crappy James Patterson novels or overpriced Chicago souvenirs. There were a few newsstands, but no shops, decorations, or any other sad but appreciated attempts to help travelers forget they are at an airport. The biggest difference was the bathroom. There were only 7 stalls or so, and it was pretty dirty. The handicapped stall had an entire roll of toilet paper unrolled on the floor. It reminded me of when I used put Wrigley in the bathroom as punishment when he was naughty. Then he would shred the entire roll of TP, as if he were saying "oh yeah, take that"
The only presecurity restaurant in all of O'Hare is the restaurant at the airport Hilton. It has become tradition to go there when we are at the airport. I have been there 3 times. I have cried there 3 times.
Some less than positive experiences with the British in the past year have left a bit of a sour taste in my mouth towards my tea drinking, crumpet eating fellow Anglophones. SO, it pains me a bit to say this, but I really liked British Airways. This was largely due to the fact that each seat had its own tv with a wide selection of movies, tv, music, etc that we could start, stop, or rewind when we wanted. I watched 3 movies. My eyes burned a bit after, but oh the gooood times. A strong tailwind got us to Heathrow almost an hour ahead of schedule. It also caused the worst turbulence I've ever experienced for the first 3-4 hours of the flight. Arriving an hour early is nice, I suppose. But not when you have a 9:40 bus ticket and a 1:30 connecting flight. I would have rather spend an extra hour watching movies on a turbulence free flight than sitting trying to stay awake in an airport.
Airplane food is not actually meant for human nourishment, but rather it's something to do. I love airplane food. I find it repulsive and usually uneatable. But I get excited when I see that cart come down the aisle. David Sedaris (I love him) also wrote about how they try to get passengers used to the time difference on long flights, and some passengers put on their "slippers" and walk to the bathroom shortly after eating dinner, they brush their teeth, return to their seats, turn out the lights, and "sleep" for a bit. Then a few hours later, breakfast is served. On this particular flight, I ate breakfast at 11:30 PM.
