I’m sitting at the airport now and it
I can’t believe how fast my last week went! Since Monday, I’ve
been on lunch and coffee dates with the most important people,
catching up and saying bye before I’m gone for four months. Of
course, there was the entire process of packing, too. I took over the
basement and had little towers of clothing which I sorted; went
through; and sorted again.
I realized on my drive out to JFK this
evening that, even though I had known I would always find a way to
study abroad, I couldn’t believe it was actually happening! We
stopped at White Castle for dinner (a good late-night airport
tradition) and then voyaged on to Terminal 7 where – after much
deliberation on the phone with Orbitz, American Airlines, and Iberia
– I finally realized my flight would depart from. Even as I was
waiting online to check in, I was still unsure! So I ran to the
flights board: my flight was leaving from that terminal, yes. Then I
ran (in front of the next person on line!) to a man at the ticket
counter and burst out, “Hi I just want to check and – well I’m
not the next person in line but – just make sure that flight 5550
is leaving from this terminal I think it is but I’m not sure and do
you know, could you check?” During this long inquisition, the man I
was actually talking to just looked at me calmly while the man next
to him nodded fervently, indicating that yes, my flight was leaving
from here. As the original man finally confirmed on his computer that
I was headed for the right plane, I thanked the nodding man and spun
around to get back in line.
Party spoke Spanish to the woman who
eventually checked me in (she said it was muy buen), and just
five minutes after my hasty, crazed detective work, I was checked in
and ready for security. I gave many hugs and said goodbye to everyone
and then went through security (where they lost my body scan data and
I had to wait just standing there, barefoot, for a while until they
said I could go) and then bam! Ready for takeoff!
Now I’m sitting next to my gate. I
can see my plane – it’s huge! Two jet turbines; that little bump
above the nose; all lit up for my cross-Atlantic voyage.
xxo, S
xxo, S
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