>> The eight hour flight from Chicago to Munich. Long flight. I now have a better understanding of what Chris Farley went through while changing his suit on an airplane in the movie "Tommy Boy" : )
>>Munich. If riding on an airplane doesn't make you a little queasy then walking and winding through this German airport will. I must have entered at terminal one while my connecting flight was gate 89...
>>While walking I began to sweat. As most people do, I sweat when I'm nervous or anxious. And since I had said goodbye to my family in Des Moines my stomach had been in knots - gut wrenching, wanting to throw up and cry, knots. Now, while I'm sweating in Munich - from the plane ride, anxiety and endless walking, I try to make my very first international phone call. I put my visa in the slot and start to dial. Nothing happens... I try again and again and again. I get a few different operators (not in English) and finally - by the hand of God Himself - on the sixth try I hear, "Hello, this is Dusty," music to my ears! : )
>>At this airport a bus shuttled us to the plane and we boarded from outside. On the ride to the plane I bumped into three people - while I was only standing next to two... it was an interesting ride, haha. I later found out that most Polish bus drivers drive the same way : ) You've got to keep a good grip or else you 'meet' a lot of new and unintended friends.
>>Finally in Krakow! Alex Peterson was right, pretty laid back. I walked right through customs and out the door without anyone noticing. In hindsight they probably should have - I was struggling a good bit. I had little sleep and too very heaving suitcases. Suitcases that my brothers and dad had handled for me previously (they are much stronger : ) And, again, I was running into people left and right : )
>> I walked out the gate to see a Harry Potter-looking woman standing there with my name on a piece of paper. I could hear the hallelujah chorus singing! Her name is Barb she is a nice, knowledgeable lady and my first friend. I quickly found out we have a lot in common. She is a woman of psychology. While her husband is an artist and her son works at a club : ) Three pieces of myself right here in Krakow.
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Airport and Traveling Experiences I
I'm just going to dive right in - this is what I wrote in a journal that my friend Lorinda gave me. These first bits are choppy and they lengthen out into story-like paragraphs later : )
>> On arrival to the airport Aric mooned mom and I in the crosswalk - the very open crosswalk.
>>My flight was canceled so they put me on another that was supposed to leave a half hour earlier. It got delayed three times.
>>When one sits at an airport it is awkward to sit across from someone - because you face one another. It didn't help that I chose a creeeeeepy person to sit across from. It would have been better / less awkward sitting on someone's lap than it is to sit directly across from them. The only thing that could have bettered this situation was to have three delays resulting in two and a half hours of bonding time with this stranger... because if you get up and change seats, what is your excuse? The view was bad... You creep me out... You know you're going to have spend at least another hour and half with them on a cramped plane. And with this lucky streak going (plane canceled then delayed) we would be sitting right next to one another...
>>I noticed / realized that I find it amazing when kids speak a different language. There were three that did so loudly and constantly at my gate. They were just in their own little worlds. {Actually I think they were replicas of Haley Brillhart's babysitting kids. Two boys and girl - with the younger two looking the same age. And the little girl with the same haircut!} At one point the younger boy was practically hanging over my lap and screaming in my face at his "Mama" and using words that sounded a lot like American cussing f*@k. I doubt the translation was what it sounded like. But, they seemed so intelligent, wise - just interesting and funny little people : )
>>Important note: it is a bad idea for anyone over the age of five to go barefoot in an airport. Especially a grown man - you know that can't smell good...
>> We finally got boarded with a lot of "important" (rude) business men and a lot of anxious kids - both / all of them cranky.
>>We boarded and got de-iced then took off. It was cloudy with light snow in Iowa and based on our delays I'm assuming it was not much better in Chicago. However, the tip in between was alright. We are flying above the clouds where the sky is blue : )
>> I got my seat bumped up from 17D to 5D because with these delays it's about a 50/50 shot that I'll make my next flight. It will be a time of no mercy while getting to my next gate - if an elderly woman gets in my way, she's going down...{As is turns out the flight from Des Moines landed at a gate that was two down from my next gate. I did not know this at the time. I started walking through this city-sized airport. Lines and people coming and going from everywhere. I walk aimlessly for a while then try and read the board that lists the flights. There were approximately 500,000 flights listed that change every millisecond... So, taking dad's advice I walk up to the nearest counter (credit card in hand) and hand the semi-man my boarding pass - I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be, I tell him. He tosses the my ticket back to me and says "yep, you're in the right place". Holy cow! God had a hand in this - no doubt about it!
I spent a total of eight minutes in Chicago that day...
>> On arrival to the airport Aric mooned mom and I in the crosswalk - the very open crosswalk.
>>My flight was canceled so they put me on another that was supposed to leave a half hour earlier. It got delayed three times.
>>When one sits at an airport it is awkward to sit across from someone - because you face one another. It didn't help that I chose a creeeeeepy person to sit across from. It would have been better / less awkward sitting on someone's lap than it is to sit directly across from them. The only thing that could have bettered this situation was to have three delays resulting in two and a half hours of bonding time with this stranger... because if you get up and change seats, what is your excuse? The view was bad... You creep me out... You know you're going to have spend at least another hour and half with them on a cramped plane. And with this lucky streak going (plane canceled then delayed) we would be sitting right next to one another...
>>I noticed / realized that I find it amazing when kids speak a different language. There were three that did so loudly and constantly at my gate. They were just in their own little worlds. {Actually I think they were replicas of Haley Brillhart's babysitting kids. Two boys and girl - with the younger two looking the same age. And the little girl with the same haircut!} At one point the younger boy was practically hanging over my lap and screaming in my face at his "Mama" and using words that sounded a lot like American cussing f*@k. I doubt the translation was what it sounded like. But, they seemed so intelligent, wise - just interesting and funny little people : )
>>Important note: it is a bad idea for anyone over the age of five to go barefoot in an airport. Especially a grown man - you know that can't smell good...
>> We finally got boarded with a lot of "important" (rude) business men and a lot of anxious kids - both / all of them cranky.
>>We boarded and got de-iced then took off. It was cloudy with light snow in Iowa and based on our delays I'm assuming it was not much better in Chicago. However, the tip in between was alright. We are flying above the clouds where the sky is blue : )
>> I got my seat bumped up from 17D to 5D because with these delays it's about a 50/50 shot that I'll make my next flight. It will be a time of no mercy while getting to my next gate - if an elderly woman gets in my way, she's going down...{As is turns out the flight from Des Moines landed at a gate that was two down from my next gate. I did not know this at the time. I started walking through this city-sized airport. Lines and people coming and going from everywhere. I walk aimlessly for a while then try and read the board that lists the flights. There were approximately 500,000 flights listed that change every millisecond... So, taking dad's advice I walk up to the nearest counter (credit card in hand) and hand the semi-man my boarding pass - I'm not sure where I'm supposed to be, I tell him. He tosses the my ticket back to me and says "yep, you're in the right place". Holy cow! God had a hand in this - no doubt about it!
I spent a total of eight minutes in Chicago that day...
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