(Thursday, 4:30 p.m.) Arrived three hours early for my flight because the last time I flew the line to get through security was horrid, something almost unheard of here at Gerald R. Ford airport. No one here. A big thanks to the guy at the American counter who didn’t charge me for having 51.5 and 52 pounds in my luggage. He did mark the bags as “heavy” and he was quite right. Thought I’d play Scrabble with my mom via Facebook, but she was nowhere to be found (until later). Listened to some Hollywood entertainment show on television about the judge who compared Snookums (or something like that) to Lindsay Lohan. Oh scandal.
(Thursday, 7:30 p.m.) On the flight to Chicago I sat next to a man-and-a-half who was in the business of collections. Given the amount of room leftover and that I actually fit into that space without being cheek to cheek, I felt kinda skinny.
(Friday early morning) I forgot that the last time I flew to Uganda my ankles swelled, apparently a common problem for women who fly for a long time or who fly high in the air or just women. I remembered suddenly when I gulped down three glasses of water plus a full individual bottle of water – trying to avoid dehydration, another lovely problem that plagues most people when flying. If I could get up and walk around the airplane I’m sure I’d hardly be able to pick up my feet. I’d have to do a sort of shuffle while I dragged my water-laden ankle skins along behind me. I can almost hear the slurpy, sloshy sound.
10.5 hours from Chicago to Istanbul. Dozed a bit on the flight but wide awake promptly at 3:30 a.m. EST, as usual. The cabin was dark but one person has their shade up…it was bright daylight outside – seven hour time forward. The little map on the video screen showed that we just passed near the lower tip of Greenland and Iceland was coming up. How cool would visiting a place like that be! Did guys in satin shorts and leg warmers used to look cute? Watched Fame (1980) as my in-flight movie choice.
(Lost track of the day and time) My hair is perfectly flat now. I think I still smell okay, although in the Istanbul airport it might be more chic to have a little odor wafting about me. No public access internet, couldn’t even find the pay kind. Seven hours till my next flight, the gate isn’t even posted yet so there’s little chance of a nap (no carpet either). Just had breakfast on the plane, now it’s time for dinner? Where did the time go?
(Oh, about dinner time in Turkey, I think it’s Friday) After my one hour nap on some square of carpet by an out-of-the-way gate – the most comfortable nap overall – I wandered around the airport waiting for my gate to post on the video monitors. My stomach was demanding a little something and the little something I purchased, based on a picture that looked a lot like chicken alfredo or something there about, turned out to be something entirely inedible. I tried, I really did. Four bites until the gag reflex kicked in. I have no idea what it was but that lady’s English wasn’t as good as she claimed and, well, my Turkish wasn’t so hot either. I wonder what the USD equivalent of 15,000 Lira is. Starbucks here I come!
(Saturday, 12:30 a.m. Turkey/Uganda time) The last flight, Istanbul to Entebbe, departed at 12:30 a.m., 6.5 hours and I ‘m almost there. Another snooze of about 45 minutes followed by dumping the little sealed cup of water I was given for dinner (and that I was going to use to brush my teeth) on some lady’s head. It burst from the cabin pressure while I was reaching overhead for my backpack. How do you say you’re sorry in a language you cannot identify? I managed a tooth brushing with not-so-potable water in the lavatory, gave up on my flat hair altogether, and I’m ready to land. You should see the ends of the wings bounce when we hit turbulence. I’m surprised they don’t snap right off. I need to get my Visa and collect my luggage, then avoid “security” and get out to my friends (at least I hope someone is there). Wonder how long I’ll be able to keep my eyes open.
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