In Transit

A quick note on this blog entry. I wrote it on my laptop as I was flying, but it took me a couple of days to get it posted. I haven’t gotten the internet in my room yet, so I have to use a public computer. When I get the internet, there will be more frequent posts.

MCO – 0630 EST

It’s recommended that you arrive at least two hours in advance for international flights, and after this morning, I understand why. While I was getting my tickets to Shanghai, I was informed that John and I needed to have a return ticket, even if we weren’t planning on going back on the day we had the return ticket for. One hour, five credit cards, and nearly 5000 dollars later, we had our fully refundable return tickets that will be refunded when we land in Shanghai. The advantage to the whole debacle was that we didn’t have to spend that much time waiting in the Orlando airport, but we still had enough time for me to get a passable breakfast and charge up my laptop. The days long voyage begins now…..

MCO to SFO – 1000 EST

Being able to write on the plane is just one of the many benefits of having a laptop. Instead of reading or playing my DS, I can be productive and do a step-by-step blog of the long traveling process from Orlando, Florida to Shanghai, China. Unfortunately, my laptop has limited batteries, so I have to make sure to conserve as much as possible. I’m pretty tired, so hopefully I can nap some, although with my above average height, it can be a tad difficult to get comfortable. Oh well, I always have Gravity’s Rainbow to read. I’ve been working on it for so long, and slowly but surely I’m chipping away at it. Only 600 pages or so to go! That may seem like a lot, but I still have the flight to Shanghai to read.

On another note, we were delayed an hour and a half at the gate because apparently the engine start light said that the engine was continuously lighting, so they had to check it out before we could go. It just means less time in SFO, because unless we get delayed again, I’m not going to miss me flight. I just want to have enough time to get some lunch before getting on the plane to Shanghai.

SFO – 1245 PST

A woman just came running down the escalator yelling for them to hold the plane to Taiwan as the flight was pulling away from gate. I’m sitting in a little cubby in the airport eating my sandwich and watching her react to missing such a huge flight. I paid 6 dollars for an hour of internet in the airport so that I could forward my contact information to my parents, as well as the phone number of the person from the school that’s coming to pick us up. It was worth it, if only to give my parents some peace of mind. They seemed pretty sad over me leaving, which is understandable, and anything I can do to make them feel better I’ll try to do. Hopefully they can get Skype working on their computer so we don’t have to worry about ridiculous phone rates.

SFO to PVG – 0700 Shanghai Time

Traveling with a friend makes sitting a boring airplane so much better. I always have someone to talk to, and we make bets with each other, or recommend radio stations to listen to, or make stupid deals with each other. It makes being squeezed into a middle seat much more bearable, even if I’m not really designed to handle these kinds of things.

When we lifted off from SFO, I was much more excited than I ever was from flying to school. That may seem like a pretty basic statement, and I guess it is, but what I’m trying to say is that I finally feel like I’m doing something important and exciting with my life. I’m doing something that none of my friends or relatives, except for John obviously, has really done.

0900 Shanghai Time

The Pacific seems endless, but my enthusiasm for China is unabated. I just woke up from a nap and dimmed the brightness of my laptop so that it’ll last longer. John and I are both writing while everyone else in the plane is sleeping or watching the Last Mimzy. In other words, everyone else on the plane is sleeping. I do see a few people reading Chinese newspapers, and it’s inspiring me to pull out my Chinese learning software and try to learn a few more characters. My goal by the end of this year is to be able to read one newspaper article in Chinese.

1220 Shanghai Time

Time has lost its meaning on this flight. It feels like it’s midnight for me, but it’s light outside, and it’s been light outside for the whole fight. I always thought that the flight from France was rough, but at least the day stays the same. We passed over the International Date Line about an hour ago, and now my body doesn’t know what time it is. The stewardesses bring us food, and we eat, but we don’t know what meal to expect. And now John and I have decided to stay awake so that we can get ourselves accustomed to the time change. Five hours to go, and I haven’t lost any excitement.

1350 Shanghai Time

A very Chinese thing: for a snack on the plane, we were given a box. Inside, an instant bowl of noodles, chopsticks, an almond cookie, and some napkins. The stewardesses came down the aisle with hot water and poured it into the noodles, which were then covered and left to sit for four minutes. Finally, everyone was able to enjoy noodles, softly slurping them while Premonition played silently on the movie screens. It’s still light out, but I’m going to sleep anyway.

1645 Shanghai Time

I woke up with a start, the 22 minute Final Fantasy female theme remix still playing on my iPod. John told me that every time I wake up, my eyes go really wide, like I’m surprised to be waking up in such a place. Less than an hour till we arrive, and I’m beginning to get genuinely excited.

1721 Shanghai Time

Touchdown. I’m now officially in China.

~ by jonathanaugat on August 26, 2007.