Traveling is never without its hiccups. My 24+ travel-time from Orlando to Beijing was no exception. Troubles began with my layover in Chicago. What was supposed to be a three hour layover turned into a five hour layover due to “airplane maintenance…” but I like to look at it as though they were double, no, triple checking everything to make sure we all landed safely.
It was finally starting to hit me, that the next flight I got on would take me to an entirely different continent, and that I would land at about 3AM Florida-time in Beijing, China.
When I went abroad last summer, what I craved the most was a burrito. There are lots of places to dine and make last minute purchases, but no Moe’s or Chipotle. Surprising, since O’Hare is such a big airport. It looks like my last “American” meal/snack was going to be an Asiago bagel from Starbucks.
I met up with Hannah, a sweet gal from Michigan who was also going on this teaching adventure to China. We had spoken almost everyday since April, sharing our fears and stresses over China. It was so wonderful to finally meet her in person.
Aside from our delay, other hiccups included:
- forgetting my toothbrush
- breaking the home button on my Ipad case
- the lady sitting in the row in front of us rearranging her carry-on that was stowed up above in her compartment, and her socks and underwear falling onto Hannah & I. She didn’t notice, making it all the more awkward. I ended up having to chuck up her delicates, and I did so without her noticing, phew! I mean, we couldn’t say anything because we were laughing so hard.
We had a full flight, and there was very little legroom for thirteen and a half hours. I only wish that we had individual screens where we could choose what to watch. I caught a bit of Far From the Maddening Crowd, Hot Pursuit, and The Longest Ride… and when I say “a bit,” I mean that I couldn’t stay awake through any of the movies they played.
But just like my flight from Orlando to London last summer, the food, drinks, and snacks were plentiful. I love that for both meals, they offered a Westernized dish, as well as a traditional Chinese one. I was very open to trying a Chinese dish, but unfortunately, they didn’t have vegetarian options (ravioli + scrambled eggs for me!)
Out of the thirteen hour flight, I want to say that I slept for half of it, but it was very disruptive. I was, and still am exhausted. Adjusting to the time change has been so fun, fun, fun. I was pleased to learn that after getting picked up at the airport, the rest of our evening was free to rest up.
Getting on the Internet is difficult here, as is adding photos to my blog posts. But the air is clear, it’s currently in the seventies, there is a beautiful breeze, I just finished a basic Mandarin course, and I can’t believe I’m in Beijing!!!
More to come on my first official day in Beijing. But first, I have a group meal at a local restaurant to look forward to in a little bit!
JACKIEXPLORES 