Flying is
still quite a new experience for me, especially international flying. I was able
to follow others to get by. Imitating others while checking my luggage and
walking through security was simple. Climbing on a plane, easy enough. Unfortunately,
I do not know airplane etiquette so I was very timid at first. I always wanted
to ask for advice: What did they say? May I open this? Is it okay for me to ask
for that? Can I go to the bathroom now? But I wanted to be self-reliant so I
just did things and didn’t get yelled at.
I started
the flight off by talking with classmates and enjoying the ride. Once I settled
down, I started doing reading for classes. I read The Gray Earth, or at least the portion due on Friday. While doing
that I received an interesting in-flight meal. Fish, I believe; rice; corn
with, possibly, mayonnaise; raspberry yogurt; and a roll. For quite a while I
poked around at the corn, wondering what it could possibly be. I finally
decided on eatable and almost finished it. After reading I decided to take a break
and watch a movie: John Carter, don’t waste your time.
Once I
finished the movie the second cycle of my flight began. I decided it was time
to be studious and hit the books again. I read about half of the Mongolian Folk
tales before getting bored. Feeling more confident I got up, stretched and chatted
with friends. Then I found some in-flight music on the personal touch screens
and enjoyed the sounds of Eric Whitacre. More reading followed. After finishing
my assignment, I decided it was time to watch Citizen Kane. As I watched I was
served another meal. Fried rice, beef, and surprisingly mango shortcake were
much better than spruced up corn and fish.
Eventually
I was tired and comfortable enough to curl up under my blanket and sleep. I
woke up an hour and a half later in time for the descent. Plummeting toward the
ground is much more effective at waking one up than a cup of coffee. After only
twelve hours of flying we finally landed in the city of Beijing having lost
twenty-eight hours. Here begins the start of my first international experience.
