My morning started with me regretting falling asleep at 3 AM when I had an 8 o’clock flight. I tried to go to sleep around midnight, but my circadian rhythm is so off, which equals me being tired at 3 PM and zazed at 3 AM. It’s a tough life. So, bleary-eyed and slightly dehydrated, I headed off to Memphis International Airport with my parents. My flight wasn’t until 8:19, and we got to the airport around 7:40, so meant my parents stayed back for a little and chatted with me before sending me off into security. As we’re waiting, I get a text from United that my flight from Houston to DC has been delayed. The plane was supposed to take off at noon, but got pushed back to 12:44. It wasn’t really a big deal or anything, but I was ready to see all my friends. I kind of shrugged it off because I had high hopes that maybe the plane would get back on schedule. My parents told me not to stress over it before sending on my way. I’m awkward. I’ve flown maybe five times in my life, so I’m not really an expert on airport security. I just assumed that laptop had to go in one tray, other electronics in a separate tray, liquids in another, and carry-on in another. After struggling with these trays for a solid two minutes, I am ready to send them through the x-ray, and right as I’m about to push it through, the security lady (who has been watching me this entire time) stops me and removes half my trays. Apparently I was being “extra.” Honestly, it’s not a big deal, but she saw me struggling with these trays; she could have said something sooner. Also, what is the point of having a boarding pass if they never check it? I had my boarding pass ready to scan, but the lady looked at me like I was dumb. Apparently it’s the ticket they scan. And while that does make sense, why do I need a boarding pass if I don’t need it to board the plane?? Agh. The flight from Memphis to Houston was pretty hassle free. Aside from the tiny-ass plane that was so irrelevant to United that we didn’t even get off directly in the airport (it’s a free flight though so I’m not complaining), everything was pretty chill. I got some good exercise walking from the irrelevant part of the airport to the fancy terminals though. It was probably a solid half mile from where the plane landed to my next gate. Also I went to the wrong gate because I thought my Memphis gate was also my Houston gate so oops. As I was waiting in the airport, I continued to get several updates from United as they informed my flight was getting pushed back more and more. At one point I had high hopes that we’d actually leave a little earlier, but those dreams were quickly crushed. Rant time: so people are trying to exit the plane that we’re supposed to get on. The woman at the gate continuously said “Do not stand in front of the gate. People are exiting. You are slowing down the process.” But did anyone listen? No. These idiots kept lining up instead. Like guys, chill. We have assigned seats; I don’t know why you’re so anxious to get on the plane. When we finally do board, we learn that there is a problem with the plane as “the door will not close” and “this has been a problem for a few days” so “they think it’s time they fixed it.” Excuse me. So maintenance is call and we are informed it will be another 20-30 minutes before take-off. Well, 20-30 minutes turned into 40 minutes. And then we sat on the runway for another 10 minutes. Long story short: I took off from Houston at the time I was supposed to be landing in DC. I landed at 6:35 and then I had to walk another mile just to get to baggage claim. I will say, the one good thing that happened during my travel is that I had really good timing with the trams since I walked up as the doors were opening. After collecting my luggage, I met another NSLIY person (not Nanjing though) and we got a ride back to the hotel. I got my room key and was told to meet back in the lobby in five minutes for dinner. I had a great time getting lost in the Marriot because this hotel is a weird cube. Lucky me: my room’s at the end of the hall… It’s not fun dragging a 16 pound suitcase across carpet.
But after all the travel, everything was smooth sailing. I got to see all my Nanjingers in the flesh. We played some games and had Sherlock on mute in the background. I’ve learned that the Nanjing group is really loud and extra, which does not surprise me. Everyone is so lovely though, and I can’t wait to get to know everyone more throughout the next six weeks.