As you can tell, I have internet access now...in my hotel in Seoul, South Korea. After traveling for somewhere between 28 and 29 hours, I'm pretty tired, but I promise to post tomorrow about my AMAZING suite here...it's probably twice the size of my old apartment in Harrisonburg!
Happy Sunday!
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Greetings from Tokyo
I’m halfway through my layover in Tokyo and I finally decided to sit down. After 13 ½ hours of mostly sitting, it was nice to stand for a while!
The long flight wasn’t too bad. There were actually a number of children on board, but I did not hear a peep from a single one! (Granted none were sitting immediately around me, but I was still impressed.) I have an aisle seat for all the major flights, which I appreciate. Not having to climb over strangers is a comfort! The gentleman next to me only got up once during the entire flight. I made sure to at least walk to the front of the section and back every few minutes, just to stretch! The airplane food wasn’t too bad…we had three meals over the course of the flight. The last one even included a fruit cup, a nice way to end the flight! I also made sure to drink plenty of water (which seemed to be the common piece of advice everyone wanted to make sure I heard!).
I only slept for a little bit, near the end of the flight. Each seat had individual screens and there were a number of movies and tv shows you could watch on demand. (Well not exactly on demand, but each choice started approximately every 25 minutes. I saw “Kit Kittredge” (the American Girl movie), “Mamma Mia” and “Swing Vote”. I also caught a couple episodes of The Office. I started watching “Henry Poole is Here”, but that’s when I finally felt sleepy, so I gave up! (Sarah- how are you supposed to write movie/tv titles? I have a feeling I’ll forget to look it up before posting this!) There were still one or two movies left on the list that I wanted to see, so I hope that they are still available on my way home! They also had some computer-type games you could play, so that covers my in-flight entertainment needs!
After the first few minutes in Tokyo, I realized how glad I am to be meeting up with the group either tonight or tomorrow morning. This is the first time I have been alone in a country where the primary language is not English and I’m a little intimidated. I believe that if I had to spend the rest of the trip fending for myself, I could, but it is very nice knowing I won’t have to! There is a television tuned to CNN International next to my gate. I might be tired of hearing about the election, but it was comforting to have something so familiar to watch/listen to! I find it funny that even though it is the international version of CNN and they do have some stories from other parts of the world, our election is dominating the stories.
I was able to check my text messages here as well. Thanks to Christy for making sure I knew our football team dominated once again- I don't have the details yet, but it sounds like it was another good game! I also learned from Dan that Obama himself is hosting a rally on campus next week (as opposed to the numerous events hosted by his supporters, like General Wes Clark last week). No matter who you want to win this election, it’s always pretty cool to have a presidential candidate visit your campus! If I was in Jersey, I would be extremely jealous to be missing such an event! Since I’m in Asia, I’m content with the knowledge that I live someplace important enough in this election to warrant such attention, even if I have to experience it vicariously.
I think we begin boarding soon so I should get everything put away. One more three hour flight and I’m done flying…until Tuesday anyways!
Oooo, before I sign off…there’s a global version of the Daily Show! I’m not sure if Jon Stewart films it separately or if they just pull different pieces from his show, but it will be fun to watch while we wait :)
The long flight wasn’t too bad. There were actually a number of children on board, but I did not hear a peep from a single one! (Granted none were sitting immediately around me, but I was still impressed.) I have an aisle seat for all the major flights, which I appreciate. Not having to climb over strangers is a comfort! The gentleman next to me only got up once during the entire flight. I made sure to at least walk to the front of the section and back every few minutes, just to stretch! The airplane food wasn’t too bad…we had three meals over the course of the flight. The last one even included a fruit cup, a nice way to end the flight! I also made sure to drink plenty of water (which seemed to be the common piece of advice everyone wanted to make sure I heard!).
I only slept for a little bit, near the end of the flight. Each seat had individual screens and there were a number of movies and tv shows you could watch on demand. (Well not exactly on demand, but each choice started approximately every 25 minutes. I saw “Kit Kittredge” (the American Girl movie), “Mamma Mia” and “Swing Vote”. I also caught a couple episodes of The Office. I started watching “Henry Poole is Here”, but that’s when I finally felt sleepy, so I gave up! (Sarah- how are you supposed to write movie/tv titles? I have a feeling I’ll forget to look it up before posting this!) There were still one or two movies left on the list that I wanted to see, so I hope that they are still available on my way home! They also had some computer-type games you could play, so that covers my in-flight entertainment needs!
After the first few minutes in Tokyo, I realized how glad I am to be meeting up with the group either tonight or tomorrow morning. This is the first time I have been alone in a country where the primary language is not English and I’m a little intimidated. I believe that if I had to spend the rest of the trip fending for myself, I could, but it is very nice knowing I won’t have to! There is a television tuned to CNN International next to my gate. I might be tired of hearing about the election, but it was comforting to have something so familiar to watch/listen to! I find it funny that even though it is the international version of CNN and they do have some stories from other parts of the world, our election is dominating the stories.
I was able to check my text messages here as well. Thanks to Christy for making sure I knew our football team dominated once again- I don't have the details yet, but it sounds like it was another good game! I also learned from Dan that Obama himself is hosting a rally on campus next week (as opposed to the numerous events hosted by his supporters, like General Wes Clark last week). No matter who you want to win this election, it’s always pretty cool to have a presidential candidate visit your campus! If I was in Jersey, I would be extremely jealous to be missing such an event! Since I’m in Asia, I’m content with the knowledge that I live someplace important enough in this election to warrant such attention, even if I have to experience it vicariously.
I think we begin boarding soon so I should get everything put away. One more three hour flight and I’m done flying…until Tuesday anyways!
Oooo, before I sign off…there’s a global version of the Daily Show! I’m not sure if Jon Stewart films it separately or if they just pull different pieces from his show, but it will be fun to watch while we wait :)
One flight down, three to go…today!
(Disclaimer- much of this post talks about how helpful my parents have been. I promise it’s not just because I know at least one parental unit is following this blog!)
I’m not sure when I’ll have internet access, but I thought I’d make the most of my time during this layover (so there might be several entries going up at the same time). I made it to Dallas/Fort Worth where my parents very nicely provided me with a one-day pass for the Delta Crown room. (Yes I’m flying American, but my mom and I spent some time in this Crown room when we went to Colorado this summer and it’s very nice! Plus, my parents are frequent travelers on Delta so it was easy for them to get.) Based on some previous flights on Delta, I have not been the biggest fan of the airline; however I have to say the staff in this room is consistently nice and professional. In fact, the gentleman at the desk today offered to give me a one-day pass to use on my return, just to be nice! (My parents already had that covered.)
Yesterday (Friday) was quite busy. My mom helped me sort through the MOUNTAIN of clothes I brought to Hampton and I think we settled on some nice outfits for this trip. She also provided me with a very comfortable traveling outfit so that I can look like a professional and still survive the 13 ½ hour flight from Dallas to Tokyo! Once we accomplished that, it was time to head to my old high school. I think I’ve only been back there once since I graduated, so it was a little strange going from knowing everyone in the building to knowing just a handful (and in turn, not being known myself)! Luckily for me, my old English teacher (and the current principal) was in the parking lot when I got there, so I immediately felt comfortable. I know this blog is supposed to be about the big trip, but I would like to point out that I had 51 students come to that information session…I don’t know the total enrollment there, but I do know the current senior class has fewer than 80 students, so I was pretty excited to have such a big group!
After that we ran some errands and picked up lunch then headed home for more packing. After a great deal of discussion, we settled on a combination of checked baggage and carry-on bags and made it all fit. Then it was off to Busch Gardens for some Howl-o-Scream fun. Despite the heavy crowds, we were able to go through all 5 of their haunted “mazes” and even catch one of the shows. We also saw a very intoxicated person removed from line. (Side note, I know many of you have heard my stories of Busch Gardens Beer School, so this might sound odd, but I was shocked by the amount of alcohol consumption I witnessed last night. In the past, alcohol was only allowed in specific areas, but those restrictions did not seem to be in place last night! You could definitely smell the alcohol in some places. I even heard a group of people complaining that the park stopped serving alcohol at 9:30- 30 minutes prior to closing. Seriously, you’re at a family theme park for some Halloween activities, and that’s what you’re complaining about?? ) Wow, just as I was discussing the alcohol consumption at BG, they roll in a new keg for the Crown Room. I could not have timed that better!
I did have a tense moment yesterday. Those of you that know me well know how much I like taking pictures (especially on a trip like this!) My last camera died the night before my college graduation. Luckily I had a very good friend around with plenty of disposable cameras and she promised to take oodles of pictures, then my dad actually gave me his digital camera (which was almost new) to use at the party and I’ve been snapping away with it ever since. As we were leaving BG, we saw a swan just hanging out in the water. When I tried to take a picture, my camera started acting up. Short ending to the story, I think I was able to fix it, but if everyone could keep their fingers crossed that it makes it through this trip, that would be great! (My back up plan will be to once again stock up on disposables, so there should be plenty of pictures, regardless.)
Apparently there were some very strong winds working against us this morning, so we were a few minutes late in landing, but “within the 14 minute window to be considered on-time” according to our pilot. I had no idea there was an “on-time window” for flights- I thought if you landed at the scheduled time, you were on time, if not, you weren’t. Is that just an American Airlines thing? It was kind of funny listening to the pilot talk about the winds being stronger than anticipated. He sounded like he was taking it personally, as if the winds were conspiring to specifically keep him from getting to Dallas.
Well I should probably head over to my gate now. Next stop Tokyo!
I’m not sure when I’ll have internet access, but I thought I’d make the most of my time during this layover (so there might be several entries going up at the same time). I made it to Dallas/Fort Worth where my parents very nicely provided me with a one-day pass for the Delta Crown room. (Yes I’m flying American, but my mom and I spent some time in this Crown room when we went to Colorado this summer and it’s very nice! Plus, my parents are frequent travelers on Delta so it was easy for them to get.) Based on some previous flights on Delta, I have not been the biggest fan of the airline; however I have to say the staff in this room is consistently nice and professional. In fact, the gentleman at the desk today offered to give me a one-day pass to use on my return, just to be nice! (My parents already had that covered.)
Yesterday (Friday) was quite busy. My mom helped me sort through the MOUNTAIN of clothes I brought to Hampton and I think we settled on some nice outfits for this trip. She also provided me with a very comfortable traveling outfit so that I can look like a professional and still survive the 13 ½ hour flight from Dallas to Tokyo! Once we accomplished that, it was time to head to my old high school. I think I’ve only been back there once since I graduated, so it was a little strange going from knowing everyone in the building to knowing just a handful (and in turn, not being known myself)! Luckily for me, my old English teacher (and the current principal) was in the parking lot when I got there, so I immediately felt comfortable. I know this blog is supposed to be about the big trip, but I would like to point out that I had 51 students come to that information session…I don’t know the total enrollment there, but I do know the current senior class has fewer than 80 students, so I was pretty excited to have such a big group!
After that we ran some errands and picked up lunch then headed home for more packing. After a great deal of discussion, we settled on a combination of checked baggage and carry-on bags and made it all fit. Then it was off to Busch Gardens for some Howl-o-Scream fun. Despite the heavy crowds, we were able to go through all 5 of their haunted “mazes” and even catch one of the shows. We also saw a very intoxicated person removed from line. (Side note, I know many of you have heard my stories of Busch Gardens Beer School, so this might sound odd, but I was shocked by the amount of alcohol consumption I witnessed last night. In the past, alcohol was only allowed in specific areas, but those restrictions did not seem to be in place last night! You could definitely smell the alcohol in some places. I even heard a group of people complaining that the park stopped serving alcohol at 9:30- 30 minutes prior to closing. Seriously, you’re at a family theme park for some Halloween activities, and that’s what you’re complaining about?? ) Wow, just as I was discussing the alcohol consumption at BG, they roll in a new keg for the Crown Room. I could not have timed that better!
I did have a tense moment yesterday. Those of you that know me well know how much I like taking pictures (especially on a trip like this!) My last camera died the night before my college graduation. Luckily I had a very good friend around with plenty of disposable cameras and she promised to take oodles of pictures, then my dad actually gave me his digital camera (which was almost new) to use at the party and I’ve been snapping away with it ever since. As we were leaving BG, we saw a swan just hanging out in the water. When I tried to take a picture, my camera started acting up. Short ending to the story, I think I was able to fix it, but if everyone could keep their fingers crossed that it makes it through this trip, that would be great! (My back up plan will be to once again stock up on disposables, so there should be plenty of pictures, regardless.)
Apparently there were some very strong winds working against us this morning, so we were a few minutes late in landing, but “within the 14 minute window to be considered on-time” according to our pilot. I had no idea there was an “on-time window” for flights- I thought if you landed at the scheduled time, you were on time, if not, you weren’t. Is that just an American Airlines thing? It was kind of funny listening to the pilot talk about the winds being stronger than anticipated. He sounded like he was taking it personally, as if the winds were conspiring to specifically keep him from getting to Dallas.
Well I should probably head over to my gate now. Next stop Tokyo!
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Almost time!
Today I leave Harrisonburg for Hampton. Tomorrow will be spent running errands (including an official JMU visit scheduled at my high school!) then having a little Halloween fun at Busch Gardens. (Thanks Mr and Mrs B for the season's pass!) My flight leaves very early Saturday morning- and finally lands in Seoul sometime on Sunday (local time). I have my itineraries printed, my email/voice mail responses have been updated and I cast my absentee ballot on Tuesday (don't forget to VOTE on November 4!)...I can't believe the trip is finally here! I am ready to go...well almost ready!
My biggest concern (at the moment anyways!) is having appropriate attire. Some sources indicate that in a business setting, females should wear skirts that reach below their knees. When I travel around Virginia and New Jersey, I wear a lot of pants and most of my skirts are either not very business-y or do not come below my knees. I'm not sure that what I'll be doing really qualifies as a business meeting (the organizer compared it to speed dating!), so I'm hoping that as long as I dress conservatively, I'll be ok! So far my packing is a bit scattered...I'm at the stage now where I plan to throw every item I might possibly need into the car and sort it out later. I'm actually glad that I have the mini-stopover in Hampton to finish organizing myself!
I have a few more things to take care of in the office, then it will be time to pick up my car, finish packing and hit the road! I'll try to update this again before I leave the country, but in case that doesn't happen I hope you enjoy this blog...feel free to leave messages so I know people are out there reading!
Erin :)
My biggest concern (at the moment anyways!) is having appropriate attire. Some sources indicate that in a business setting, females should wear skirts that reach below their knees. When I travel around Virginia and New Jersey, I wear a lot of pants and most of my skirts are either not very business-y or do not come below my knees. I'm not sure that what I'll be doing really qualifies as a business meeting (the organizer compared it to speed dating!), so I'm hoping that as long as I dress conservatively, I'll be ok! So far my packing is a bit scattered...I'm at the stage now where I plan to throw every item I might possibly need into the car and sort it out later. I'm actually glad that I have the mini-stopover in Hampton to finish organizing myself!
I have a few more things to take care of in the office, then it will be time to pick up my car, finish packing and hit the road! I'll try to update this again before I leave the country, but in case that doesn't happen I hope you enjoy this blog...feel free to leave messages so I know people are out there reading!
Erin :)
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