International Travel, 24-Style

Louisville, 3:43 p.m. EST Finally sitting at the gate, waiting for my boarding call. The wait yesterday was horrible. Of course, this morning I awoke to “I think your flight’s been canceled” from my mom. So I yelled at an automated voice system at the airline, and then found out my mom had looked up the wrong flight number. So here I am. Waiting. But this isn’t so bad. Now, all I have to do is get to Sydney. Everything else is in place.

Chicago, 4:50 p.m. CST. I made it to Chicago!!!! Triumph!! Now, if I definitely make this connection (which I will) I will be on my way to San Francisco, and then to Sydney. I think my flight is about an hour delayed (according to the boards) so I’ll be here for about three hours. I’m currently sitting right outside the concourse bar on the floor, because it was the only electrical outlet I could find in this place! People are looking at me a little funny, but I don’t really care all that much. I refuse to deplete my laptop’s battery when there is power to be had in the terminal. I think I’m the only one in this place without a rolly carry on bag. I do have two of them, but they’re both checked to Sydney. I think I’ll have a drink when I get to San Francisco, because I can. That’s the fun part of being 21-- I can drink anywhere at anytime. Which may lead to a little unnecessary expenditures, but the drinking age is 18 in Australia so it’s not like it’s novel to them. No, I am not an alcoholic.

7:48 pm CST I think I’m going to puke. My flight’s been delayed, and it’s looking likely that I’m going to miss my connection in Sydney. Shit. Fuck. I’m going to murder someone. After I puke. The good news is that I’m going to make it to San Francisco tonight. I don’t know if they’ll hold my Sydney connection. There may be a later flight, but perhaps not. And if I miss my flight, then, well, at least I’ll be closer than I was before. Like I said, I still may puke.

The Pacific Ocean 4 a.m. CST, 9 p.m. AST-- So I’ve been on the flight to Sydney for over two hours now. I’m sitting next to some pretty cool cats. The kid on the aisle is from Chicago, and usually goes to Univ. of Michigan (that’s my hometown!!!) and the bloke next to me is going home to Melbourne after traveling the world for a year. We barely made this flight by the skin of our teeth. They did hold it for us, coming from Chicago to San Francisco, and we were the first off the plane and then drug into the dungeons of the airport, onto a shuttle, up an elevator, through the international wing of the airport, and onto the plane. We delayed this flight by over an hour! There were about 30 of us making this run, and you better believe that I was going on ahead of the crowd. I didn’t want to risk being left in San Francisco!

What is amazing is how many people on this flight are Americans studying in Australia this semester. I’ve counted at least 10, and there’s probably more that I haven’t chatted with yet. Not everyone is going to Macquarie. But that’s cool. I’m excited. It really, maybe, just perhaps, is going to happen. Finally, the travel Gods are smiling on me!!

Sydney 7:05 a.m. AST Landing in about a half hour. Watching an episode of Grey’s Anatomy. I’m looking forward to standing up, and sticking on my flip flops. Of course, customs currently stands in the way of all that. It’s been a long night, but worth every minute. I hope. I really really hope.

7:15 a.m. AST- Check this out: LAND AHOY!!!