Out of darkness..into darkness

Could a 14 hour flight really seem short? Well this one definitely did. I am not sure why. I was in JFK by around 8 p.m. The traffic on the way to the airport was nothing. It gave me a couple hours to spend with Andrea which was great. I decided to go through security at about 10 p.m. because I didn't know exactly what it would be like. It took andrea to encourage me a lot to finally go to the "ticketed passengers only" area. I was the bigger sap than her. The security was nothing. It only took me about 5 minutes to get through it. Most of which was just taking off my shoes and putting them back on. It was just the same as a domestic flight really.

While waiting by myself for the plan I started to read the book " The world is hot, flat and crowded." It is a pretty interesting book to read especially right before travelling internationally. The only downside to reading the book at that point is I took nothing in. All the thoughts running through my head of apphrehension and excitement really kept my mind away from the words that my eyes were going past. Before my plane took off to South Korea I met a man who was also on that flight. He was sitting next to me and we just began a conversation. He was a very intersting guy. He told me about his life and how he had come to America from S. Korea about 40 years ago. Right when he was about my age he said.

Coincidentally he is a Chemical Engineer and works for Johnson and Johnson. He has travelled all around the world. We spoke about how he liked chemical engineering and he explained to me that he was ready to retire. He plans to pursue being a professor and he is welcomed at most colleges because he has a p.h.d. Meeting him and having that conversation was good to get my mind off things.

When the flight took off i was a little sad. For some reason the whole time I had this feeling of ..you can still get off..you can still turn around. It was such an odd feeling for me because typically I am so excited to do new things. I really like experiencing different things but I guess everyone gets that feeling for atleast a little bit. I thought all sorts of things at the begining of my flight. I almost convinced myself that I should never travel alone again! I started to feel terrible at the begining of the flight because I have been pretty sick lately. I started to get a headache and fever and was just miserable. Then they handed out the headphones on the plane and we could watch movies on the individual screens on the seats infront of us. I watched a movie and fell asleep. I think that was just as we were over the greatlakes and into Canada. I didnt wake up again until we were over the russian/chinese border. I felt much better when I woke up and then the excitement started to hit me a little more. I know I am going to get to come back home and see everyone and spend time with them. But I will be in Thailand soon and thats something to look forward to.


On the plane I was sitting next to a phillipino couple in their late 50's. I didnt really have much conversation with them until the end of the flight. They were really excited about my trip and what I am doing over in Thailand. Thats basically the same message I got from the Chemical Engineer I talked to earlier too. It makes me feel really good that my project is going to make a difference.

As we approaches S. Korea it was very interesting. I could see lights but it wasn't the American Landscape that I am used to. Their were very few lights on. When I fly over america I see lights all over the place! The lights were few and far between. It was also very flat. When I fly in the U.S. I see sky scrappers and 3 deckers. Here all the lights just seemed ground level. Maybe it was really that way or maybe it was my imagination of such a different world compounded with the fact I was at 38000 feet.

Now i am sitting in the Incheon Airport. Getting free wirless and relaxing in the transfer lounge. This airport is way nicer than any I have seen in the U.S. Its just really inviting. I am laying on something that looks like a fully reclined couch. Its about 6:45 a.m. I got here around 4:50 a.m. Its really confusing when my computer clock says that its 4:45 p.m.! In an hour or so I will be going to explore the airport a little more and find the transit tours desk. Hopefully there I can get a tour and see a little bit of South Korea during my 13 hour lay over. Plus I will get another stamp on my passport!

After that its back onto the plane for a 6 hour flight to thailand. Then my Thai group partner meg is going to pick me up and I can get some rest in a real bed. Then its on to having more adventures.