Arabian Nights, and Days pt. 1

I want to say my journey began on Thursday morning, but that would discount the emotional lead-up to where I was heading. So, I would rather begin with Wednesday night. I arrived home from an evening out of saying goodbye to friends and acquaintances; marking the final evening I would see America for some time. I noticed that some of the people I have known for many years, while trying not to show it, had a sadness in their eyes that I was leaving, once again. It was reliving a similar moment when I made my last goodbyes for Japan, just a year prior. It is not my place, nor my responsibility to keep their spirits high; I will be far away in due time. I can only hope that they truly wish me well and are happier to see me living my dream, not being caged within the confines of my hometown.

To some, staying near home is something they cherish, relish in, and feel most comfortable. I cannot say I feel the same. I have a wondering heart, a wondering soul that needs to see beyond my borders. I wish I could be a pilgrim in some new, uncharted world. In that situation, I think I would feel the most satisfied and [at home]. 

I digress… To the main topic and that is to write about my travel overseas, to a land I have never been to. Thursday morning began quickly, as I could not rest the night before. I was listless and neurotic over where I was heading and had a myriad of thoughts bolting through my mind. One moment, I would think about all the wonderful things my (Saudi) friends had told me about Jeddah; the next moment, I would be hammered by primitive thoughts and stereotypes that had been etched into the back of my mind for decades. Many of these thoughts were put there by sources who most likely had never been to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East, or even outside of the Continental United States for that matter.

Nonetheless, if I said I was going into this new adventure with no fear, many of you would probably guess and be absolutely right, I was downright terrified. Couple this with sparkling optimism and you get an individual who is torn on his decision to travel abroad. However, I am not one to look a bold choice in the eye and cower. Rather, I take the fear and I mix it with my overflowing optimism and confidence to muster up a progressive attitude about the city I would embark upon.

So, my friend Julie arrives at my house and I give my mom a big hug and kiss goodbye, then I hop in the car and off we go towards Toledo Express Airport. Julie and I were able to share some laughter and deep thoughts on our way and that was certainly a great way to be sent off, if I do say so myself. It was like a going away gift, reminding me that I do have people who I care about, who care about me, that I have had amazing times with and hope to do so again with in the future. And now, I am just going to tuck that little “gift” into my luggage and take it out as needed (figuratively, of course).

I give one final hug to Julie and I make my way into the airport. The lady at the counter was unbelievably friendly, and helpful. Even though she was unable to fulfill some of my requests, she did make concerted efforts to do so, and that was greatly appreciated. After that, I crossed through security screening and relaxed before my flight, which was scheduled to leave at 11:00am. And at this point trouble reared its ugly head and I would face my first challenge of the day.

As I was sitting on my computer, thanks to Toledo Express’ free Wi-Fi, I hear an announcement that the flight from Toledo Express to Chicago O’Hare would be delayed… by one HOUR!!! “Are you kidding me?” as I glance outside to see a clear and sunny day. We would then be informed that it was due to switching planes in Chicago prior to their departure towards Toledo. Now, as I had mentioned earlier that do have an optimistic side to myself, my first thoughts were, “Oh, well, this is good. That means we are getting a fresh plane, which should mean no problems in flight.” I am not implying that had they brought the other something would have gone wrong, rather that a well-rested bird can sail more smoothly (IMHO).

Eventually, after many changes before its arrival, the plane finally touched down at 11:35am. The passengers from Chicago, although very few, went their merry way, and me and my fellow passengers scuffled onboard. I jammed my way into a cramp seat on the left side of the aircraft where it was a single column of chairs. This is good because there is nobody on the left or right of me. This is bad, because the seat is still tiny and I am not-tiny. But, I made do and the flight went well. I got a bit of rest during the short jaunt two states over and I was going to need it!

It must be made clear that our 11:00am flight left at 11:50am and this posed a problem for me. According to my itinerary, my next flight left very little wiggle room to begin with. My departure from O’Hare was at 12:35pm and the only good news was that it was in the same terminal in which I would land. The bad news, as I came to discover AFTER my arrival, the gate was on the opposite end of the entire place. This may not have been as bad as it had first seemed. However, I needed to use the restroom as we hit the runway in Chicago. This was no stop-and-go, either. I was in need of some “me time” and the clock was ticking…

I managed to pull off a quick pit stop as I was literally running from end of the terminal to the other. And, for those of you who have had the displeasure of travelling to any destination with O’Hare being one leg of the journey, you can probably imagine my pain, as that airport is EPIC in size; transfer, easy, and O’Hare NEVER belong in the same sentence, unless there is a definitive [NOT-] in front of the easy. I stumbled up towards the counter, waving my one free hand in the air at the counter clerks. They smiled cynically and said, “Mr. Carrigan?” I gave them exasperated nods and asked if they could give me just an extra moment to catch my breath.

Well, I had made it! I covered the longest point between two gates at Chicago O’Hare, along with a sabbatical in-between, in under 12 minutes! So, now I am sweaty, and breathing heavy, and boarding the plane. This is when I realize, I am in the first row of economy, next to the window… and an elderly couple who didn’t seem to speak much English. In another situation where I am not a big ball of perspiration huffing and puffing, I would have tried to make small talk during  our two and a half hour flight. But not that day… I opened up my vent, so the cool air could blow upon me, and I tried dozing off.

It would seem like a small century getting to JFK in New York, but finally, we arrived. And I will continue this story in part 2…