Trip to Japan Part I

Well by now I'm sure most of you have despaired of me ever updating my blog at all. (I'm with you there.) I suppose my only excuse can be that I really dislike writing about myself and so it takes me a lot of work to get motivated to write here.

Of course once I get started the words start flowing and it's all good but really it's frustrating that I've left y'all hanging while I try to work myself up to writing about my trip so far. Well okay, now that I've groveled sufficiently, let's get back to what you're actually interested in hearing about.

JAPAN （日本）

 All right so I'm going to just start at the beginning, which of course means dragging two giant suitcases as close to the 50 pound limit as possible and also lugging about two carry-ons that are as close to the 25 pound limit as possible. Once I arrived at Portland Int'l Airport, I shuffled over to an airplane and flew to LA, the first leg of a journey that would end up taking about 24 hours all told.

Once I landed in LA, my ~40 pounds worth of carry-ons and I had to make our way across the airport and make our way to the international terminal in LA, which just so happens to be waaaaaay at the opposite end from the domestic departures. Ugh. So after walking the equivalent of about four city blocks in the sun with about forty pounds' worth of unwieldy luggage, I managed to check into Korean Airlines and made my way through a second security checkpoint. I did this because I had mistakenly read the clock as being an hour ahead and thought my flight would be boarding in about twenty minutes. Once I reached my gate I realized that the plane would actually be boarding in about seventy minutes. (it took me 10 minutes to find the gate). Well. Unfortunately all the restaurants were on the OTHER side of the security checkpoint, and I had not yet eaten food that morning. (though I had managed to get a cup of tea).

the security checkpoint had also gained a large line and being the paranoid person I am, in addition to my extreme aversion to spending time with the TSA, I decided to just sit there and eat some oranges and beef jerky that mom had sent with me. (I discovered that you could take oranges with you through a security checkpoint after a Model United Nations conference in new york that began with me trying desperately to foist off my oranges before we had to get to the airport, only to discover that I needn't have worried and the oranges did not have to be tossed in the trash)

So I was thinking to myself, okay, let's just read one of the books you bought from the Powell's in the airport, and as I'd never read the Great Gatsby and it had been on sale I figured it was worth a shot. (Note: unless you find yourself with the time to really consider the implications and messages presented in The Great Gatsby, don't read it. It's just a frustrating realistic/true-to-life story about dysfunctional people who suffer because of their own actions and attitudes. Ew. Where is the sci-fi, I ask you! Where is it???)

Anyway as most of you probably know I abhor with deep loathing being watched by people and thus I was not at all impressed by the fact that the people at my gate were sitting around while I was there (no, they were not actually staring but it feels that way so bluh). Since people were there and any odd movement had a high likelihood of drawing stares it took me awhile to finally work up the courage to go fill my water bottle. (I told you I don't like people staring. It's true. I would almost rather dehydrate than be watched going to find a water fountain.)

Anyway by the time i got back, korean airlines was apologizing because  the flight was delayed. Which meant I'd really had the time to go get food from the airport had I so desired. But now of course I was paranoid because I wasn't sure when the plane was going to arrive so did I go look for food? no.

(but that's okay  because the flight to Seoul served two meals)

Annnnd tragically I must take my leave here in order to go to class, but I will continue the airplane story in my next post and then eventually catch up to the madness and stress and also fun and excitement that is Japan.

Until then!