6/31 and 7/1: Saddle up and ride

My Thursday morning began at seven o’clock, my go-to wake up time when I have something relatively important to do before noon. The first alarm got me out of bed, proving just how important this really was. I didn’t have much of an appetite but managed to get myself to eat some pavlova courtesy of my partner Katia’s mom. I knew that even if it wasn’t much, breakfast was crucial for a day like this. Most important meal of the day and all.

Travel Gabe

We were scheduled to leave at ten-thirty when Dr. Haffey arrived. Her being there was a relief for everyone, I think. For my mom—who no longer needed to worry about me getting lost in the airport or whisked away by a gust of wind—and for Dr. Haffey, who was relieved to have a car to rely on instead of the several types of mass transit she otherwise would have taken. The drive itself was pretty damn good, as far as trips on I-95 go. Sure, there was no shortage of traffic, but we talked about Trader Joe’s and travels and UMW and our lives and then three hours had gone by and we were suddenly at Dulles. Thank God for Dr. Haffey at Dulles. This was my first flight, so I really had no idea what I was doing or where I was going. Having someone with any airport experience at all was a life saver.

Surprisingly, Dulles went by rather quickly. At least that’s how it feels now. But security wasn’t as bad as I thought (even though I went through twice because I forgot to empty my pockets) and we were at the gates by three o’clock. We grabbed lunch, and being the first ones there, waited for the others. I don’t remember the exact order everyone else arrived, but in no less than an hour we were all together. I’ll admit I was already feeling pretty tired, revealing just how little long-distance travel experience I had. It didn’t help when our flight got delayed by an hour (which, of course, is nothing compared to some of the delays other students faced—my roommate’s flight was delayed by about seven hours).

Boarding went smoothly. I was sat in between two people, which made the differing opinions I heard about the benefits of window seats vs aisle seats completely null and void. No good access to a window meant it was far from the most exciting first flight (in fact it was long and slow). I did manage to get a good start on a book given to me by my friend Gene about the Donner Party. So far the book is a great guide on what NOT to do when crossing thousands of miles with a large group of people. It’s a great read so far, and I would definitely recommend it: The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown (the author of The Boys in The Boat, for anyone who knows rowing and/or owning Nazis). But that’s besides the point.

I declined airline dinner, taking the advice of Dr. Smith and one Jerry Seinfeld, though having two plates of hot, fragrant food on either side of you DOES in fact make you feel hungry all of a sudden. But I powered through, and then the lights went off and I actually managed to get some sleep. One thing I’ve learned is that it’s nearly impossible to wear a face mask AND an eye mask, unless you enjoy the feeling of being gingerly smothered by a killer who isn’t really putting their heart into it. Eventually they turned the lights back on and served breakfast, which I accepted having learned my lesson from dinner. I had a small roll with cream cheese and a muffin with exactly one blueberry in it. Delicious. But in all fairness, I also had a cup of tea (but maybe it should’ve been coffee, as my fatigue would later prove).

Soon after breakfast, with forty-five minutes left on the flight, I felt a terrible sinking feeling and got extremely lightheaded. My vision turned white and I was overcome with dizziness as the flight attendant cleared our breakfast from our seats. I didn’t faint and I didn’t throw up, but I came pretty close to both. I’m not sure what that was or why it happened, but I’ll chew gum next time I guess? Or something? I don’t think I can blame airplane food, but knowing I just ate didn’t help any anxieties about being that guy who ralphs all over the plane. Regardless, I recovered, and despite feeling slightly dispirited for the remainder of the flight I was fine. The nearly eight hour flight was just about over, and soon I would well and truly be en France.