Unwaveringly American

The other night I was walking the road from Piaţa Romana back to my flat near Tineretului, I had a food craving. I get food cravings every once in a while, usually for good Mexican and Chinese, and the Thai food I've been missing so desperately. However, this night I was struck by an unabashedly American craving: Chicken McNuggets and a Diet Coke. Lucky for me there is a McDonald's at Piaţa Unirii, and so I continued on my walk armed with 4 delicious little processed balls of fried meat and the mixture of chemicals and carbonation equipped to clean industrial tar plants. And I thought about what I must look like, for all of my efforts to blend with local culture. I am simply an American.

How to Spot an American in Romania:
1. Eating at McDonalds
2. Laughing at the presence of KFC
3. Wearing jeans, but the boot leg type found at the Gap or Old Navy or on the Kohl's super-sale Saturdays... the Route 66 type found at your local K-Mart
4. Tennis shoes that are simply not sneakers
5. Alternatively, wearing Tivos
6. Hoodies from an American college or university
7. A curious appreciation for the- ahem- architecture covered with billboards- ahem as indicated by pointing and staring and pretending to look contemplative
8. Whispering about the ugliness of said commercial endeavours
9. Talking... loudly... about nothing... in restaurants
10. Commenting on how "charming" the local flavor is with no understanding of the trouble it causes to everyday Romanian people
11. Constant and visible frustration and dismay at people touching them and cutting in front of them in lines
12. Carrying maps- unfolded- on the metro
13. Speaking about how proud they are that they sucessfully navigated the Metro System
14. Continuing on, expressing surprise at how nice and efficient the Metro can be, despite the fact that Bucharest is the 6th largest city in Europe
15. In the winter, wearing a Columbia or North Face jacket
16. Speaking to shopowners and restaurant staff in English, exclusively
17. Gesturing wildly to cab drivers
18. Climbing into taxi cabs that have a posted rate this ISN'T 1.39 lei/km
19. Hesitating and false starting at every zebra crossing (though it can be noted that this might be an advisable behavior for everyone to copy)
20. Complaining amongst themselves about the lack of ice and fountain drinks
21. Wearing a Jansen backpack and carrying a guide book- dead giveaway

This is all for now. More suggestions are welcome and will be added :)

Update

There are a lot of random things happening in my life, and none of them are coming together to form into a connected web of thoughts with one big great idea... so here is my update.

1. I am STILL getting gifts for Mărţişor. It doesn't pay that well, but teaching in Romania is still pretty great :)

2. I have developed a new obsession with a man. His name is Craig, and he has a list. And everyday, he tells me about jobs that I should apply for. And so my friends, I have been taking his suggestions.

3. To that end, I am looking for two types of employment. The first is a summer position. I have a four important factors to consider at this point: location, salary, time-frame, and what effect THIS position will have on number 4. To that end, I have been applying at a lot of places on the East Coast, and I have an interview later this week for a Resident Counselor position in Conneticut. However, there is another opportunity that could be pretty fantastic, with programs available in Madison WI, Boston MA, and... um... LONDON.
Location: Job One... Conneticut. Good for multiple reasons that the world will someday know. Job Two... possibility of LONDON, and the other two would be great as well.
Salary: Job One... room and board included, no idea about salary. Job Two... all expense paid trip to LONDON (maybe), room and board in Madison and Boston, plus something extra.
Time-Frame: Job One... starts after I get home from Romania, which is a plus. However, lasts longer into the summer. Job Two... only about a month in July, which allows for job searching possibilities relating to number 4, which may or may not be necessary.
So that is where I'm at with THAT.

4. The second type of employment I am seeking is a full time job in the fall. I'm looking more and more at charter networks all over the United States, but this of course has me pointed towards the East Coast. In the last two weeks I have submitted my resume or application at 8 individual charter schools, and one huge network in NYC. Last week I heard back from an IDEAL position in Boston, MA and was asked to submit responses to some questions about education. I'm hoping to hear back from them at some point, or anywhere else really. If you don't mind, please do for me whatever you believe in. Pray, send all your good vibes, or just keep your fingers crossed. I would really love to have this figured out before coming home from Romania.

5. For a period of time last week, every member of my family (plus my darling Jane) was out of the country. I am here in Romania, Ean and my father were in Honduras, and my mom was in the Bahamas along with Jane and Christian. I'm struck by a few things, namely how lucky we all are to have these opportunities to see the world. I really do believe that we are shaped by travel experiences, and to experience this growth along with my family is really cool. Secondly, I am so proud of the men my brothers have become. I won't comment on the cruise activities undertaken by Brother #1, but Brother #2 has spent the last 10 days in Honduras, giving his time and strength and energy to those who were dealt a life hand that did not include being born into privilege. He is also taking a year off of traditional school to spend time in Croatia, and I am just immensely proud of him. Plus, it means that if I get a real job and can afford it, I will be going to Croatia for Christmas :)


6. I got together with a very random lunch date last Friday: my old babysitter! M~ is here in Bucharest along with her husband and two youngest children, and we got connected through a very odd meeting she had at a shipping facility back in the States. She used to babysit my brothers and I when I was just a toddler. Regardless, we had a fantastic time at Chocolat, a cafe in Lipscani. I got to meet her boys and they were fantastic (made me miss my brothers even more), and it was so lovely to connect with someone.

7. I am planning a trip in two weeks to a town called Sibiu. It is located in the Transylvania region, and was named a European Union Capital of Culture in 2007. It is about 7 hours from here by train, but I'm looking forward to a weekend away somewhere beautiful. I have other travel plans for the spring: a return trip to Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Sighişoara, Constanţa, and Iasi if at all possible. I would LOVE to travel to Maramureş, and there is a possibility of doing a weekend with a Roma family near Târgu Mureş. There just isn't enough time!


8. I have had some interesting teaching moments in the last few weeks, but this has to be one of the happiest. Please note the refusal to believe the way I spell my name (written on the board in EVERY class), as well as the devil horns and pitchfork. I still have no idea what I did to this little friend.





9. I saw a movie this past weekend: "The King's Speech." I am so happy that movies here are not dubbed, but subtitled in Romanian. It was a really excellent movie, and my Colin Firth obsession grew a bit stronger. I got all dressed up and went out... it is nice to be on a date every once in a while, even if it is only with myself.

10. Thoughts, comments, ideas, and suggestions are all very much appreciated. Have a wonderful week :)

I'll Be Home For...

I'm dreamin' tonight, of a place I love (okay, not really... but the people I love)
Even more than I usually do (because it's been two months...)
And although I know it's a long road back (really long- 20-ish hours long)
I promise you (to the best of my ability)

I'll be home for Christmas (SING it!)
You can count on me (but TAROM airlines, not so much...)
Please have snow and mistletoe (skip the mistletoe- we'd BETTER have snow)
And presents under the tree (not too many- I have to get back to Bucharest)
Christmas Eve will find me (I think I'll find it, rather)
Where the love light beams (hahahahaha- have you MET our family?)
I'll be home for Christmas (again- SING it!)
If only in my dreams (nope- it's official)

Friends, I'm coming home for Christmas! I'll be leaving Bucharest on December 23 and returning on January 3. I'm rather excited.

Support

I am sitting here, eating Pretzel M&M's, compliments of my dear friend C~. She prepared the most splendid package for me. I will detail the contents here:

1. Bottle of Eucerin Intensive Repair lotion- very needed, and lotion here is EXPENSIVE.
2. Packets (two) of Kleenex tissues- also very needed, and will allow me to stop carrying a toilet paper roll around with me.

3. Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm- I just used up what I brought over here, and lamented at the fact that it would be ages before I had any again. How did she know?

4. Bottle of Echinacea for Immune System Health- I laughed and laughed... and then took one.

5. Two packs of M&M's, which just so happen to be my favorite varities (Pretzel and Peanut Butter).

6. One package of Crystal Light Fruit Punch "On the Go" mix- whoa, buddy.

7. Three packages of Tropical Punch Kool-Aid. My life is complete.

8. Two packages of Taco Seasoning- Mexican night :)

9. One bag of Sixlets candy- great for munching!

10. One packet of Tiny-Size Chiclets Gum :)

11. Three boxes of KRAFT Macaroni and Cheese- this might have stemmed from the tears I shed while talking to her about missing Macaroni and Cheese.

12. One very lovely card filled with encouragement and support and love.

I am not sure what I would do without all the amazing people in my life. I've had a relatively rough patch recently, but the amount of support that is just flowing into my heart is incredible.

I am very officially going to Brasov this weekend. I made my hostel reservations last night (Rolling Stone Hostel!) and bought my train tickets today. I'll be leaving Friday afternoon and returning home Sunday evening. I have no idea what I'll do, but it is supposed to be a beautiful weekend. I feel mostly safe about traveling by myself, and I'm hoping that some more time away from the city will be good.

Blessings to all of you- and thank you for the unending support. It is so appreciated.

Idea Collecting

I've had a rough couple of days, despite the amazing amount of time I have spent talking with people I love. This is, of course, better than not talking. But it does sometimes make me more homesick than I would have been otherwise. Not more lonely, just more homesick.

Because of this, I've found it particularly important to start making plans for time spent here in Romania. I've discussed this a lot with people, and I don't want to just waste these next 8 months, nor do I want to wish them away. However, I think that having things to look forward to will help me get through the days and weeks of nothing but school.

A good amount of these plans involve travel. I've already made plans to go back to Timisoara for the Thanksgiving weekend, but there are other parts of Romania I want to explore as well. Currently on the list: Brasov, Arad, Baia Mare, Iasi, Suceave, Sibiu, Braila, Cluj-Napoca, Targu Mures, and Constanta... I'm looking at a trip to Brasov this coming weekend, hoping it can work out.

I would also like to go back to Oradea at some point, the town I was in the first time I came to Romania.

Mostly though, I am wondering what I should do for Christmas. I have nearly 2 weeks off of school and no one to spend the holidays with. It would be easy to stay here in Bucharest and just take some time to rest- but before I knew it the entire break would be gone and I would be disappointed in myself. I really should use this time for traveling. There are so many places in Eastern Europe I want to go: Prague, Vienna, Bratislava, Istanbul, Sofia. However, would it be wise to travel out-of-country during Christmas, or should I save all of that for another time? Looking at all the places in Romania I want to visit, it feels silly to leave when I have two weeks to explore them all.

When my dad comes at the end of January, we are probably going to drive to Budapest, stopping in Timisoara on the way. This will also be a chance to see more of Romania, and in a car we can go more quickly and do whatever we want to.

I have a week off at spring break as well that could be used for traveling. It is just tricky to figure out this stuff alone...

Regardless. I have plans.

Arrival

This is going to be a badly written and terribly boring post, just so you know. I am copying most of this from an email I sent someone because my internet connection is REALLY shady at the moment. I am supposed to have internet in the apartment, but I am currently stealing it from my neighbor (I think). Thank you, Lucian.

Travel was pretty good. I had to pay extra for my bags, but no biggie, I knew that was coming. The flight was delayed about 45 minutes, and we actually were seated apart. We asked someone to move, and so we ended up in the middle section- I was right in the middle and D~ was on the outside. As soon as we sat down I knew it was going to be a long flight- the seats were TERRIBLY uncomfortable- the plane was so old that there were still ashtrays in the armrests :) Poor D~ was miserable- he couldn't even rest his legs on the floor because his knees hit. We had a pretty good time, all things considered. Played a LOT of card games, talked a lot about politics and religion and everything else, and watched a REALLY terrible Queen Latifah movie called "Just Right." AWFUL.
Food was awful. I chose the beef (rather than fish) and D~ had the fish after seeing my beef- but then he ended up really sick at the end of the flight.
We were seated seperately on our flight from Rome to Bucharest, which was okay again. I ended up sleeping again for almost the entire flight- just a few hours, but really needed. When we got to Bucharest, we got a luggage cart to wait for our stuff, but it never came. All of a sudden we heard the words "Roma finished." I followed the parade of people over to the lost baggage office while D~ waited to see if it was anywhere around, and with all the carry on stuff. Everyone was yelling in Romanian and I very nearly had a breakdown. About 1.5 hours later our claim was in and we went out to meet two people from my school, and climbed in the tiny car to go to my apartment. In hindsight, it was a good thing the luggage was lost b/c there is NO way it could have fit into the car. We were met by my landlord, a parent from the school, and one of my students who brought me flowers. This was around 5:00 on Tuesday night- we were in the apartment for a while, and they showed us around. The apartment is beautiful- one main room with a tiny little kitchen and a decent sized bathroom. I have a really nice futon, two comfy chairs, a television, a few cabinets, and a really huge wardrobe. The kitchen has a fridge, sink, and range/oven, and the bathroom has a tub/shower, sink, toilet, AND... a washer/dryer!!! (This is a big deal). Oh yeah- there is an adorable little lift that works about half the time and I'm on the fourth floor- not too bad. Oh yeah- AND there is air conditioning :)

My area of the city is really nice- everything within walking distance- supermarket, post office, bank, school, and a metro station. We went to dinner right across the street on the first night (sour cream chicken and paprika potato wedges) and then grocery shopping, just for some staples like fruit, bread, milk, and cereal. We crashed pretty early the first night, and went the next day to get our luggage, spending the rest of the afternoon just hanging out in the apartment, unpacking a bit and napping some. I got a mobile phone, so I am officially connected :) We had dinner the second night with people from SOL, but I messed up on the time- we were supposed to meet the country director O~ at 5pm outside my apartment, not 6pm. We had to run out pretty quickly- D~ was still in the shower and I hadn't yet gotten in... it was pretty miserable. We ran to the Metro station and I did what I do best- fell down the steps. I messed up my foot pretty badly- I could walk with an awful limp to the restaurant, but couldn't even bear weight afterward. Dinner was great, all things considered. We were there for nearly 3.5 hours, and we ate well. I had some Romanian chicken and mashed potatoes, beef soup, and carmel custard. We talked and talked (I was quite distracted by the pain in my foot) and it was a beautiful place. Afterward, we ended up calling a taxi to get back to my apartment, because there was NO way I could have made it otherwise. I felt really bad, but I was in a tremendous amount of pain.

Bucharest is big and loud and none of the streets run straight and everything looks the same. I crave the knowledge that I will have in a month, six months, a year from now concerning this strange place. It is pretty drab for the most part- it still reeks of an oppressive Communist regime, and Ceausescu's legacy is everywhere. I'm looking forward to finding little pockets of good, but it might take some searching.

We had orientation yesterday, and it was quite interesting. We met at the British Council, and were able to meet a few other teachers here in Bucharest, which was good for me. I got pretty drugged up for the day, my foot still in a lot of pain but not NEARLY like it was the night before. We talked in the morning about school stuff- more to come in a later post (the Romanian system is quite interesting) and then went to lunch, which basically turned into a 3 hour break time. I got a library card from the British council library (!!!!) I met a man named G~ who also teaches in the city, and he mentioned a few opportunities about teaching part time at a preschool (almost every teacher has to have a second job for money purposes) AND his project this year of going to a hospital and holding babies!!!

After orientation, D~ went to buy his train ticket to Timisoara (pronounced Timmy-shwora) and then we wandered around for a bit looking for something to eat, and ending up back at the same restaurant as the first night. It seems like a decent place judging by the amount of people there, and our waiter from the first night was all smiles about us being back.
D~ left this morning, and I have three days with nothing to do. Hoping that the internet holds out, and that I get my connection fixed. I find myself missing him already- he was my last tangible link to home in this strange, bewildering place. He has been incredibly fun, wonderfully comforting, and impressively strong. I'm not sure I could have done all of this without him.

My foot is feeling a lot better- I was honestly quite worried the first night. It is still quite painful, but I can at least hobble around now. I am hoping that this sense of lonliness transforms itself into excitement, but for now I am just overwhelmed and wondering if this was the right choice. I know this will get better when I have friends and school starts and I have the opportunity to explore the city a bit more- but right now is pretty difficult.

Haha- in other news, I apologize for the spelling errors in my postings from now on. Because I am in Romania, when I click on "check spelling," about 95% of the words are highlighted. Sorry!

International Travel (2)

With little else to occupy my time (okay, little else I am motivated with to occupy my time), I have come to my last international travel experience.

In August of 2009, my mom and I went to Europe for two weeks. We had a (ridiculously) ambitious agenda- 6 countries in 12 days. In hindsight, this was pretty stupid, because we barely had the energy to enjoy some of them. Regardless, it made for some fantastic memories and wonderful stories.

One such wonderful story is a travel debacle of nearly-epic proportions. I want you to picture a situation, movie-like, growing from slightly problematic to terribly exhausting. And despite it being the most stressed I had EVER been in a lifetime of stress, (for recent update on stressful scenarios, see my post titled Tumultuous-ness) it is my favorite tale of the trip. Allow me a brief screenplay.

Scene: Airport, 45 minutes outside of Athens, Greece.
Time: 15:35.

Destination: Vienna, Austria

Two females sit on the floor outside the terminal at the airport. The floor is coolly tiled and a welcome respite from the HEAT of their time spent in Athens. Without a scrap of dignity the women (clearly a mother and a daughter) talk and laugh, and the younger one checks the departure screens they are sitting next to every few minutes. Everything appears to be normal and relaxed until the younger woman seems to make some kind of terrible mental connection. With a look of frantic alarm once more at her watch and the departure screens, she jumps up with a shriek. After a few more glances at both screens, she hastily grabs up the luggage around her, screaming for the older woman to get up and join her.

Stephanie:

"Oh my GOD! I totally misread the time! We are supposed to leave in twenty minutes! Twenty minutes! Get up! Grab the stuff! Come on- GET UP!"

Theresa:

"I don't appreciate you talking to me that way. What do you mean?"

Stephanie:

"GET UP!!! We have to go to the counter and check in!"

The women run across the airport terminal to the airline counter, where they are met by a very peaceful ticket agent.

Stephanie:

(Breathing heavily) "We need to check in for our flight to Vienna! Do we have enough time?"

Peaceful Perfect Ticket Agent:

"May I please see your passports?" (REALLY LONG Pause) "It appears that your flight to Vienna has been rerouted."

Stephanie:

"Rerouted to where?? And can we get on it in time? And why?"

Peaceful Perfect Ticket Agent:

"Bratislava. And yes, you should be fine if you hurry. And honestly, I have no idea."

Theresa:

(Whispering in Stephanie's ear) "Where the h- is Bratislava?"

Stephanie:

"Um, Slovakia?"

Theresa:

"Behind the IRON CURTAIN?"

Peaceful Perfect Ticket Agent:

"Take your bags over there to be checked through to your flight. And hurry."

The women gather their luggage and run to the machine where a man is waiting to scan the bags and put them on a conveyor belt. Panic ensues when the older woman realizes she doesn't have her suitcase.

Theresa:

"I just had it. I JUST had it. Where is my suitcase?"

Stephanie:

"Mom. Seriously? You don't have it? I'll go back and grab it."

(As one could probably have guessed... ) The suitcase is not to be found. It isn't at the ticket counter, isn't amongst the masses of people waiting in line, and isn't where the women had earlier set up camp on the floor. This is all known because the younger woman ran from place to place, with a look of growing desperation on her face.

Stephanie:

"It's not over there. It's not anywhere! We have to go. We have to go now."

Theresa:

"Stephanie, we have to tell someone about this! We have to report it!"

Stephanie:

"Mom, we have approximately 15 minutes to be on a plane headed towards Austria. Or, in this case, Slovakia. Oh my word. What is going to happen to us? We have to GO!"

Theresa:

"Fine. Let's go. Let's just GO. NOT REPORT IT. JUST GO."

Much chaos ensues as the women run as quickly as possible through the crowded airport toward security. They are relatively lucky that the Grecian border guards are so lackadaisical in their efforts to stop terrorism (or they just anticipated the drama involved with stopping two harried and frantic women), and make it to the gate with approximately 5 minutes remaining before takeoff.

Stephanie:
(Running to Peaceful Perfect Ticket Agent #2) "Is there still time to get on the plane?"

Peaceful Perfect Ticket Agent #2:

"Ma'am, there is no plane."

Stephanie:

"The plane for Bratislava is supposed to leave from here in 5 minutes!"

Peaceful Perfect Ticket Agent #2:

"Ma'am, that plane has been delayed."

Stephanie:

"..."

The women move to a corner of the waiting room to gather themselves. They begin to make a recording of all that was in the stolen luggage (a desperately small and quite depressing list), and the younger woman walks to a payphone to call the States and check in with her father. The woman tries to call with a calling card, but after three tries puts it away with some frustration. Drawing out her debit card, her thoughts of the ridiculous expense of her forthcoming call seem to drift visibly out of her head. Nevertheless, she dials about four hundred numbers, and then puts the phone back on the cradle with some hesitation. She picks up the phone again, and breathing deeply in an effort to calm herself, repeats the dialing of the numbers in a more slow and deliberate manner. Again, she puts the phone back in the cradle, and begins to cry. Walking slowly back over to the older woman, she reports her findings.

Stephanie:

"My credit card has been cut off. For illicit activity. In Europe."

Theresa:

"Didn't you report it? Didn't you tell them we would be here?"

Stephanie:

(Crying AND *itching) "OF COURSE I DID!"

Theresa:

"Well, try mine. Here is my... Oh my God. My purse is gone. My purse. Are you sitting on it? Where is my purse? Are you KIDDING ME?"

Stephanie:

(Cries loudly)

Theresa:

"Stop crying! That is NOT helping!"

Camera follows the older woman to the bathroom, where she begins to cry. Pan out to the two women getting onto a tiny little airplane nearly 4 hours later, staffed by perfect peaceful women wearing pink polo shirts, short black shorts, and hot pink pageboy hats. The women are barely phased. The older woman has her purse, someone having turned it is to the gate check-in. They look hot and hassled and completely un-confident in their ability to travel, and wondering how they are going to find the hostel in Vienna when they are landing in Bratislava.

Theresa:

(After walking into the baggage claim in Bratislava) "Is that my suitcase?"

Stephanie:

"Um, yes."

The women grab the previously stolen and assumed-lost forever suitcase, and open the zippers. The inside is in disarray, but they discover that nothing is missing. Amazed, the women are slightly dejected and disappointed that the would-be thief found nothing of value to take, and they board a bus that will take them to the airport in Vienna.

Cut to scene of women walking through the dark streets of Vienna at approximately 1:00 am, with a clear sense of growing terror.

Theresa:

"I don't think we are going the right way. I think we need to ask for help."

Stephanie:

(Still *itchy) "And who exactly are we going to ask?"

Theresa:

"Well I just don't know! But we need to ask someone. What is your PROBLEM?"

Insert Karen, Angel of Mercy, riding a bicycle. Clearly recognizing the plight the two stupid and exhausted American women found themselves in, she offers to walk them back to the hostel. The women check in, lug baggage up just ONE MORE flight of stairs, and find themselves not in the private room they had reserved, but in an 8 bed dorm. 6 of the beds are occupied with naked young adults, not all of whom are female. With no regard to the wellness of others (due in part to a lack of sleep, a draining of adrenaline, and relief at the final arrival), the younger woman makes an enormous amount of noise. The older woman yells at her one last time. They both take out their sleeping bags and crawl into bed and ponder silently the day they had experienced.

Theresa:

"Goodnight, Stephanie."

Stephanie:

"...goodnight, Mom."

And thus, we made it to Vienna. It really was a fantastic trip.

I just want to say that I made it through that ENTIRE posting without a spelling error. Booyah.

International Travel

I have had the pleasure of going overseas three times in my life (because Canada doesn't count). And every time, there has been a hang-up of some kind in the travel arrangements.

When I was in eighth grade, I went to Honduras for 10 days. Our mission was to build a church in the tiny village of Savanetta. My mission was to avoid a serious allergic reaction brought about by the concrete dust at the site. Regardless of my inability to do just about anything, we had a fantastic time. I learned about the people and culture, and the God I serve, and even more about myself.

Another lesson I learned was about the wisdom of traveling internationally 6 months after the September 11, 2001 attacks. The hassle involved in every airport, with every customs agent, at every border crossing- it was almost funny. Except for a 13 year old girl, it really isn't very comical when the Honduran customs agent holding a big gun pulls all of your...um... personal items...out of your luggage and holds them in the air for everyone else in the group to see. Regardless, a pretty tame entry into the world of international travel. If only I could have known what was to come.

My next venture abroad was in May 2009, when I traveled to Romania and Hungary as part of a program called Tri-S (study, share, serve), and we were mostly on a cultural trip. I discussed part of our journey in my last post (which is really about babies), but left out our rather conspicuous arrival to Eastern Europe. Our flight left from Chicago mid-afternoon on May 11, and we arrived in Dusseldorf, Germany the next morning for a few hour layover. After a quick and grimy nap on the pilled carpet, I sat in anticipation of the next flight that would take us to Budapest, and the van ride that would bring us to Romania. We boarded the flight without thought as to the possible ramifications of such an action. This is the part of the story where the music goes "dun Dun DUN..."

About 30 minutes from our scheduled arrival time in Budapest, I felt my feet getting warm. Okay- just deal with it, right? Really warm. Whatever. Kind of hot. What was wrong with my body? Is this jet lag? What is happening? Oh look- everyone appears to be warm. And suddenly, things get kind of hazy. A quick glance at D~ sitting across the aisle and J~ in the seat next to me confirms that I am NOT suffering from some kind of hallucinational daze- that really IS smoke in the cabin. And so as D~ and I laugh and J~ begins to frantically worry and we all look uncertainly at our team members dispersed throughout the plane, the German-speaking flight attendent runs to the back of the cabin.

Upon hearing a struggle, I turn around just in time to see her smack herself in the nose with the FIRE EXTINGUISHER (!!!) and blood starts pouring out. She runs back to the front, our plane begins to descend quite rapidly, and we hear these English words: "Emergency, 4 minutes." And yes, those ARE flames coming from the engine out my window.

Without any sort of other emotion to express, I continue to laugh. (This might be the plague of my spirit- laughter at weddings, funerals, imminent death.) D~ continues to laugh. The German-speaking gentleman behind us looks quite nervous (having heard all of the details). J~ asks what she should do, and I realize in hindsight it was quite cruel to tell her to get into crash landing position. (Sidenote: is that REALLY supposed to help? Really? I mean, if my airplane crashes, I'm going to be more concerned about, say, my spine getting crunched into the seat in front of me, or developing my own bloody nose when it hits my knees, or... death???) Yes, I stayed sitting up.

Regardless, we arrived in Budapest smoldering and flaming, amidst a few fire engines and a bus ready to lug us to safety. Miraculously, we survived along with all of our luggage. I emerged with a really awesome story to tell, and now I almost always win the game "Two Truths and a Lie." Because freakin NO ONE believes that you have been in a plane crash.

So. I have been overseas three times, right? The first travel experience quite harmless. The second a little more chaotic. The third, my friends- that tale needs it's own post. And it is coming soon.