Flights and Airports

FLIGHT 1:

I was assigned group 3, but was the first group called up. I boarded the plane and got an aisle seat in the back. An old couple was already sitting down in my row. I hadn’t slept all night and immediately passed out. This was the first time I had brought an inflatable travel pillow with me. It proved to be heaven sent. =) I woke up to this old man elbowing me. He wasn’t a big guy but I guess he didn’t mind elbowing me as he moved. He never even apologized! RUDE! I usually need gum to keep my ears from plugging up during take-off and landing, but this time my ears were fine…weird…cool…but weird…maybe I now have the habitude =) When we landed the old guy immediately got up. He forced himself through, his butt in my face and grabbed his carry-on from the overhead bin. Ok buddy, no one is moving we’re all stuck here, you getting up isn’t going to make things move any faster! The entire time he kept speaking Portuguese to his wife telling her to hop over to the aisle. I’m still sitting here buddy! And we’re still not moving! Her getting up does nothing! People start to file out and I finally get up so that she can move closer to her hubby. However, we’re still stuck there and he’s still nagging her to get up, except I’m standing in front of her seat with nowhere to move. It was so annoying!!!>_<)

Miami Airport:
Its only 2:30 when we arrive to Miami and I have to wait til 6:20pm for my flight to Paris. As I walk towards the gate I get really light headed…shit! I’m going to pass out! My backpack is so heavy…I’m sleep deprived, starving (because American airlines don’t give food anymore!>_< so stingy!), and annoyed! I’m looking for food as I walk, but all I see are newsstands >_< and the occasional coffee and refrigerated sandwich place…where is the FOODCOURT! What is with these Miami people? All the women are in espardillas, shorts, skirts, huge sunglasses, great tans! And bodies! They looked beach friendly and fashion forward…and here I am, frizzy hair, huge bags under my eyes, yoga pants, dirty white Vans, and a white shirt full of sweat, enormous backpack, lugging my carry-on! And rockin’ my new scarf that I got from Kanhong! (Ya Kanhong! hahaha)…needless to say I felt very small in this sea of beachy fashionistas…=/
I settle for Nathan’s Hotdog stand…very crappy fries…gag! No seating! I had to sit in a waiting area, balancing my food on my knees, as I’m about to pass out! I eat and call my peeps back home. I finally start heading back to my gate. I popped 2 motion sickness pills and ate so I’m feelin’ a lil’ better. ^^
I see a duty free shop and stop to buy cheap VS Coconut Passion mist(b/c I forgot my perfume)(for some reason I’m obsessed with everything that smells like coconut right now! I have no idea why! Before I couldn’t stand that smell and now its intoxicating to me! ^_^) The meanie poo who rang me up was the same Beezie that greeted me at the door…=/ she wasn’t very nice…The two men helping me out at the counter looked African American to me, but they immediately spoke Spanish to me! MIND BLOWING! Sorry, but I’m only used to hearing/seeing Mexicans speak Spanish. Remember I’m from the west coast LOL NorCal…we don’t get very many islanders from the Caribbean, so every time I hear a Cuban or Dominican or Puerto Rican speak Spanish the accent blows my mind :D

Walking back to my gate I stop by a newsstand…I’m debating between Cosmo or Glamour…the news girl comes over and says “don’t get those! Get one of these!” She’s pointing to Us Weekly and OK magazine LOL I tell her, “I would, but they have no fashion section” she says “oh I hate that!” LOL LOL this spins off into a long conversation, well as long as is possible since she’s working. LOL We start talking about everything. I spit my TeenMom obsession and we discuss boys, work, school, Florida weather and the flat terrain of the state. She is truly unhappy here. Surprising…>_> She totally opens up to me! And I to her! I’m feeling so crappy (and mad that I always get stuck with crappy people sitting next to me on flights!) and she is standing there listening to me and telling me all about her! LoL it was so refreshing to meet someone new who’s actually nice! =) I tell her about my ex and my history with everything French, hehehe. She tells me about her Refs…it went down like this: “My ex is a Ref so…” I’m thinking: “huh? A ref? qu’est-ce que c’est que ça?????” LoL I stop her and ask. She looks surprised that I don’t understand the reference. :D She tells me, “it’s what you call people who just got off the boat” VAT??? I say, “you mean Fob?” and she says “yea, but in Miami, they’re called Refs, short for Refugee.” LOL wow! I just learned something new! =D it was awesome! Now it’s getting busy and two Spanish guys with man purses purchase ciggies from her. She speaks Spanish to them and I immediately recognize her Cuban accent! Cool! I don’t hear that accent too often, so it’s kind of amusing to listen to. We exchange contact info promising to add each other on Facebook.

****Well Miami newsstand girl if you’re reading this know that you made my day with our great conversation, keep smiling and talking to lonely travelers! =)

Flight 2:
The plane is cheapy; there are no individual tv screens. I was sitting in the back AGAIN! Aisle seat AGAIN, but this time no neighbor. Great! I either get a crappy neighbor or NO neighbor! ARGH >_< We watched some Queen Latifa movie. She plays a girl who’s always a friend and never a girlfriend…ouch! It was an ok movie. I slept. I read Glamour. I ate. I listened to music. I read my Goodbye messages in my travel journal! They were all very sweet! My fave was the food porn drawing! Thanks to whoever drew that, it truly made me laugh out loud, hahaha. There is another drawing that I couldn’t quite figure out…<_< someone will have to explain it later lol. The stewardess was an older man with shaggy salt & pepper hair. He was super nice and spoke to me in Français. =) The rest of the stewardesses were grouchy middle aged American women…not nice at all…maybe they need eat some SOUP!