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It was Friday morning. I couldn’t believe it. I was actually leaving. I had so much to do before leaving. Yet, the list keeps on what I wish I would have brought. This is what I have so far:
map of spain
cord w/ many plugs
pantuflas
water bottles
nextel
alarm clock
already converted cash to Euros
mom's extended credit card
my parole
my own pillow
I think that's pretty good, considering I started making my bags 2 hours before leaving my house for the airport. It’s so funny that my parole comes after my alarm clock, or even flip flops. Somehow, I have been able to forget about it. We barely made it to the airport. It was nice to have both my parents with me. My dad, as always, was getting me nervous. It was 3:30 PM and we were still pumping gas somewhere outside LAX. When we finally got to LAX we made a wrong turn and went to the arriving station of LAX. We kept going around and skipping Bradley, the terminal for International flights. We finally, somehow made it. I had to screen my bags so I ate take out Chinese food my mother had brought me while I was in line. I was really going to miss them. My dad forgot cash and gave me $30. And I left on my next adventure to Europe. Apart from my life for 7 weeks.
Flying was not as bad as I thought it would be. I remember the trip to Israel being a lot worse, and longer. In the trip from Los Angeles to London I was sitting next to a young Australian woman and a seemingly American older man. The older man was walking in front of me. I had already bumped into him while we were waiting in line to enter the airplane. I could tell he wasn’t very happy with me. I could see the expression of disappointment when I said, “Sir, excuse me, I’m sitting there”. The young woman, already sitting in her place next to the window simply said, “Hello”.
When I got to my seat I was carrying a backpack and a bigger hand bag. In the backpack I had my laptop, which I intended to use. In the hand bag I had “The Da Vinci Code”, a book my mother had bought me before leaving. I was planning on reading it on the plane. All of it. So, I had a dilemma. I didn’t really have time to get the book out of the bag. And I was packed between the older man and the younger woman. So I held on to my backpack. To which the older man said, “Can’t you just put it up?”. I said I would when I got my bag out from under my sit. Something that never happened. The plane was about to take off and I forcefully held on to my backpack on my lap, hoping that the flight attendant wouldn’t realize I had it. When it was announced through the overhead that all our belongings should be below our sit or the compartments above us, the man grinned, annoyed that I was still hanging on to my backpack. I didn’t care. Though my head started to spin off, as the plane was taking off. I went into my own world, thinking what if this guy was my sponsor. He very well could be him. Testing me. I felt bad for not being necessarily nice. But I didn’t really do anything about it.
I must have seen “Walk The Line” 20 different times in the screen of my movie. I looked next to me and the older man was in a deep sleep, snoring compulsively. Looked to my other side and the woman was sleeping with eye mask. I couldn't find mine. I didn't look for it, I didn't know what could happen if I moved and I woke up the old man. The woman had a ring. I started wondering who her fiancé could be. Where he was, why she was traveling alone, maybe they weren’t sitting together. I later saw her in the London airport with a man, I’m not sure if they were really together. But I think that could have been him.
The man woke up and the woman had to stand up (for a second time) to go to the bathroom. I should had been sitting by the window. I hadn't stood up, not even once. In any case, the man stood up to stretch while the girl was in the bathroom. My perfect chance to have space and reach out for “The Da Vinci Code”. I turned on the light and started reading. It’s a really interesting book but by the second chapter, about 10 pages, I was falling asleep. I felt like an idiot because I’ve heard that people usually can’t put it down once they start reading. And there I was. Sleeping after a few minutes.
When I got to London I was really disoriented, I wasn’t really sure where to go. I kept thinking I had seen USC kids but maybe I was delusional. There was this guy I saw that Ale had introduced me to last year. He totally pretended not to notice me and/or know me. I was quite amused. I did the same thing back. Maybe there were USC kids but they weren’t going to the same program. London was a big airport. So I went to the connecting flight sections. The gate for Madrid wasn’t announced yet. I saw a cute guy sitting by the waiting area next to a typical airport Cafe. And I did a very “Florencia” thing. I shyly passed by him and sat next to some chair next to him. I eat in like 10 minutes some chow mein take out my mother had managed to somehow snick into my hand bag. Once I was done, I realized the guy was gone. Got up, and went to check if the gate for my flight had been announced yet. It had.
I got to the gate. Boarding already, that was fast (QLY… I miss Orit). I still had 45 minutes for the gate to be closed, so it seemed rather odd. Also, I noticed some people I had seen before in the orientation for the program and they were clearly not moving. When I got to the gate they told me this was a different flight from mine. They must have scheduled us to a later one to make sure we would make it. Gate “21”… agh… that number haunts me. I went up to the group and told them this was the wrong gate. After we waited for some people that were getting sandwiches, we headed to the gate, which was closed for another 30 minutes. We all sat down next to a huge screen that was showing “Dr. Schiavo”. I’m a film student for God’s sake. As Steven, said, I have to see it. But maybe the airport wasn’t the best place to do it.
Most of the SC people were sitting together inside the plane. I was separate, however. I think it’s mainly because I got to the airport so much later than everyone else. During the ride from London to Spain I was sitting next (with a seat in between) an Indian young woman. I could see her underwear. That was quite distracting. I started to plan out stuff on my new planner, etc. But, soon enough, I fell completely asleep. I got up as the plane landed. The process to enter Spain was so simple. The immigration guy was even heating on me. It was nice, not stressful at all. The airport looked so modern and sophisticated, yet the people were so relaxed and rather simple. I liked that. Airports in the US are so stressful. I feel suffocated most of the time.
When we got to claim our bags it was exciting to see that we could just get any carts we wanted, and for free. I remember being so stressed in Argentina when I got to the airport with no pesos and needed a cart. We got our stuff together, I annoyed people with my obsession with taking pictures and we were off to meeting Roberto. Some people had been waiting and some had lost their bags. I, surprisingly, hadn’t. It was exciting, specially considering my mishapennings coming back from Israel.
As Roberto tried to explain how to get to the bus to “Yorcar” we were trying to push my suitcases in the cart up. It almost threw Roberto and me down. I didn’t realize I had brought so much stuff. I wish I would have brought more though. I had so much space left and my bags weren’t even overweight. I should have used the Space Bags Orit recommended which mom I am sure is returning as I write this.
As soon as we got out of the airport we started to experience the wrath of Latin men: “piropos”. Non stop, just like the immigration guy. We got in the bus and I observed some soccer players that were standing outside the bus. A very well shaped woman walked in front of them and they all turned around. It was very amusing to watch. And we left for CIS, where we would meet our families.
I was excited about being in the same house as Colleen. It seemed like we would really get along and it would be nice to have someone like that in a totally new place with a new family. When we got there our “senora” wasn’t there. She had misunderstood the dates. She thought that we were getting in on July 7th (the day of our departure) instead of May 20th. Colleen was placed in another house with two other her friends and I with Magda, the director of the program and the house in which Anya was going to stay once she got in on Tuesday.
Magda was driving her car and, after everyone left, Roberto helped us take all the bags. Her car was full of different things, including a painting, because she wasn’t expecting to have anyone come with her back to her apartment. We managed to get it all in her car. Once we got to her house I had to wait with my bags in front of her building’s door while she went to park her car. A man in his motorcycle parked on the street kept looking at me. We were staring at each other the whole time while Magda was gone. A group of adults with young children walked in front of me. A blond woman in the group was playing around with one of the young girls. Their relationship seemed so warm.
With two separate elevator trips, Magda and I got my bags up the stairs into her house. Her apartment was huge. Her mother was home and she kept complementing me once I got in. Magda kept mentioning that I will have to room with Anya once she got in on Wednesday. I don’t know what’s going to happen.
I settled in and got everything out of my suitcases. It was really tiring. I felt I needed a shower and then sleep, but I wanted to go out. I also needed to call my parents. It was 9 pm already and Magda had made me a quick dinner, cheese sandwich. “El Corte Ingles”, a famous shopping chain like Macy’s, was going to close at 10 pm so if I wanted to get a cell phone I had to go the mall right then. I went to the wrong one. Apparently there are several “Corte Ingles”es. When I found the right one, a woman gave me a deal for a phone for 65, and then gave me one that was 55 with 12 euros of minutes. It seemed like a great deal since when I had gone to Argentina a cell phone had been like 99 dollars.
When I got back to Magda’s I really wanted to go out. Colleen finally called and said she was staying in for the night. I still wanted to go out so I did on my own. Magda gave me directions to a famous fountain and I walked on my own in the streets of Madrid, more specifically towards the doors of Alcala. It was so nice to be able to walk on my own in a city around midnight. Just me and the city. When I got to the fountain I saw so many couples. Kissing. Holding hands. Looking at each other. I also passed a bar where there seemed to be Americans just getting drunk, having fun. There I was. Alone. Walking by myself. It’s weird because I felt a sense of empowerment for being there on my own without anyone. I walked home after looking at the landscpae and the cars go by for a while. And my last day was done.
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Jaydi
non-member comment
and she speaks!
yayy for finally posting a blog! where do I begin? First of all, I love you descriptions of all the people - I felt like I was right there with you. The stuff about the guys sitting next to you was HILARIOUS, although I'm sure you didn't find it funny at the time. That's funny you thought he could have been your sponsor hehe I love how your mind works. It was also cute how you wondered about the woman's engagement ring. It's amazing what you can find out about someone by just opening your eyes. By the way, it's Dr. Zhivago, not Dr. Schiavo...haha...soooo Florencia. "Go Charlotte...it's your birthday..". That's nice that Anya is going to join you soon...and I'm also glad that you have some time to spend on your own. It is definitely empowering. I think this summer's going to be so great for you...for so many reasons. I think you're going to come back here totally refreshed and excited about life. I just started my first day at Paramount today...so cool...speaking of empowering, even though I'm just doing gopher work like getting them lunch, I get to drive around the lot in a golf cart...uber cool. Makes me feel important. I even heard that Tom Cruise's production company is based on the same lot, so who knows? Maybe I'll get to meet him sometime. I think I would die. Oh, and guess what? I ran into Susannah on the lot today...too funny. Also, Bryant from the Avid lab - I dunno if you know him. Anyway, not much else to share...I'll keep you posted. I love you and miss you and hope you're having an amazing time. Keep posting.