Detroit Airport
FINALLY. At long last, I am in Kasugai City/Chubu University in Japan! Yayyy! I didn't get to see much of it because Japan gets dark around 6 p.m., but it's pretty cool so far.
Maybe this’ll turn around my recently bad luck. Granted, there were a lot of things that went right this last week, like my trip to OU and the awesome sendoff from family and friends, but the theme for my first couple weeks of September seemed to have been “one step forward, two steps back.” Because “bad things come in threes” really couldn’t do some of these setbacks justice.
Step forward: my last day of work was September 1st, giving me plenty of time to pack
Step back: My replacement PSP came back from Sony’s Warranty Department, but the replacement they sent me was broken. Nothing to do but send it back and make the jump to Japan without its Skype capabilities. しかたがない。
Step back #2: I got a pretty terrible (but non-contagious) viral infection. I can deal with this, too, but it is NOT any kind of fun. After spending a couple of days laying around and resting and feeling sorry for myself, I get back into the swing of things.
And in the midst of this, I was going to try to finish up the final three interviews I have left over from last quarter’s blog project. That still hasn’t happened, even though I’ve been working on them periodically—even on the plane. It’s just still so time-consuming, and I know I’m not going to want to focus on them once I get to Japan. Anyway:
Step forward: I’m finished packing the Wednesday before my trip! Time to go to OU! International Dance Night! Hanging out with the family!
BIIIIIIIG step back: My Sunday flight from Cleveland to Detroit was delayed, delayed, delayed and eventually canceled because there was no chance of making our connection from Detroit to Nagoya. The small, red, twin-propeller plane we were supposed to board had a mechanical problem and our mechanic never showed up. Northwest Airlines tried to console me and the other student traveling with me, Adam, by giving us each 3 $25 domestic flight vouchers and a $10 meal at the food court. The flight vouchers are okay, but you can only use them one at a time and not all on one purchase when you redeem them. And I turned my $10 voucher in to this: (yum)
Possibly the most disappointing Chinese food ever.
Step back #2: After returning home from my disappointing airport trip, high winds from Hurricane Ike knocked the power out at home. Mom and I couldn’t watch our movie rental, and I couldn’t get any of the interview/Internet work I wanted to get done on my computer because the battery was dead. Oh, well. I did get some other things accomplished, like a last-minute study session for the placement test on Tuesday. (which I think I might actually be missing right now)But, I guess the good thing now is I’m moving forward. 6,000-some miles forward to Japan. The biggest move forward of my life. And thankfully, the flight today has gone smoothly.
Adam and I boarded what looked suspiciously like the same red plane as yesterday at Cleveland this morning, and touched down in Detroit without a problem. The Detroit airport was really cool, especially the light tunnel that connects concourses B and C to concourse A. It really looks like it should be a nightclub or something, and it’s really soothing to walk through. I took some pictures and couldn’t resist trying to take a video as I walked through it (watch out—my camera work is *not* the greatest).
*video later*
The plane that’s taking us from Detroit is a liiiiittle bigger than the one we took from Cleveland—at least by a carrying capacity of 100
However, it's 11 p.m. here and I have to be ready to go for a placement test at 8:45 a.m. So more on the departure and flight later (although there's not *too* much to add). Wish me luck!
For more photos/slideshow: flickr
