My Trip Overseas, Far away from Hobbiton

(believe it or not.. I was too busy to make notes until June 23rd... so I'm going from memory till then.. Deal with it)

June 19th.. To grandma's house we go.....NOT!

Ick.. at approximately 2:00 PM I will be leaving Tulsa Oklahoma to go to India, of all places. I have no idea what I will find there. I fully expect to be nervous and have a pretty icky time.

So..... Why am I going? Because it's my job. I've been chosen to go there to train some employees from a company called Mantec. It was a cherry position that I could not pass up. It was either me or the another trainer at my job. and I would rather it was me.
I'm 42, about to be 43, which will happen in India, and I never ever wanted to go out of the country. Hell, I've hardly ever been out of state.. well.. almost. Anyway, I'm sure it'll be fine.. mostly sure.. almost sure.. well.... kinda sure.
Wish I had a rosary.
Wish I was catholic
Wish I had a parachute.
Umm maybe not the catholic thing. I'd probably just be kicked out.

Still June 19th Just before take off.. clinging to sanity

Linda dropped me off at Tulsa International.. Damn, I wish I had kissed her goodbye. Guess I was just stupid over her not going in to see me at least check in. Don't you hate it when you don't do something and then decide that it might just be the last time you get to do it?

Checking in is fun! Got my bag tagged and waved so long to it. Stood at the terminal for a while. (why terminal? sounds so final) Went outside and smoked.. stood at the terminal for a while.. get the picture? Boarded this little bitty plane with two jet engines tied to the wings and away I went. The stewardess was a lady named Kathy, and she kept looking at me the whole flight. Perhaps I was just that good looking with that dazed look of a deer in the head lights on my face.

Still June 19th. Over the ocean.. I think.

On the flight, and GOD is it long. 8 1/2 hours more or less. I flew into Cincinnati, Ohio, and it was a very interesting place. I think I could just wander around the terminal. I mean it.. it's a neat place just to walk around. I took a shuttle to my termination point (really bad choice of words, that), and I had 2 hours to just sorta stand around. So I went upstairs to smoke a cigarette. Yeah, I smoke.. so what? Flights are non-smoking, and hey, it might be my last chance before death. The oddest thing is happening. Already the people seem to be talking in a foreign language. Ok, so I've lived in Oklahoma for most of my life.. but still and all, it's not that different in Ohio. Must be just nerves. But I did have a Japanese gent ask me where to rent a taxi. So I did my good deed for the day. Hope it keeps me alive in the air. I didn't sleep more than 4 hours last night, so I expect I'll be sleeping on the plane to Delhi. And here I am, on my way to Paris! The envy of all my friends. You know.. it's really weird.. every one wants to go but me. I mean, I want to go, but I don't expect it to be fun. I want to go in a purely clinical fashion as in "Good morning, Mr. Beebe. Your assignment, if you decide to take it...." sorta of way.

I wanted a seat near the window.. I got one from Tulsa to Cincinnati. I'm now stuck in the middle of the middle section of what they call an 'Air bus'. Good choice of names. So I can't see the ocean, or the earth, or up or down or not crashing. So I'll just sit here and pretend. And the movies are really bad. This one is the one with what'shername and what'shername and what'shername. Called 'Hanging Up' And guess what??? I figured out how to use the headphones only 1/2 way through the movie!! Yea!! I'm sooooooo smart.

Surprise. Somewhere it became the 20th of June. It's really interesting flying faster than the sunrise. It comes very quickly at however fast I'm flying. I think the monitor said something like 700+ miles an hour. Maybe not.. but certainly more than 500. I think the darkness lasted about hmmmmmm an hour, and then the sun came up. Very strange.. I like nights that stay night time length..

June 20th Paris... 8:55 am. There's something like 6 hours difference between here and home. The place is abuzz with excitement as they shuttle us from the plane to the airport. I feel like Alice in Wonderland. It's not a bad feeling, but I know how folk feel that come to the U.S. not speaking the language. Lots of gesturing going on. One guys is saying 'All I want is a wheelchair' and the person is standing there with a frown. Poor guy. Hmmmm maybe it's too late for those french lessons, huh?

Anyway.. I wander around, and finally find my spot. I'm too dazed and tired to notice a whole lot, except that there are an ungodly amount of foreign people around. This is Hall F, gate 54. This is where I will catch my flight at 9:30 and fly at 10:50 to New Delhi. It's dingy, much less clean than I'm used to. And it's quieter. I guess it's because nobody here speaks the same language.. or it could be that my ears have clogged up. Because that's exactly what happened.

Well, I'm bored. I walked around, and found the smoking area. This little bit of a kiosk downstairs. And everyone that is smoking there looks like some sort of gay parody that you'd find in the U.S. Except me, I hope. God, am I tired. and it's hot. and humid. Ick.. Not a happy lil camper, am I? So I go upstairs and sit in my chair with the hot french sun on me and I close my eyes *for just a minute* and.....

Holy Crap!! It's 10:50!