From the Journey Over Here

Written in Auckland: I have now successful made it to Auckland! One step. There’s still ages to go (And by the time I actually get this up I will most likely be through to New Jersey), but I am now properly on my way, and off on adventures. Exciting stuff!

Packing wasn’t as difficult as I’d anticipated. I figured that packing my entire life into one bag (well, three, I suppose, as there’s my backpack and my laptop case too) would involve an awful lot of squishing, tricky decision making, and weighing of things. But after I’d packed all of the essential things, and a few extras, I was still a good ten kilos under the weight limit, with a fair bit of space to spare! I think all up, my life weighs fifteen kilos, which I am really very stoked with. It also means that my backpack is fairly empty, and my laptop bag only has my laptop in it!

I probably didn’t leave my room back home as tidy as I should have, though (Sorry Mum). Boxed up most things, but there’s still stuff on the walls, bookshelf, and a few things in the cupboards. One of these days I might learn to be a little better organised.

I think part of the problem is that it still hasn’t quite sunk in. I still kind of expect to be able to pop back home for a bit to tidy up the rest of my things. Maybe it’ll hit me once I’m in Los Angeles. Or New York. Cupertino? Maybe it’ll never properly hit me. I guess we’ll see.

The flight up here was pretty good, although I have a bit of a headache from trying not to bawl my eyes out the entire way (I already miss you all like crazy). Fortunately I had the entire row all to myself, so didn’t have to deal with people next to me asking if I was okay and watching me being all weepy in public. I then proceeded to read Billy’s letter, and Katie’s epic card and start looking blubbery again. I really do have the most incredible friends, flatmates, and family.
The plane was all shiny and new, too. It was one of their very new ones with fancy shiny newness. (Very descriptive of me, I know)

I’ve been through customs and security and things and am sitting around in what is technically no longer New Zealand. Haven’t yet set off a detector or been asked to remove articles of clothing, which is nice. We’ll see if I can keep it up once I reach America…


Los Angeles: I have made it to America! I am currently sitting outside my gate in Los Angeles, after having cleared immigration, security, and everything else. I’m not sure exactly what time it is here (my laptop says 3:42am, but that’s because it hasn’t yet realised we’ve travelled back in time.) but I think it’s closing in on 9am (Still Sunday. A very long Sunday it is, too), which gives me another two hours to sit around before my flight to New York. It’s a pity the American airports aren’t as good as New Zealand about having giant clocks everywhere. Although, I shouldn’t make my judgements on one airport alone. I’m sitting outside my gate, so I shan’t miss my flight due to unawareness of time, at any rate.

I definitely prefer New Zealand Airports to American ones thus far. Clearing immigration was always going to be slow, but I didn’t realise getting through security for my domestic flight would be such a pain, too. I had to wait in about five queues, including one very long one to just get up an escalator. I’m becoming increasingly fond of my little island home.

I’ve now been asked to remove clothing, too. So I guess I don’t get to keep that record. It was only my shoes, though, so no dramatic strip search stories for you. It’s very nice not having things in my laptop case, as well, for each time I go through security I have to take it out and hand it to them separately.

The flight over here was… decent. I suppose. Thirteen hours on a plane is never going to be especially fun, but it would have been nice if I hadn’t been served last (subsequently missing my first choice) for both meals. Yay cold, dry cereal and chewy lamb that was mostly gristle and fat! Definitely not convinced on the Qantas food, and the squashed cardboard muffin and supposed fruit salad weren’t great either. The guy I sat next to had his pillow on the armrest the whole time, and squished into my space, while the lady in front had her seat back for nearly the entire flight, and there was a metal box under my seat that halved my foot space.

Sorry. I might be a tiny bit grumpy right now, and grumbling here is better than glaring at people around me.

Couldn’t really sleep on the flight, but then, I didn’t really expect to. Instead I watched three movies, a Stephen Fry stand up thingamy, and listened to some Hamish and Andy. For those of you who are interested, Water for Elephants is decent, as is Arthur, but Paul was definitely my favourite. Dad and Thomas, you’d both definitely like it (I think).

Every ten minutes of so an announcement comes on. *Cue American accent* “Your attention please. Welcome to Los Angeles International Airport. Please maintain visual contact with your personal property at all times, and something else about not leaving things unattended. Thank you for your co-operation.” I don’t know why, but I felt like sharing that with you.

There was a famous boxer on our flight too, I found out. This was discovered when half the flight started taking photos with him in Auckland just before we boarded. Apparently he beat David Tua last night or something. (You can see that I follow boxing very closely…) The guy next to me and the one in front of him were both travelling with him, so he came back from first class to say hi a few times. I’m sure someone who cares about boxing is highly jealous.

The sleepiness is kicking in now (apparently the coke I just had is not doing the whole caffeine thing very well), so I shall stop writing for now and pop this away in favour of a short naptime.

And Diane Keaton just came off the plane I’ll be getting on. Interesting.


Half an hour later: Flight to New York has been delayed an hour. Fantastic. The plane is here, and they were boarding people, and then everyone had to file off again because they’re having issues at the New York end, or something. I don’t know exactly, I just do what they tell me, I suppose. I just hope this doesn’t mean that the shuttle meeting me gets messed up. I don’t really fancy spending more time waiting around in airports than absolutely necessary.

I should probably be using this time to do something productive, but I think I might just conclude that sleep in a place where I can lie down counts as productive.

Oh hey. We just got an update. Apparently we board in fifteen minutes, because they need the gate, but will likely spend about half an hour waiting about on the tarmac. And there’s not much food on board. My stomach is already being a little rumbly. Fabulous.

I think I’ll go get something to eat, or take on the plane with me.