In the Air
*This was written off and on throughout our various flights and layovers while trying to get to Pune.* our Internet connection has been down, and Naveen has worn me out (but it's all good!!), so I'll try to update in the next few days - but I already had this blog post all typed up.
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Right now, I'm sitting on a bench outside baggage claim in Frankfurt waiting to meet my friend Christoph. He was a German exchange student my senior year of high school and we've kept in touch over the years. The Internet makes things like that so much easier!
Sandwich is...well...I'm not sure. She chickened out, er, I mean decided not to leave the transit area (Hi Sandwich!) in case we took too long and missed our flight. Anyway, Christoph should be here in a few minutes and then we're going to eat at some German restaurant in the airport. I have no idea what to expect. Bratwurst and lots of sauerkraut?? Man, I hope that settles well with me because we have another ten hours in the air in very close quarters!
Speaking of embarrassing things that can happen on a plane....my oh so comfy, but dirt cheap pants from the Colaba Market in Mumbai ripped up the seam on the plane. In the crotch.
Seriously.
Why?? Why do things like this happen to me???
And my shirt that I bought at the same store? Well I noticed it has a huge hole on the side of my boob. It must be karma for trash talking all the half dressed German tourists we saw when we were in Mumbai. It's like Lufthansa put a curse on me or something for tainting the image of their wanderlust travelers.
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Okay, I'm back. I met up with Christoph and I DID have bratwurst and sauerkraut and it was goooood! Did I mention that the plane had me marked as wanting a vegan meal? Which meant they served me the same soggy eggplant mix for dinner AND breakfast? I was starving! But when the waitress handed me this huge plate of eight sausages, sauerkraut and fried potatoes, I was like, what? There 's no way I can eat all this.
Y'all, I scarfed those suckers down in about ten minutes flat. And I know that sausages are made from lips and butt and all the scrapings off the sawdust floor, but it was the BEST lips, butt, and sawdust I've ever tasted.
Vive le Frankfurt!
Oh, and Christoph gave me a sack full of TWENTY kinder eggs!! You should've seen my face light up. On the outside I appeared normal, but on the inside I was channeling my inner Smegel and I just wanted to grab that sack, clutch it to my chest, and say, "My precious!! My precious!!" and growl at anyone who came near me and my precious sack of chocolate oval treasures.
Right now, I'm sitting on the flight to Delhi. Sandwich has fallen asleep next to me. I think she had to so she didn't have to listen to me grumble about the flight. You see, I'm picky about my in flight entertainment. If I'm paying $1500 for a plane ticket, there'd better be an individual tv screen on the back of each seat with a good selection of movies. Air Emirates really set the bar for that standard. They had a crazy good selection. Well the flight from Frankfurt to Delhi is a flashback to 1993. Maybe even beforehand, but that's the first year I ever flew overseas, so that's my reference point. Anyway, they have overhead monitors and they're showing ONE movie. This is an eight hour flight. Momma is grouchy, tired, and sick of eggplant. She wants her individual TV screen and she wants it now.
But, I do have to give kudos to the flight staff. They are super good and friendly and I have no complaints about them. They really made the flight more bearable.
************************
One cool thing is that we made with friends with the lady sitting next to us. She emigrated to Canada forty-one years ago, but was returning briefly fir a family emergency. Anyway, she was so nice and we chatted away for most if the flight. And get this...her daughter is also adopting from Pune! Is that a small world or what? We promised to keep in touch and she blew kisses to us as she was leaving.
Right now, we're just hanging around for our flight to Pune. Sandwich and I just shared a Paneer dosa (yes, my Paneer obsession continues!!). I also just got finished reading the Indian version of People magazine. It was only a dollar!
I showed the lady sitting next to me all the pictures of Naveen and now my anticipation is growing. I really just want to get to Pune, take a shower and sleep for the next 24 hours and wake up on Friday in time to get Naveen. But we have big plans in Pune today. We're meeting a woman that Sandwich meet on the Sonlight Homeschool Forum for breakfast and then we're going to try and get the bulk of our shopping out of the way. I had several friends give me lists of things to buy, and there's nothing more satisfying than going on a shopping spree on someone else's dime.
I also brought along my niece's Flat Stanley to take pictures of while in India. Her Kindergarten class is doing Flat Stanley right now and the timing was perfect.
Okay, I'm getting tired. Can you tell? My energy is zapped. It's currently 2:30 in the morning and I've only slept about threes hours in the last thirty-six. I'm starting to drag.
Oh, before I forget.... If you change currency at the airport, ask if they can give you smaller bills. They gave me all thousand rupee bills and I can't break them anywhere. Nobody seems to have change around here - or they don't want to part with it.
Looks like we can finally check in now. We haven't had Internet access the whole way, so this won't be posted until we get to Pune.
I'll try to update about our day later on tonight if I'm not too tired.
Only one more sleep until Naveen is ours forever!
*************************
Right now, I'm sitting on a bench outside baggage claim in Frankfurt waiting to meet my friend Christoph. He was a German exchange student my senior year of high school and we've kept in touch over the years. The Internet makes things like that so much easier!
Sandwich is...well...I'm not sure. She chickened out, er, I mean decided not to leave the transit area (Hi Sandwich!) in case we took too long and missed our flight. Anyway, Christoph should be here in a few minutes and then we're going to eat at some German restaurant in the airport. I have no idea what to expect. Bratwurst and lots of sauerkraut?? Man, I hope that settles well with me because we have another ten hours in the air in very close quarters!
Speaking of embarrassing things that can happen on a plane....my oh so comfy, but dirt cheap pants from the Colaba Market in Mumbai ripped up the seam on the plane. In the crotch.
Seriously.
Why?? Why do things like this happen to me???
And my shirt that I bought at the same store? Well I noticed it has a huge hole on the side of my boob. It must be karma for trash talking all the half dressed German tourists we saw when we were in Mumbai. It's like Lufthansa put a curse on me or something for tainting the image of their wanderlust travelers.
***********************************
Okay, I'm back. I met up with Christoph and I DID have bratwurst and sauerkraut and it was goooood! Did I mention that the plane had me marked as wanting a vegan meal? Which meant they served me the same soggy eggplant mix for dinner AND breakfast? I was starving! But when the waitress handed me this huge plate of eight sausages, sauerkraut and fried potatoes, I was like, what? There 's no way I can eat all this.
Y'all, I scarfed those suckers down in about ten minutes flat. And I know that sausages are made from lips and butt and all the scrapings off the sawdust floor, but it was the BEST lips, butt, and sawdust I've ever tasted.
Vive le Frankfurt!
Oh, and Christoph gave me a sack full of TWENTY kinder eggs!! You should've seen my face light up. On the outside I appeared normal, but on the inside I was channeling my inner Smegel and I just wanted to grab that sack, clutch it to my chest, and say, "My precious!! My precious!!" and growl at anyone who came near me and my precious sack of chocolate oval treasures.
Right now, I'm sitting on the flight to Delhi. Sandwich has fallen asleep next to me. I think she had to so she didn't have to listen to me grumble about the flight. You see, I'm picky about my in flight entertainment. If I'm paying $1500 for a plane ticket, there'd better be an individual tv screen on the back of each seat with a good selection of movies. Air Emirates really set the bar for that standard. They had a crazy good selection. Well the flight from Frankfurt to Delhi is a flashback to 1993. Maybe even beforehand, but that's the first year I ever flew overseas, so that's my reference point. Anyway, they have overhead monitors and they're showing ONE movie. This is an eight hour flight. Momma is grouchy, tired, and sick of eggplant. She wants her individual TV screen and she wants it now.
But, I do have to give kudos to the flight staff. They are super good and friendly and I have no complaints about them. They really made the flight more bearable.
************************
One cool thing is that we made with friends with the lady sitting next to us. She emigrated to Canada forty-one years ago, but was returning briefly fir a family emergency. Anyway, she was so nice and we chatted away for most if the flight. And get this...her daughter is also adopting from Pune! Is that a small world or what? We promised to keep in touch and she blew kisses to us as she was leaving.
Right now, we're just hanging around for our flight to Pune. Sandwich and I just shared a Paneer dosa (yes, my Paneer obsession continues!!). I also just got finished reading the Indian version of People magazine. It was only a dollar!
I showed the lady sitting next to me all the pictures of Naveen and now my anticipation is growing. I really just want to get to Pune, take a shower and sleep for the next 24 hours and wake up on Friday in time to get Naveen. But we have big plans in Pune today. We're meeting a woman that Sandwich meet on the Sonlight Homeschool Forum for breakfast and then we're going to try and get the bulk of our shopping out of the way. I had several friends give me lists of things to buy, and there's nothing more satisfying than going on a shopping spree on someone else's dime.
I also brought along my niece's Flat Stanley to take pictures of while in India. Her Kindergarten class is doing Flat Stanley right now and the timing was perfect.
Okay, I'm getting tired. Can you tell? My energy is zapped. It's currently 2:30 in the morning and I've only slept about threes hours in the last thirty-six. I'm starting to drag.
Oh, before I forget.... If you change currency at the airport, ask if they can give you smaller bills. They gave me all thousand rupee bills and I can't break them anywhere. Nobody seems to have change around here - or they don't want to part with it.
Looks like we can finally check in now. We haven't had Internet access the whole way, so this won't be posted until we get to Pune.
I'll try to update about our day later on tonight if I'm not too tired.
Only one more sleep until Naveen is ours forever!
Comments
Cheers,
Jane
I am praying for you.
We literally just went to our "Grief" session last weekend....and the social worker said she LOVES to hear that children are crying....because it means they are grieving, which means they have attachments....which means they will attach to you. :) So, I imagine it is miserable in some ways....but oh so comforting in others.
Love you, Leslie.....
Mer
P.S. You better be picking me up a snow globe, so I can sell it at a fundraiser for V. :P
TGBTG