The Flight: May 13-14

This is my journal entry for the first day as it appears in my handwritten journal. This is the first time I've nabbed the computer long enough to type them.
__________________________________

Location: Seat 16J, flying over the Labrador Sea
Time: 2:56 PM EST/2:56 AM Beijing
Date: Tuesday, May 13/Wednesday, May 14

Being primarily without a computer at my fingertips, I've decided the Moleskine Mike gave me last Christmas is going to serve as my journal for the trip. About 3 hours into the flight, we're actually further from Beijing than we started, looking at the map. Apparently flying over the Atlantic to get to China makes more sense to the pilots than flying over the Pacific. I'm feeling very bare without the usual contents of my pockets in their rightful places--I-card, room key, and cellphone. The lack of cell phone is the worst bit. A bit scary and disconnected. I hadn't realized how dependent on it I'd gotten in the last 6 years. I was worrying at the end of the semester that I was too cyber hooked, so this separation is probably healthy, if annoying. And right now, I'm cringing at the perils of writing by hand--a pen will bleed through these pages and my pencil will smear.

...and I just wanted to emote a *grumbles* in there. Maybe the web separation isn't coming to soon after all...But I left so many emails unanswered!

Not just is this trip testing my tech dependence, but my OCD. I very much want to reformat this entry, but it's not that easy. I completely organized my header wrong and am debating whether to keep this format for future entries, alter it and ignore the inconsistencies later--funny how just erasing it now and changing it doesn't feel like an option.

Anyway, I think I have one of the best seats on the plane...short of getting bumped up to business or first class. I'm not seated near anyone I know, but I've got the aisle of the bulkhead behind business class and can stretch my legs all the way out. My chair leans back and we've got 328 movies on demand at our disposal. I spent the first couple of hours finishing off reading Such a Pretty Fat and chatted with the Canadian woman next to m over dinner. She works for a non-profit and was in Peru a couple of years back when they had the seven point something magnitude earthquake. The man in the window seat has been quiet. I just discovered the girl across from me in the aisle is another IUP student on the trip, and has a 60 VISA. I've got Aladin, on and am thinking of back-to-back-to-back Lord of the Rings next. My foot feels really heavy--maybe I'll prop it on my backpack after I dig out my sandwich. I'm not really hungry but I want my meds. Hmm...mispelled "Aladdin." Oops. I'm going to resituate my area and lean back and enjoy. Maybe even sleep or study.

It's chilly and I really want a hug. That in 10 hours I'll be in China--half way around the world from everyone I love--hasn't sunk in yet, judging by the fact that this entire entry is inner monologue about my missing technology, rather than on how nice everyone really has been to me today.

I'm already missing Mike--I watched everyone in the airport terminal saying goodbye on their phones and remembered yet again just how far away mine is. It's a big world out there--somewhere I'll get my tech fix and send (and get!) mental hugs from everyone, and that's just going to have to do for now I guess.

This whole entry looks a bit angsty and I'm sorry about that. The truth is new, scary, exciting, confusing as this is going to be, I'm really looking forward to watching the trip unfold. Mom, Dad, Russ, Mike: I'm thinking about you lots and already missing you.

Erin

Location: Seat 16J, 34988 feet up over Davis Strait
Time: 3:47 PM EST/3:47 AM Beijing
Date: Tuesday, May 13/Wednesday, 14