My flight from Hawaii to California was pretty easy, not too turbulent, I sat beside a couple. The man a commercial grade Plumber, not sure what the woman did, actually she was not very talkative, her husband more than made up for it. They were from San Diego on vacation, he talked almost the whole way, which I actually enjoyed because I hate flying, anything to take my mind off of the fact that I am thousands of miles in the air is welcome. He talked about where he was from, where he has been, places he would like to live some day, his work (which I didn’t understand). We also talked about Africa, Italy, and my job. Over all it was a good experience, when I got to SFO we said our good byes and wished one another well.
I collected all of my bags from the conveyer and dragged them out to the curb where my mom and sister were waiting. Hugs were exchanged along with squeals of excitement. We got in the car and headed to Stockton, I spent the next two weeks hanging out with the ones I love. Sitting around the Lambdins living room, watching veggie tales just so I could snuggle with Daniel who is 4 now…it makes me feel very old. Dancing in the kitchen with 3year old Christiana, watching “White Christmas” with 17 year old Kristen, getting yogurt with 15 year old becks so we could talk about her experience in Africa so funny considering that I baby sat for this family when they were sucking their thumbs and kristen drove me around most of the week .
I had coffee with several friends, hit up the flea market in Galt and spent way too much money at REI, who knew mosquito nets and solar showers could be so necessarily expensive. I hugged my grandma, cooked for my mom, stole my sisters car. Stockton will always have good memories for me, so many of the people I grew up with, admire, learned from, lived with, worked for and love live there. Even though it’s got a bad rep, I love it.
I had coffee with several friends, hit up the flea market in Galt and spent way too much money at REI, who knew mosquito nets and solar showers could be so necessarily expensive. I hugged my grandma, cooked for my mom, stole my sisters car. Stockton will always have good memories for me, so many of the people I grew up with, admire, learned from, lived with, worked for and love live there. Even though it’s got a bad rep, I love it.
I went from there to New York City, that flight was interesting, extremely turbulent, a red eye. The couple sitting next to me were from the central valley of California, the man was from Stockton, we spent a lot of the flight exchanging stories about things we loved about the “old days” when there was a “Georges Drive In” and “Martin Luther King Blvd” was “Charter Way”. The improvements in the city, high schools we went to and all of the friends we had in common. He was talkative, even though it was a red eye. His girlfriend (who looked just like Lucy Lu) was sweet but wanted to sleep. They were going to a college friends wedding. He asked me all about Italy and Africa and we talked about the job market, because he had a business degree from UOP but was substitute teaching at the time. Again with a talker, it was good for me. I had taken a sleeping med but it didn’t work so we just talked most of the flight.
I arrived in Washington DC for a super short layover, (it was on the same plane, I just walked off of the plane and fifteen min later I was back on re-stowing my carry on). The 40 min flight from DC to NYC was so smooth, I was mad that it was short. I sat next to an Indian man who didn’t know how to use his cell phone in the US. I helped him, I overheard him tell his friend that he had missed his previous plane, so sad, but he assured them he was headed home. When we got to our cruising altitude the steward came by with our snack option. He held up kettle chips and animal crackers, I took the kettle chips and my new friend cautiously looked at the animal crackers, when I described them as a cookie he was confused. He took one out of the bag, he looked at the cookie and then me and laughed, pointing a crooked tan finger at the little llama and exclaimed, “oh they are only shaped like animals”. He thought they were made from animals. We laughed for a while about that one.
I got my two giant suitcases at the same time that the adrenaline left my body and the sleeping pill I had taken several hours before kicked in. I sleepily walked the sky walk to the air train, took the next train to Jamaica Station where I bought my metro pass and entered the Subway. I spent the next two hours, on the E and F train to my friend Michelle’s mid town apartment. I was almost happy that no one offered me a seat, because my head was bobbing even as I was holding my luggage in the corner with my hip and grappling the nearest bar to stay upright. I found my way to 34th and 5th, to stay at the Herald Towers on the same city block as the Empire State Building.
I sat in Michelle’s living room forcing my eyelids back open. Trying to maintain some semblance of conversation with her. I was starving, so we walked down to get some chipotle (mainland favorite, you will only understand if you live in Hawaii).
The things that came next are like a sweet memory, where you know the feeling but you can’t place the exact details.
The next thing I knew I was waking up in Michelle’s bed and it was 9pm. I had missed the opportunity at free tickets to a Celine Dion concert in central park…..that I don’t want to go into…sigh.
I ordered Indian food on “seamless web” this incredible food delivery site in the city. We watched some “you’ve got mail” and went back to bed. I slept the whole night, got up early and got ready to go to class at “The Kings College”. The school that Michelle attends in the basement level of the Empire state building. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics class, discussing the ethics of Friendship. Interesting stuff indeed, I spent the next two days following my friend around, just wanting to spend as much time as I could with her. We attended the next class, constitutional law, and then she left me to go to a school retreat with her “house”.
So I had the next two nights all to myself in a midtown apartment in New York City. It was lonely, exciting, peaceful, strange and boring, a mixture of emotion. I was happy to have peace but felt a sense of urgency because I did not want to waste a min in the “city that never sleeps”. So I called my friend Miriam who lived on the lower east side. She picked me up and took me to see her place, since the last time I stayed with her; she lived in Harlem with ten people.
The things that came next are like a sweet memory, where you know the feeling but you can’t place the exact details.
The next thing I knew I was waking up in Michelle’s bed and it was 9pm. I had missed the opportunity at free tickets to a Celine Dion concert in central park…..that I don’t want to go into…sigh.
I ordered Indian food on “seamless web” this incredible food delivery site in the city. We watched some “you’ve got mail” and went back to bed. I slept the whole night, got up early and got ready to go to class at “The Kings College”. The school that Michelle attends in the basement level of the Empire state building. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics class, discussing the ethics of Friendship. Interesting stuff indeed, I spent the next two days following my friend around, just wanting to spend as much time as I could with her. We attended the next class, constitutional law, and then she left me to go to a school retreat with her “house”.
So I had the next two nights all to myself in a midtown apartment in New York City. It was lonely, exciting, peaceful, strange and boring, a mixture of emotion. I was happy to have peace but felt a sense of urgency because I did not want to waste a min in the “city that never sleeps”. So I called my friend Miriam who lived on the lower east side. She picked me up and took me to see her place, since the last time I stayed with her; she lived in Harlem with ten people.
Her new place was so nice, there are only 6 room mates now. All sweet girls who are always welcoming and warm, Her roommate Amy Cutler is a noteworthy poet. Who upon request, performed a poem about her grandmothers meatballs while she cooked me dinner. It was moving, I wanted to clap and cry but I just hugged her and told her, “Now I can die happy”. Sadly, Miriam had to leave me too. She went to the retreat with the kings’ college, to lead worship and teach a class. More of her room mates began to filter in from work and class, they asked me to stay even though Miriam was leaving, I did, we all ate out in their large patio area over a bon fire. It was actually a beautiful moment, laughing and eating in the fire’s glow.
I got up to leave and they begged me to stay the night. It took some convincing but I agreed and slept in Miriam’s (very comfortable) bed, above her brilliant room mate, in her cute apartment, in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York.
The next morning I met my friend Nicanor, an aspiring Model who moved to the city from Stockton just a few months before. He was skinner than ever, I told him that I would make him a sandwich but he said this is what his type of high fashion designers wanted.
He is so handsome, he is almost beautiful.
We went to breakfast at some typical New York café. Walked around and ended up at Bryant Park (near his work) we sat at a small green metal table, in small metal chairs, behind rows of seating for a concert in the park. The musicians began tuning up and practicing, jazz music. When they began playing the lead singer came to the mic and sang smooth jazz in Chinese. It was an interesting experience. We parted ways and gave hugs, he had to go to work and I had to finish re packing.
I got up to leave and they begged me to stay the night. It took some convincing but I agreed and slept in Miriam’s (very comfortable) bed, above her brilliant room mate, in her cute apartment, in the lower east side of Manhattan, New York.
The next morning I met my friend Nicanor, an aspiring Model who moved to the city from Stockton just a few months before. He was skinner than ever, I told him that I would make him a sandwich but he said this is what his type of high fashion designers wanted.
He is so handsome, he is almost beautiful.
We went to breakfast at some typical New York café. Walked around and ended up at Bryant Park (near his work) we sat at a small green metal table, in small metal chairs, behind rows of seating for a concert in the park. The musicians began tuning up and practicing, jazz music. When they began playing the lead singer came to the mic and sang smooth jazz in Chinese. It was an interesting experience. We parted ways and gave hugs, he had to go to work and I had to finish re packing.
My flight to Italy left at 6pm so I left mid town on the train at 2:30pm I arrived to JFK at 4:30 pm. When I got to the check in I was told that everyone was already checked in while I waited in line…great. I got to the counter and the woman helping me looked at my bags clearly annoyed and told me that it was a one-bag allowance. I was shocked, I raised my voice, not meaning to, “on an international flight?” she nodded, I asked her if I could pay for the other one, she informed me that it would cost me 50 dollars.
Obviously I am the only person who read the “free baggage limitations” that day which state.
“Unless and otherwise specified in the fare rule, the 2 piece baggage allowance will apply on all Jet Airways operated flights and Jet Airways Konnect services provided the connecting flights to / from USA / Canada“
but that’s just cpoied and pasted directly from the Jet airways-jet India website….
So, I paid the obligatory $50 and hurried to the security check and to my gate. Where people were already boarding.
Turbulence and I do not agree with one another, I spent most of the night nodding off only to be woken up moments later by the shaking plane. If it wasn’t the turbulence it may have been the woman behind me, who was playing some sort of game on my seat back LCD screen, and it must have been a quick reflex game because she was an angry bird. Poking at the screen, shaking my whole seat back. I was annoyed.
the great part about my flight was the ladies I was sat beside and I was literally sat beside them. I was staking my claim on a good aisle seat in a wide row that only had one other person. I was all situated, thinking I was so smart, being one of the very last on the plane, I thought I had hit the jackpot. Until the three messianic Jewish women came teetering on the plane, toddler in tow, with full head scarves, they were all dressed more modestly than my nanna; Orthopedic shoes, long black skirts, blouses buttoned to the chin, long black coats and those head wraps. They were very nice to me considering I was in the process of swiping their seats. I very quickly got up and went to my own seat. The other gentlemen in that row was not thrilled at his prospect of sitting beside three little ladies and a baby for the next six hours.
I was surprised when they requested that I sit with them, they were technically not allowed to sit beside a man. They asked that I trade seats with the man of course I did.
What other time do I get straight up Jewish women at my full attention for hours on end? You tell me!
What other time do I get straight up Jewish women at my full attention for hours on end? You tell me!
So I sat beside the youngest, who was on her own as well as the oldest, it was only the middle woman who had a child with her, the baby was beautiful, brown hair blue eyes, and sweet. Talking to himself and whoever else would listen.
As soon as the plane took off, I made my move; I leaned over to her quizzically
“so, where are you from?”
“Belgium”
“why were you in new york?”
“a thirteenth birthday party for a young boy,” (barmitzvah)
I thought she said thirtieth so I was confused for a few moments about our conversation. But she clarified quickly. I continued to ask her all sorts of questions.
She was 31, got married at the age of 17, her husband was chosen by her parents, he was from the US. They currently reside in Belgium with their 5 children and she was traveling with her mother and older sister, she was 4th in the line of 14 children.
I was amazed! I asked her about her head covering and her wedding and how old her kids were, how often she came to the states. She as so obliging in her responses! It was lovely. The whole flight the baby they had with them slept soundly on the floor at their feet, he had 7 siblings. They spoke Yiddish to one another and read prayer books in Hebrew, I’m sure she thought I was crazy with all of the questions. But it’s so rare to meet a serious Jew like that, especially in Hawaii.
Upon arriving in Belgium, I ate and found my way to my gate, I wrapped myself around my backpack containing all of my valuable possessions and slept for 6 hours, across a set of 4 chairs. I was woken briefly by a nice lady who thought I was going to miss my flight to Rome, I looked at her with dreary eyes and told her that my flight wasn’t until 8pm. When it did come the Italian flight was short and sweet, I sat beside a little old German lady. Watched a movie, trying to ignore the turbulence.
Arriving in Venice, I grabbed my bags and ran to a taxi, I was a little excited to use some Italian, it had been a long time. I asked him if he could take me to the Mestre train station by ten pm. After insisting that my train left at 10:10 and I couldn’t miss it because it was the last one, I looked at him with big eyes and said, “sono preoccupado” (I am worried). He held out his phone that said 21:37 in big digits, feigning worry “non preoccupatevi” (dont worry).
We got in the Mercedes taxi, (ooh la la). He had me there in no time, when I got to the platform for my train; I had to beg the purser to let me take the night train to Padova so I could change to Montebelluna. He told me that if a purser came to me for my ticket, I could just pay the difference 3 euro. So I got situated in a car with a young man who had a lot of questions about America and I did my best to answer him. When I got to Padova he helped me with my bags and told me to have a safe trip, I changed trains to belluno where yet another twenty something, man asked me more questions about the school I was attending and where I had been and where I was from.
Hawaii is a favorite answer, Italians always say, “oh Ha-wy, ha-lo-ha” looking off into the distance with longing, like it’s paradise.
Arriving in Venice, I grabbed my bags and ran to a taxi, I was a little excited to use some Italian, it had been a long time. I asked him if he could take me to the Mestre train station by ten pm. After insisting that my train left at 10:10 and I couldn’t miss it because it was the last one, I looked at him with big eyes and said, “sono preoccupado” (I am worried). He held out his phone that said 21:37 in big digits, feigning worry “non preoccupatevi” (dont worry).
We got in the Mercedes taxi, (ooh la la). He had me there in no time, when I got to the platform for my train; I had to beg the purser to let me take the night train to Padova so I could change to Montebelluna. He told me that if a purser came to me for my ticket, I could just pay the difference 3 euro. So I got situated in a car with a young man who had a lot of questions about America and I did my best to answer him. When I got to Padova he helped me with my bags and told me to have a safe trip, I changed trains to belluno where yet another twenty something, man asked me more questions about the school I was attending and where I had been and where I was from.
Hawaii is a favorite answer, Italians always say, “oh Ha-wy, ha-lo-ha” looking off into the distance with longing, like it’s paradise.
I arrived at the Motebelluna train station at 11:30pm. There was a stray dog standing at the bus stop, he and I were the only living creatures on the streets of Montebelluna that evening. I was hoping and praying that maybe there would be a late night taxi waiting for me, but no. I re-situated my luggage, tightened my backpack straps and readied myself for a trek. The train station is a 7 min walk from the flat, if you go the long way, where the streets are paved. 5 min if you take the short cut through a warehouse gravel alleyway. I had 2 rolling suitcases weighing 120 lbs together so I walked the paved road, pushing my bags, congratulating myself for being so brilliant when I purchased the 4 wheel luggage.
I arrived at my flat, at midnight on the nose. Rang the doorbell for ten minutes before almost all of my roommates came down and opened the door, in their jammies and those high ponytail buns that girls wear when they are finished caring about their hair for the day. They were apologetic but I was grateful that someone was still up. They helped me carry my bags up the stairs and I opened my bedroom door to find a very sleepy Federica squealing, “RRRRRRACHAEL!” We hugged at least four times. It felt like I had never left. I rolled my bags in the corner, grabbed a towel and went into the bathroom to wash New York, Brussels, Venice, Padova and the streets of Montebelluna off of me. I piiked in to say good night to the others asking a couple of questions about where they came from and trying to remember their names.
Then I went to bed for a few hours before I had to get up for class at 8am.
Then I went to bed for a few hours before I had to get up for class at 8am.
So the trip was a success, some set backs, some interesting people and a lot of work. But, I am here now. In Bella Italia! The last week of school has been good, trying to acclimate to the time zone, the weather, my lack of sleep. Un packing, getting groceries, planning homework, seeing old friends, I’m excited for what is to come.
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Love to all.
