BACK OVER THE POND

I'm back in good old NYC well actually it's more like BK.

Getting here however turned out to be more difficult then I thought. I knew packing up my dorm room wouldn't be fun. I went to London on the Queen Mary 2 and had 5 - 75 pound bags -with me - as I thought I was going to stay two full years abroad. Of course one week in and life changed. I rekindled my relationship with GT and even decided to live together when my year of classes was up. Not only that but I'd have to fly home at the end since I would be flying back and forth every spring/winter break - which meant my Queen Mary 2 return fund had vanished - little did I know my one way return ticket from London to NYC by plane would be the same amount as a trip on QM2.

I attempted to off load a lot of my stuff to friends- okay just HR2 - in London and take more of my stuff back on my sprig break - that way I wouldn't be stuck with what would have been seven large bags. I got my stuff down to 4, which means I had to pay 60 pounds each for two of the bags - and a taxi - also I had to arrange for a porter to help me get my bags from the Taxi to the drop off area inside.

All went according to plan until I hit the drop off desk. It would seem my internal scale was off. Two of my four bags were several Kg over weight. But in terminal five - with their fancy equipment - the machine won't take the luggage if it's even a fraction over - they don't charge you extra like some airlines they just refuse to take it. So the porter, check-in-woman and myself opened my luggage and started moving objects from one bag to another. 20 minutes later, and the whole airport new what I had packed but we got the right combination eventually and all my bags just barley made the cut off. I felt bad for the Porter because each time he had to lift my bag on and off the scale until we got it right. I only had five pounds to tip him with. I didn't know it be such physical a job!

Well, I laughed my way through security which took no time at all and wondered around the new terminal five at Heathrow. There I sat at what I thought was my gate. A women came and asked me if she could do a survey. I said sure.

She asked why are you flying to Tokyo?

I corrected her. I'm headed to NYC.

She smiled and said okay lets continue anyway. She did. After she walked away.

But then came back. "are you on flight 177?

Yes.

You need to be at gate 35.

I suddenly looked up and saw everyone else sitting by me was Japanese.

Well at my gate with obvious new yorkers I headed to the plane. My fear of flying has gotten a lot better. I didn't need to drink the two little bottles of wine they give, I just wanted too. MY TV screen didn't work but I had a laptop so I was still amused. Only one small section of turbulence when we got closer to NYC. Other then that great flight.

Off the plane however at baggage claim I didn't quite think through how I would get all four bags and me to the lobby where GT was waiting. I got a cart they aren't long. SO I had to stack my 70 pound pages on top of each other until they were taller then me. After I had to push this cart past people waiting for their luggage and up to costumes. I couldn't see, I couldn't steer but the Customs Agent definitely found me amusing after asking the typical questions - with a smirk - he says do you have a boyfriend hidden in those bags?" "No, he should be on the other side waiting for me." "He Should be." and I thought there were better ways to answer that question but I didn't want to test the Customs Agents sense of humor. So he let me go and I wondered out to where all the people wait for you. There was GT shaking his head as he say me, bright red form exhausting pushing this cart with all my might, in my disheveled hair and travel clothes. My first words to him "Help I can't steer." Just like that I slipped back into my normal NYC life. We made it home, I even unpacked in two days time but you plan and plan and still things never go as they should.