I'll never go on another airline. They will just never live up to SAS, the Swedish airline that flew me to Stockholm. Most of the passengers are Swedish, but there were four of us Americans all clustered together. As soon as we got on we were examining all the little gadgets inlaid in the seat ahead of us. There's a cup holder, a place for your glasses, a little mirror perfect for fixing eyeliner, and a little TV. The TV has a touch screen for movies, music, games, and flight information.
As I'm writing this I'm about three hours into my flight, placing me over the Labrador Sea, and I have just finished watching He's Just Not That Into You. I thought I was going to hate this movie. I hate the stupid self-help books about relationships because, although somethings about human behavior are predictable, you can never plan or protect yourself against emotion. Even if you do the situation will probably do the opposite of what you prepared yourself for anyway. I also really did not like what parts I read of the book at the time either, but that was probably because the harsh nature probably told me what I saw, but did not want to believe.
Either way, I liked it. It was very true and I enjoyed that not everybody found that Hollywood, picture-perfect happy ending. I like the non-perfect endings that are being made nowadays. I don't like them in the past (i.e. Gone with the Wind and such, although Casablanca was excellent.).
Anyway, I'm getting off-topic. Basically SAS is amazing. The best part was not all the gadgets, but the lack of people on the flight. I had a window seat with a lovely woman named Mara sitting next to me. We both ended up moving to our own aisles. :p Beat that!
It still hasn't hit me that I'm only my way to Italy for four months. After a week there maybe the culture shock will come closing in on me! Ha ha, yeah, right!
P.S. The food is fantastic too! I don't care what the say about Korean Airlines having the best food, the food on SAS was excellent compared to all other airline food.
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Just got to Sweden! Everything here is very stylish. The airport has wood floors and there are glass walls everywhere. After going through another round of security I had to say goodbye to Mara who is off to another part of Sweden on vacation visiting her husband's mother's family. She was soooooooooooo nice. I wish I could have gotten her e-mail before we parted. It was actually rather emotional; we even hugged at the end. It's strange how Americans bond when they're far from home on foreign soil...or sky.
Just waiting for the next flight now. It's about 7ish in the morning here....around 1am in the states. I haven't gotten any sleep yet, but it's hard to when it feels like another day.
Time to go!!!
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As much as I know I wouldn't want to drive in NYC, I know that I could NEVER drive here. I think the Italians believe there is a middle lane between each two real lanes. As my taxi passes each car I feel that if I wanted too i could reach out and graze my neighbor with my fingertips. I'm not afraid though. Don't get me wrong, it is a nail-biting experience, but I trust my cabbie to get me to Marcantonio Colona safely. I don't know, Italy just has a calming sense. It smells different here and just like Susan Oh said in Under the Tuscan Sun, they do have really creepy trees---but I love it!
I'm suprised at how easy it was to converse with the cabbie, not that we said much, just the address, that my bag was heavy, and that I was going to university.
Now it's time to look out the window.
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I've been hanging out with some amazing people that I've met here so far and we're off to a piza party the admins are having for us.
Oh..and fate is a bitch. I go half way around the world and I still run into people I know. Not that it's neccessarily a bad thing...
Ciao
