So I'm at the airport in Dublin, it's 4:44 am, and I have to get to class by 2pm to give a presentation. I already know this is going to be a long day.
Airports are so interesting. They are a hub of activity. Right before you go through security there are all the families and couples saying goodbye, acting like they will never see the other person again. When you come through customs you see all the families and lovers reunite with kisses, hugs, flower, just love in general. Now these are the things you see during the day. You may even see them at night. What most people don't see, however, is what goes on during the hours surrounding “stupid-o'clock.” That's when the really interesting people come out.
I got to the airport some time around 11pm. I tried to do the normal things, like watch a movie and listen to music, but there is only so much that you can take of that. I was done by about 1:30am.
Then came the Latvian boys. The Latvian boys are two guys around my age who live in Dublin, but who go home to Latvia to see their family on the holidays and such. They are quite amusing...I felt like Jane Goodall with the monkeys. They got their hands on a luggage cart and it all went downhill (or uphill depending on how amusing you find it) from there. One would ride on the cart and the other would push it...and of course, being 20 year old boys, they would crash into stationary things. It was hilarious. After that got boring they started delivering me “mail.” They would roll up on their luggage cart to where I was laying down going through pictures and we would just stare at each other knowing something amusing was about to happen, but trying to hold our laughter in. I would be the first to break the silence and say “hi.” Then they would say “hi.” Then they would hand me a piece of paper, an advert for beauty products or something like that, and roll away. I would end up in a fit of laughter. Then they would roll up behind me to see what movie I was watching. The next time they rolled up right behind me and finally we had a full conversation (i.e. 10 lines or so about where each of us were going). I wonder where they went. I kind of want to go find their gate and go play with them. Oh Latvia...
Then there was the guy at the Soho organic coffee shop. I noticed him because he had this awesome style so I got behind him in line. He walked up to the counter with 2 Stella Artois. Yeah, he knows how to start his morning off right. As it turns out he's over at gate 66 going off to Edinburgh so I can't find out his life story. Too bad.
Next, there were the two people sitting on either side of me. The girl to the right of me is Italian and plays guitar. She asked me to watch her stuff while she went to the bathroom. Then the guy on my left sat down. He asked me if I was Italian. I was hoping that if I said “no” then he would bugger off (I've hit that point in the early morning where I'm done with people who actually want to have a conversation). He proceeded to question me about my writing habits and asked me if the guitar was mine. I told him it was my Italian friend's. He went on to tell me that he is a composer and plays so many instruments. He is working as a graphic designer secretly in Dublin and going to Italy on “business” for two days so it looks like he isn't working here illegally. Yes, this is exactly the kind of stuff you tell people at the airport at 4 in the morning. So then the girl on my right comes back and he proceeded to talk to her in Italian. She actually just moved over to next to him so they can Italianize together. Glad I could help with that.
And then there's me. I guess that I can be considered one of these weird morning people. Around 2am I was done with sitting around waiting so I walked around the entire airport and filmed random things so I can put it together in a music video about what it's like living at the airport at God awful times in the morning. I have become one of these airport people...and I love it.
