I have always been fascinated with airports since I was little. I remember asking my dad to take me to the little airport in Bethalto so we could watch the airplanes land. I also remember a little restaurant over by Lambert Airport where we could watch the planes coming and going. I am not sure why I was so fascinated, but I do know that I wasn't able to fly often, so when I did, it was a rare treat. Most families would rather drive on vacation to save money and have the convenience of their vehicle and my family was one of those. I did have several opportunities to fly to space camp in Huntsville, Alabama in eighth grade and Washington, D.C.
for Future Business Leaders of America during high school.
This week I have the privilege to
travel to D.C. for a week of orientation and training for the fellowship program. I’ve
heard that this time will be both terrifying and exciting. The former fellow
told me that more seasoned fellows tell horror stories of being medically
evacuated and that the coordinators of the fellowship program take you through
some type of security briefing. I think I am most excited to meet other fellows
who have been through this experience and who are preparing to go on this
experience. I am interested to hear their stories, connect with them, and make
new friends.
This morning I flew from St. Louis to
Charlotte. The flight left at 7:45, which was a very early wake-up call after
going to bed at 2:30 a.m. I have been off all week, but for some reason, I
didn’t finish my paper that is due tomorrow until late last night. Who am I
kidding? I ALWAYS procrastinate on these assignments. I am a good student and I
seem to do my best work under pressure, but it is always at the last minute –
no matter how much time I have prior to the assignment. Anyway, the flight to
Charlotte was VERY full and as we were boarding, a man asked me if I would
switch seats with him so he could sit with his traveling partner. I was
delighted because my original seat was next to a mom and child. I love
children, but not on a plane. The flight was on time and everything went
smoothly. When I entered Charlotte, I was shocked at the number of people
walking through the airport. It was wall-to-wall people throughout the
terminals. Maybe this airport is known for being busy, but I think it’s the
busiest airport I have ever been in and I have been through a lot of airports.
My next flight went off without a hitch
albeit very crowded with many screaming children. Reagan International Airport
was also very crowded, but with clear signs so I found my way to the baggage
claim. I always get nervous waiting for my baggage because I have lost my bag
several times when traveling. The worst time was when Aaron and I were in
Sicily because we literally had NOTHING with us. We were flying from Palermo down
to Sicily and it was a short 45-minute flight, so we didn’t think we needed
much. Wow, were we wrong! We stayed in this GORGEOUS place along the cost, but
everything was so expensive that we sat in our same clothes for three days. I had no makeup! For us ladies, this was devastating. I didn't want to take any pictures and we couldn't go swimming in our beautiful $300-a-night pool! It
was miserable. But don’t worry, my luggage came as planned on this trip.
During my time here, I had made
arrangements to see my ex-husband Wagner and one of my really good friends from
my doctoral program, Neil. Wagner is in his fourth year of urology residency
and often has a crazy schedule during the week so we made plans for today. He met me at the train
station and we headed to the hotel to drop my stuff off before meeting up with
Neil. The hotel is really nice and seems quite expensive (more on that in
another post). After dropping my stuff off, we headed to Walter Reed Navy
Hospital to pick up Wagner’s car to meet up with Neil in Baltimore. He can store his car there for free because he works there instead of trying to find street parking by his house. I also noticed the really cool bike stations around town, which apparently costs $75 a year. When the taxi dropped us off at the hospital, there was
some type of security issue, so one of the gates was closed. I was surprised
when the soldier saluted Wagner as Captain, but he just shrugged it off. Wagner
joined the Army as a way to get rid of his medical school debt and also to advance his career.
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| This is a trip! |
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| Wagner driving his little BMW - very scary! |
I forgot to snap a picture of Neil and I, but I made him send me a picture. He is such a ham! We had dinner at a place close to his hotel and talked together for a while and Wagner read for his surgeries scheduled for tomorrow. I really enjoyed my time with both of the guys and appreciate their friendship.
Tomorrow is the first day of orientation and I need to get some sleep so I am prepared for it. What a great day! Hope you had a great one too. Good night!
