Travel fatigue sets in! Oh no!
So, here was my plan leaving Narita: put on the jammies (Yes, I broke down and bought one of those "PINK" tank tops from the subway the other day. Why did I do this? Because I needed a cute airplane outfit, and what's cuter than a pink tank top that says "LOVE" on it with a few rhinestones?) and fall asleep as soon as I hit the plane and sleep pretty much all the way to Chicago. Stay awake in Chicago and then I would be ready to sleep again once I get to Indy.
Plan thwarted though because I could not sleep. I don't know why. I tried and tried and tried. I just kept falling into half-way sleep where it's like you're resting, but you're mind is still thinking of things and that ends up being more stressful than restful because I'm wondering, when will I fall asleep? I didn't read or anything, because I felt tired. I felt tired and yet, could not sleep. I slept a little, I think. But they bring you food like every 10 minutes, and it took me an hour to get through my first cranapple drink, and then if you are sleeping, you don't get any food...anyways, I dozed here and there and managed to watch 2 movies: Leap Year and How to Train A Dragon. Leap Year was not as cute as I had been hoping. It does not beat The Matchmaker for films about sassy, American city girls battling the wiles and wilderness of Ireland. Dragon was way funnier than I had been expecting, and I would watch it again.Coming back into the United States is kind of an ordeal that I had forgotten about. We got into Chicago around 3pm Central Time (5AM Seoul time), and I was thankful that I didn't have to make a quick connection becuase there is alot that has to be done.
First, everyone has to go through passport/immigration. There were 2 huge halls full of people, foreigners and citizens, in line waiting to get their passports checked. I probably waited in line for like 45 minutes just to get through passport control. Then you have to clear customs and pick your luggage up. Even if they tagged your luggage to go all the way to Indianapolis, you still have to pick it up and recheck it.
Then, I had to go to a different terminal. That's fine. No problem...but I felt like the man who was maintaining crowd control at the shuttle station was pretty rude. He was yelling really loudly and telling everyone that they weren't all going to get on the train at the same time, and slightly abrasive. However, there were these really cute little boys on the train on their way to basketball camp. I had no idea that Turkish children were so cute, but now I know.
So, I take the train to terminal 3, where, I have to go back through security. That means more lines. And more abrasive men who are in charge of controlling those lines. AND, ok, so I bought some stuff at the duty-free in Japan, because how often am I going to go to be in Japan...and in Japan, they were ok with 2 carry-ons plus a duty free bag. In Chicago though, oh no, can't have that. So I have to stuff my backpack even more! (I know, these are all small problems in comparison with flesh eating bugs, which one of the flight attendants seemed to know a lot about on the way over here).
SO I finally get through security and into my terminal and am thinking, I need a massage and/or a coffee shop. I look on the terminal map and it says "Spa Station" or "Sauna world" or something like that. Assa! That's perfect! SO I go to the indicated place and am looking and am looking, but there's no Spa Station. There some massage chairs in the middle of the concourse with some tough-looking Chicago guys standing around them, but there's no world of spa. That's ok, I freshen up in the ladies room (but they do not have the fancy toilets like Japan does), and decide to look for a coffee shop.You know what? There are no coffee shops in O'Hare airport. There are Starbucks kiosks on every corner, but there is no coffee shop. Furthermore, there is no lounge area. If you wanted to sit down for awhile, but not wait right outside your gate, there's no place to do that...except for the food court. So I go to the food court, because eating would probably be a good idea. I finally get a table and then am swiftly surrounded by a big man-friend group who are all on a mancation together...wearing baseball caps and cargo shorts and all I could think was..."ermmmmmmm American boys. I forgot how you traveled."
Then I think, ok, I've only got a couple of hours left, I will go ahead and hang out by my gate and hang out on the internet for a while. They advertise Wi-Fi all over this airport, but it's not free. You have to buy it and download it...and then....THERE ARE NO OUTLETS IN THIS AIRPORT. I walked up and down my concourse trying to find an outlet. And you see all the laptoppers, staking their territory around the scarce and randomly placed tables in the hallway or outlets of abandoned gates (b/c Delta used to be in this concourse and recently moved, so now there's just empty space, which is kind of creepy in a way). I found one plug in, but it wasn't attached to the wall all the way. I found another one, but it couldn't pick up a signal. I finally found one that is well attached to the wall and picks up the wi-fi signal, but leaves me sitting on the floor but the gate door. (eg. I'm going to have to move soon, cos we're going to be boarding :)
That to say, there are two very nice and friendly attendants working this gate, and it may seem trivial, but they have made me notice that not everyone in Chicago is fat and abrasive...but can be friendly and caring and polite to foreigners, even if their English isn't good (not speaking about me obviously, but I've been observing since I got here).
SO, that leaves me....getting ready to board in about a half hour. WOOHOO!!! I'll see you in Indiana!
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