This is Unpretending’s Substack.
We are travelling from Australia to Midwest of the United States
Day one lasted 41 hours, a long and tricky day. Today we are in the same timezone as my Multimes and this evening I’ll finally be at their house after 189 days since saying farewell in Honolulu.
The excitement is all throughout this System as we wake at 4 am with absolutely no point trying to go back to sleep. Another long day ahead of us but safe arms are waiting at the end.
The morning so far has been a phenomenal experience of meeting people in Texas. Firstly the hotel I stayed in, courtesy of the fumbling airline, had a complimentary breakfast for not only its guests but also for some people who may have been low income, it seems as though they came here for free breakfast. I was so impressed, that a hotel does that, maybe it’s on the lowdown but just the same I reckon that’s such a good idea and I wish other hotels did it too, maybe here in America it’s a thing.
I meet Eva, a spirited lady who kindly showed me how to make a waffle and told me the coffee was fantastic. Waffles aren’t really a thing in Australia, pancakes yes but waffles, not so much, I’m not sure I know how I should be eating them. However Eva wasn’t wrong about the coffee, it seriously was the best coffee I’ve had since Kona coffee in Hawaii.
I need to apologise America, I do not do creamer, Eva showed me where the real milk was that is normally used for cereal. Eva almost had a skip in her step, as she took her two breakfasts out the door calling back to me with a song in her voice, “Same thing every morning. Eva’s liveliness was a good start to my morning. I’d like to become brave and ask people I meet if I could take a photo of people I meet for my Substack. Because if you’d seen Eva you’d have seen an a earth Angel.
My American Breakfast, waffle and coffee. Photo by Unpretending Spontaneous
I called an Uber and there was no problem, my driver didn’t seem to want to chat until I mentioned I did Uber food deliveries back home, then she warmed up and we ended up having a great discussion about driving and Dallas. She dropped me right at the entrance to the airline and I waved goodbye, not forgetting to leave a tip. I love that about America, we don’t really tip in Australia, I hope it becomes more of a thing.
Security Troubles
Checking my bag was easy. I just told the fella I didn’t need to pay a bag fee because of the stuff up of my airline. He didn’t even bat an eye as he printed out my bag tags and popped my bag on the conveyor belt. Security was next.
The security guards were jovial as they checked travellers through. One fella, noticing my Chiefs shirt called out, “Don’t let this one through, she’s wearing the wrong shirt!” And another called right back, “Let this one through, she’s got the right shirt on!” I laughed, I love Americans!
I put my bag and stuff in the tubs for security, go through the metal detector and wait at the other side, to see my bag be put aside. Oh-oh, I wondered what I had in my bag that I shouldn’t. Ahhh My water bottle! Oops. I tell the lady who says there were two things she was looking for, the other being my Golden Syrup to make Anzac Cookies on the 25th for Anzac Day. She also found my Vegemite and decided that couldn’t be admitted either. I was flabbergasted at what to do, and just stood there looking blankly until she told me she’d take me back through and I could check my hand luggage.
My heart was racing as I repacked my bag, taking out the essentials I needed for travel to look after this System with all its people inside. I ended up putting everything I needed into my little cooler lunch bag that had held my medications, which I tipped into my carry on which was soon to be checked luggage bag two. I was rushing and knew I needed to slow down so I could think but I had started spinning in my head. This spinning got worse when I was back at the baggage check in and I couldn’t find my passport or boarding pass. Panicked I looked through my bag’s multiple times until the lady said maybe I should retrace my steps.
I walked in double speed back the way I had come, talking out loud to myself about where could this passport be, then someone inside me patted my back pocket... there. In my pocket was my phone and passport and boarding pass! Holy moly! I had check there several times I am sure, maybe? I don’t know. I really needed to calm down. Taking several breathes and messaging Multimes almost every minute, I lined back up at the baggage check in line.
I told this new fella I had to check this bag with no fee because of the delay of my airline from last night. He again just put it through. The next trip through security was thankfully no issue. Finally I was free to find the bathrooms (restrooms) then get a coffee.
Starbucks
My city doesn’t have Starbucks, I ordered a caramel crunch frapachino using my name and guess what it translates to in American dialect? Cherry! That’s right Cherry. Our Body Name is now called Cherry.
Starbucks Caramel Crunch Frapachino for Cherry. Photo by Unpretending Spontaneous
The next flight was on time Whoo hoo! And it was an uneventful trip until after we landed and pulled up at the gate. As in Australia, as soon as the plane stopped a whole lot of passengers, unclicked, stood up in the aisle, took down their overhead luggage and waited patiently to get out.
After a long ten minutes we heard an announcement saying, “We seem to be having mechanical problems with the bridge” (you know the little accordion folding arch thingy that we all walk through getting on and off planes), “it seems to be stuck, they have a mechanic working on it, thank you for your patience.”
Someone inside us was saying, “Maybe we’ll get to use the emergency exit slide?” They got excited by the thought. I told them, no that won’t be happening and the mechanic will fix the bridge. I am glad I’m a person who doesn’t stand up waiting to leave the plane.
After another 20 or so minutes there was another announcement, “There are another three mechanics working on the bridge and it still won’t budge, thank you for your patience.” I vote he reverses and goes to another gate.
As we wait, I get into a conversation with the young girl on my right who has come home from college a week before finals to surprise her younger brother, who was in his high school musical. I am impressed a sister would do such a kind loving thing for her high school brother, it reminds me of the difference of my own family of origin and it’s disfunction. I shake away the memories crawling into my mind and listen to girl as she explains to me about studying Fine Arts and she shows me a photo of an oil painting self portrait she had done which was stunning. I remembered my need to become brave and ask to take a photo, but I chickened out.
Finally after a long time, we hear the announcement saying, “Thank you again for your patience, we’d like you all to be seated once again with your seatbelts on as our pilot reverses the plane to move to another gate.” Whoo hoo, my vote won!
The reversing procedure took a very long time. And it seemed we were travelling at 5 kilometres (maybe 2 miles) an hour to get to the next gate which was literally three gates away from the first gate. We had sat for an hour after landing before we were allowed out. But baggage claim was easy, I arrived at the conveyor belt and there was my waiting baggage. Then I quickly found a place on the floor, out of the way of everyone, to reorganise my bags once again so the Golden Syrup and Vegemite were in my large check in luggage and my handheld luggage would be able to go through security without a hitch.
Houston airport
Now this was an experience. I had to catch a train to check my luggage so I take the elevator down to the subway. Once arriving I look around, I had expected it to look like the Sydney subway. I wonder where I buy my ticket I think to myself, and ask another obliging American who raises an eyebrow and stays, “There are no tickets, it’s free.” That was exciting and so was the train ride which reminded me of a roller coaster jerking left and right around the tracks to the big hill. Littles within me were jumping up and down again as I tried to look ‘normal’ on the outside.
After the train I had to go through security again. “No problem,” I thought. But as the fella, at the place where you put your things in tubes, took my shoes out of an almost empty tub and purposefully placed them facing with the toes towards me on the conveyor belt, I had a feeling that was code for ‘check this person’. I was right! Seriously, I am sure I have an invisible sign over my head that says “drug test this one!” Because almost every time I’m at an airport I get pulled aside to be drug tested, even in my home town airport. I’m never concerned though, it just happens. I forgot to say that going through security in Dallas to Houston, I got pulled aside for a fella to do the wand test. Doesn’t phase me, it’s rather amusing actually.
But I was surprised when my bag was put aside again. I waited patiently wondering what they were checking for this time. The food I brought from Australia was in my handheld luggage and she opened the box, took out four packets of Tim Tams and wiped them down to test for drugs. I just can’t understand why they never wanted to check the little bag that held all my vitamins and medications.
Of course I passed with flying colours and wondered around the airport slowly as I had discovered my next flight had been delayed, again no surprise, this really was getting funny. I caught what they called a Skyline from the check in place back to where you board, it was really cool. It was like a monorail that we call in Australia. I sit down at the gate, it seems as though the delay is caused by a security issue in the aisle of the plane, where there are five people attending to this security issue was it a security issue or a safety issue? I think it was safety. Multimes said it was probably bodily fluids, I really hoped I wasn’t anywhere near that part of the aisle.
Finally, I boarded and was up in the air towards my final destination. There was a fair bit of turbulence but otherwise an uneventful flight. Littles looked out the windows as saw, “Real live barns! And ‘Merican country houses!” Once again the excitement inside was getting hard to contain.
The landscape from the plane. Photo by Unpretending Spontaneous
A couple of hours later, and I was walking fast as I could to meet my Multimes. Her eyes held the same excitement as my insides as we hugged and attuned to the realisation we had made it. Almost 60 hours of travelling and we were in safe arms. Walking side by side with Multimes as we collected the baggage and headed away from the airport, I had a sense of homecoming and wondered what the next 25 days would behold.
Until next time, thank you come coming to our Substack.
This has been Unpretending Spontaneous.
We hope you have a wonderful day.