Anyway, I made it safe and sound- and only in 38 hours of travel, alright! :) Jenny had me to the train station by 7:45 am, where I caught the Pacific Surfliner (please see cutester little picture I caught out my window seat on the way up to LA!) That train ride is simply amazing- a little friend told me about it when I moved to San Diego and every time I take it I remember how grateful I am to have the chance to experience such beauty, so far from home.
And then immediately I think, "But it's no Ocean City." ;)
All I can really say in regards to LAX-Taipei-Hong Kong-Bangkok is simply that I am pretty sure I know what hell is- it's an endless series of planes, airline food, airport couches, and security checkpoints. You never reach a final destination- you just keep changing airports. Needless to say, I was never happier to reach terra firma (as Mary Fran put it) and to see a bed. Any bed. This one happened to have clean bedding, towels, and water bottles with my name labeled onto them, which made it even better. But I think I would have taken a crib mattress and bath towel at that point.
Highlights of the trip included discovering lavender milk tea in Taipei (changed my life. Absolutely.) and watching This Is It on the plane- I have been wanting to see this for quite some time and it definitely left me with a newfound respect for MJ. For those who may not know, This Is It is a documentary they made after Michael Jackson's death- he was rehearsing a final tour in London which really highlighted his entire career, and they luckily had filmed quite a bit of it. After MJ's death, they released it in America as a full-length feature video. It's really something to see the entire gamut of his talent- it was truly humbling. And gave me real perspective on the situation- his contribution to America was his art and his love for humanity, that's it. At the end of the day, his heart was in the right place. And he was one of a kind. And furthermore, it still bugs the hell out of me that I could not, and still cannot, figure out the way he does the backwards step-ball-change in Beat It. I firmly believe my total inability to master this move is the number one reason we took second place in Greek Sing 2003 and not first.
Anyway, I'm here and alive and well- and so far this experience is absolutely AMAZING. Can't wait to tell you more about it- but it will have to wait! We're off for more Orientation. Love to all (and sorry about that Eagles loss!! Damn!)
Yours,
Di
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