Coming back from Vermont (seems like a long time ago), I became sick then very sick. I wasn't able to speak and had burning sore throat. That was when I found good usage of the medicine bottles stored in the closet. I consumed quite some quantities and eventually stepped into our town center clinic then tested for strep. Negative. I felt relieved, the system would eventually go away, I was saying that to myself when we started off on 6/25/2011 Saturday at 9:15am.
Prof. B took us to the airport and we arrived in Charlotte on time and in spirit. But things went downhill after this. Sitting on the flight from Charlotte to Phoenix, grew more and more impatient because we were only getting spotty updates regarding a maintenance problem which got everybody leaving the seats and the plane for another incoming one. I had a feeling that we might have to stay overnight in phoenix because there seemed no hopes of connecting to the flight into Anchorage with time running out. I texted Prof. B and got him to help me on researching and texting the latest in Phoenix. We went on a new plane, and that was 4.5 hours on edge, running many scenarios and my good friend motion sickness caught up gradually.
When I landed, I opened up my phone and got a text like - run to the next gate, it's still at gate and not closed. The flight attendant asked people to stay tight and let those who needed to connect to go through first. But almost everyone stood up. So I rushed off the Charlotte to Phoenix plane and I made the turn and there was the new gate. There was triumph on my face when the assistant took my boarding pass but wait a second, why was she frowning and what was she saying - are you sure you want to board right now, it's pretty hot and you should probably get a water and some food, freshen up .... what is really going on? I got on anyway, but soon understood why the plane wasn't full and why the recommendation was to stay in the lounge at gate and not inside a plane without air conditioning in a city like Phoenix. So we were told to come off because it was unhealthily hot, but leaving our luggage in cabin. Coming out of the plane, I was exhausted, so imagine when we were asked to go back and take out the luggage because this plane was having a mechanical problem. There was not much of a chaos and people just dealt with their emotions and physicals. The airport is a dangerous place to start a fire. Then we were directed to a new gate and there was a plane parked there. The final blow came out when the announcement came out that the first officer of our flight had an emergency. They summoned a new first officer and we needed to wait for another two hours. All this was too much to bear, the flight was about 4 hours late and landed in Anchorage right around midnight (that was 4am in the east coast). I threw up on flight, heart arrhythmia, motion sickness and exhaustion ... I started hating myself for wanting to do this, it was so difficult boarding six times in a day.
As if walking on moon, I got the rental car (a white Toyota Corolla Sports) and arrived at the hotel. Again threw up, the medicine was too little too late. I was drained and I was mad. To be continued ....
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