Up in the Air

I just got back from a whirlwind weekend in Atlanta, GA for a good friend's wedding, which was a welcome 3 day break from Honduras. Anyway, before the flight I got into a conversation with another volunteer in the airport at San Pedro Sula about flight rituals, which got me thinking that it would probably make a pretty decent blog post. I realized, when talking to her, that I do have a lot of "rituals," which really surprised me. I'm not a superstitious person, but I feel almost required to do a cacophonous list of things before and during the flight.

It also reminded me of the first time I flew into Honduras, and how absolutely terrifying tense of an experience it was. I remember that when we landed, barely missing the rooftops of mountain clung houses, that everyone in the plane broke out into applause. Not a bad way to start two years of your life.

 

Landing at Toncontin is still considered one of the most technically difficult and dangerous landings for commercial airliners. 

"Air "Rituals"

Window seat. Always. No questions asked. To me it's the smarter move for comfort and a more enjoyable flight. I think part of the reason for me doing this was because as a kid I would sit on the roof of our house and watch the planes line up for their approach into O'Hare. Roof sitting, always classic.

If I'm not drinking, by the way cheers to the Delta flight attendant who hooked me up with about 7 free drink tickets for my flight back to Honduras. Anyway, if I'm not drinking,  I'm ordering a milk with ice. I blame that one on a roommate from college. Also, nowadays it is great to get a cold glass of milk, because a lot of times milk in Honduras is served warm or heated up. I still don't get that one.

I'll always sneak my headphones on during takeoff to play the same song, and I have no idea why. If you start playing Jack's Mannequin, "The Mixed Tape" as the pilot throttles the engines up for take off, I've found that the music matches the actions of the plane taking off perfectly. Try it.

The kid in me loves turbulance. If I'm paying $400 for a ticket, you better make the flight as memorable and as fun as possible.

Don't drink for at least 12 hours before and international flight. Standing in lines con una goma is terrrible. Read a book instead.

Finally, there is not a better thing in the world than flying back into Chicago. Whether it be MDW or O'Hare, day or night. Seeing the city skyline back-dropped against Lake Michigan is an unbeatable experience. It's made even better by the fact that it usually means your coming home, back to green colored street signs and "fireworks over Lake Michigan."