Just One Expat's Opinion: RomComs and Red Wine

On the plane now. About 10.5 hours to go. It is 4:20 in the morning on Aug 17th and the window next to me has shown a perpetual sunrise for the last two hours. I'm still awake because I had the brilliant idea of occupying myself until the exact time that would give me 8 hours of sleep before my arrival. Screw jet lag, I'm gonna fight this biatch. I arrive at 3:50 am Aug 18th, according to my nifty flight tracker on the screen in front of me. If I go to sleep in about an hour and a half I will have fallen asleep around 7pm KST (Korean Standard Time). I won't know if this is a good idea until I get there, I guess. We shall see. I do know that I am thoroughly annoying the mother next to me who is attempting to sleep in spite of my very bright computer screen. Oh well, this is a year about me, not her, not anyone else. If I want to type away about the three cups of complimentary red wine I consumed or the romantic comedy I just watched, then I will. (PS – three cups of Merlot and a romcom equal spontaneous laughter that brings on awkward and annoyed looks from other passengers, who knew?)

I'm too tired to think about what I'm about to endure. I imagine a groggy Shira arriving at baggage claim attempting to find someone who can help me lift both of my 70 lb bags off of the conveyor belt. My mother seems to think I will have no problem finding assistance from a kind gentleman. Itai would prefer I find a kind gentleman standing next to his kind wife so that I don't have to endure advances and come-ons when all I really want is my bags. Smart boy. Then I will saunter off to the EPIK counter where I will be given some sort of ticket for the first shuttle of the day. I haven't decided if I should eat first or eat after I have secured a ride on the shuttle. I don't think there will be much competition for a seat at the crack of dawn. And who knows if I'll be hungry anyway.

I was able to enjoy a hearty Korean meal on the plane about 2.5 hours into my trip. I wasn't necessarily hungry but I was excited to have my first taste of Korea and I wasn't sure when my next meal would be. The flight attendant kindly offered me an American option but I passed. Spaghetti with meat sauce? No thank you, anyone who knows me well, knows that I would prefer Asian food above anything else. Even if I should expect to eat such food three meals a day for the next year. So be it. I enjoyed my bibimbap and seaweed soup even if it was airplane food. And it came with a slice of carrot cake... yum. I watched the other passengers slurp down their food in an instant and it reminded me of the Israelis I have spent time with lately. It must be just us Americans and our relatives, the Europeans, that can savor a meal. Yes, I am aware of how blanketed that statement is. I don't care right now, I'm too tired.

I began writing this blog to distract myself from the sleep forming in my eyes but I think its a losing battle. My neighbor will probably curse me when she realizes the moment she gave up on sleep to go brush her teeth, is the moment I gave into it. Again, I don't care. It's all about Shira right now. Deal with it world.