My first flight (to Sydney) was met with good news: I got a free $10 snack voucher! Wine, cheese, and crackers it is. I was nicely relaxed about my short Sydney layover after that. Not that I needed to be -- we landed 30 mins early! To top it off, the middle seat between me and a nice Australian woman was left empty. In long journeys, these little details can make your day.
On the 9.5-hour flight from Sydney to Honolulu, I had a fright: I was expecting a complimentary meal, as always used to be a given with long flights, but I soon realized that only people who had pre-ordered meals would be getting them. My heart sunk as I stared at my potential dinner: gummies and granola bars. But then a steaming dinner was plopped in front of me, along with a "comfort pack" (with lotion, an eye mask, socks, etc) and cozy blanket. Somehow the ticket package I'd bought pulled through for me. I guiltily looked at the food-less people around me and scarfed down my dinner.
So here's why it's my longest day ever: I started flying at 3:15pm in Christchurch, and eventually landed at 6:45am in Honolulu the same day! That's the cool thing about coming from Oceana -- you magically go back in time en route, due to the fact that we cross over the international date line. My December 17th was going to continue -- and was also going to keep getting better, because now I had 12 hours to spend in Honolulu.
Better yet, Brooke (my roommate in Göttingen, Germany during my month off study there) was coincidentally in Honolulu already. Thanks to an Instagram comment by my uncle Don that mentioned my layover, Brooke made the connection and got in touch. I owe you one, Don. So Brooke were going to have an unexpected reunion, and I couldn't be more excited about it. I hadn't seen Brooke since she visited me in Düsseldorf just over a year ago.
We met up at Pearl Harbor and did the tour there. Because of my time limit, we didn't do everything there, but the USS Arizona memorial tour was the perfect glimpse into the tragedy and politics behind what happened at Pearl Harbor.
After that we had lunch with Brooke's boyfriend and friend (they're all there for a chemistry conference), then she and I went to Waikiki to enjoy some time on the beach. I got to swim in the warm waters of the Pacific and get some vitamin D before spending a month in the desolate, sunless cold of Minnesota.
A bit different from a Minnesota December.
So grateful for the reunion!
The day was all too short, of course, but considering the circumstances it was absolutely perfect. Better than perfect, since I was able to hang out with Brooke. Life is crazy and fabulous sometimes! Oh, and an added bonus was that Brooke letting me shower at her place; if you've ever flown long distances with multiple layovers, you know how big a difference an extra shower can make.
Happy, exhausted, and squeaky clean, I finally ended my day by sleeping through the 7-hour flight to Dallas (where I am now). Despite the journey being days long, I really can't complain too much about it.
Next stop: home!
