I was fortunate enough for this flight to have a hotel room the night before the flight and a shuttle service that would take me to the airport. During the last few days in the States, I was staying with my parents, as my apartment had been packed up and shipped away. They live over an hour's drive away from our closest airport, and in order to get me to the airport in time, we would have had to leave at like 3 in the morning. Instead, I got to sleep in a little more and not have to bother my mom for a ride so early in the morning.
I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. I have TSA Precheck, so getting through security is a breeze.
My first flight to Dallas was pretty uneventful. I made it to Texas and trekked from one side of the airport to the other. Along the way, I found some lunch and a space for me to work on grad school work for a little bit. Getting onto the flight was a different matter. This is where the anxiety begins. Despite the fact that I had my roller bag on the plane with me getting to Dallas, they made me check it at the gate. So I get to pull off to the side, pull the electronics and medication out of the bag that cannot be in a checked back. I walked on to the flight with my now stuffed backpack, angered because the overhead bins were not even close to filled, with bags up there that were definitely bigger than mine. I ended up next to two teenage boys who seemed to know each other, so I am very grateful that I knew I would not have to get up for the boy in the middle seat. I am sad I wasn't lucky enough to get a seat without a middle person, like the row behind me. The flight itself was mostly uneventful. I ate not-so-great food, watched a lot of movies, and played a few games. The landing was rough, though. I think they came in a little hot, and you could hear all the stuff that moved and banged around in both the overhead and in the flight attendant's area in the back.
When we took off in Texas, the pilot told us we would be arriving about an hour earlier than was listed on the ticket. I was beginning to breathe a little easier, knowing I would have a bit more time. But when we get to Japan, we are circling the airport because there are apparently too many planes. It then takes us forever to taxi to the gate after landing. Well, at least I thought we were going to the gate. We ended up getting off on the tarmac and taking a bus back to the airport. I feel like every step of the way, at this point, I am asking for help. There is a worker just inside the building who gives me directions to my next step, collecting my bags. Then something that has never happened to me before, all my bags arrive back to back. Another worker then guides me to customs I have to go through. It actually went pretty quickly. Especially when I have to get my visa, as I could skip the long line and go into the SOFA line. After I get through there, I am sent down the hall to the desk for the local airline, where a worker actually has me skip the line since my flight is so soon in order to get me through earlier. I check my bags, get my ticket, and get guided two floors down to find a shuttle to a different terminal. At this point, I am sweating and still worried that I might not make it in time.
When I arrive at the domestic flight terminal, I am absolutely lost. US airports have a lot more signage to give people directions. There were fewer signs, and the ones that were there were in Japanese, with no translations. I am so lost. I find a nice elderly security guard and show him my ticket. He was so kind. He immediately takes me up some stairs and over to a security gate. He passes me over to the worker there, and she helps me get through to the other side. I have to say, I am really grateful for Japanese hospitality. Once I was through security, I was able to read signs in order to find my gate. Only to find out when I got there that it was delayed. Then a gate change. I guess I could have taken my time a little more. Stressed a little less.
My final flight was nice and short, and I was so happy to make it to Misawa and fall into Charles's arms. It had been so long since we had seen each other; I was so happy to finally be there.
