Flight from Philly to Qatar

 

This might be a longer post, so I will cut to the chase - I made it to Qatar safe and sound and fine.

The part of the Philly airport I was in was remarkably mundane, even the international section. Lots of kids running up and down the halls as their parents tired them out before such a long flight. Kudos to the parents because it worked. Nary a cry for the duration of the trip. 

Things I'm learning include that if you look or behave differently, security seeks you out. I was smiling and friendly as I walked the plank to board this flight, so I was selected for a random bag search. I enjoyed a friendly chat by Mr. Security, and I'm not being sarcastic. He said they were really tired so he was pulling over people with smaller carry-on bags. I was actually complimented about how well-packed my bags were. 

When I reached my seat, it was already occupied. I was pleasant and spoke to two women, one of whom was in my seat because the other one was in her seat. And that one was one row too far forward. So all were moved around very nicely. 

The seats were T I N Y! And I don't mean just leg space, not even enough room for my elbows so I could type. I whimpered to myself about 12+ hours in that seat... then karma rewarded me!

The woman next to me asked if I'd be willing to trade so her 9 year old son could sit next to her. He was in one of the more luxurious seats in that it had massive leg space! Woohoo! Would I? You bet! So I generously gave up my tiny seat and moved to one where I could stretch my legs out completely and still not touch the wall in front of me! I will add, however, that it was width-tiny like the others, though. 

I was on the aisle of the middle sections of seats (wide-body plane), and the man next to me had to have been at least 6'6". He was lean but all that bone still makes for broad ribs and shoulders. For the duration he never once looked at me or spoke to me, and he made real efforts to never touch me or let me touch him. I took no offense as I've started to learn about the Muslim culture and respected his space. 

But I had legggggggg room! What an incredible relief that was. I still couldn't type because my elbows would stick out, but it didn't matter. I didn't miss it. 

The plane itself wasn't as nice as I'd expected. It wasn't the plane I expected. And it wasn't the airline I expected. I had booked the entire trip through American Airlines, and they partner with Qatar. That flights was supposed to be by Qatar Airlines on a 777, but ended up being an American Airlines 787. From what others told me, Qatar has nicer places, cleaner, and better food and service. Sigh... That's what I was expecting. But, hey, minor problems of no actual concern. 

What a mix of humanity. Every color of skin. Multiple languages. Various styles of dress. I absolutely LOVED that immersion. I live in my pale skin, long limbs, jeans and t-shirts, speaking only English. It's so nice to be among people not like me in every way. I am now the minority - tall, pale, lone, older female. 

To pass the time, we were fed 3 times. I watched one movie I can't remember, but do recall the movie about Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. It came out in 1973 and I was very impressed by the achievements she made as a leader for women's rights. The movie was interesting. I don't think I'd seen it before now. 

I did sleep a good bit. At one point when I woke up, the whole plane seemed sound asleep. I looked toward the back and saw the crew hanging out in their kitchen area, so I tiptoed back there to offer them my services.

I told them I was a massage therapist for over 25 years on my way to a massage class in Bali. I was bored and tired of sitting still. If any of the crew wanted some free massage time, I'd be more than happy to oblige. And I did. We had fun talking, and it felt good to walk around and move a bit finally. It perked them right up, and sure helped me. 

I mentioned that they fed us three times. When I discovered it wasn't Qatar, I gave up home of any kind of decent food, so I was pleasantly surprised that most of it was surprisingly good, and the fresh stuff was really fresh! Sorry, American Airlines, for bashing your food in my mind before tasting it. 

Time passed. Yeah, it was kind of tough, but not really.