by Teressa Jackson
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| The Team at the Airport: Mike, Tonya, Teressa, & Kelsie |
After several weeks of whirlwind activity and near insanity
preparing for a gala I would not be able to attend, I left work at 2:30 p.m. on
Thursday, February 20, catching a ride to Indianapolis with Tonya Wetzel, a
fellow GSE Team member. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time, and were
greeted by Mike Ferree, our Rotarian leader, as well as Rotary District
Governor Tim Lee and his wife Amy. Kelsie Holt, our final team member, soon
joined us.
The plane to Los Angeles was nice and very new, and the
flight relatively uneventful after the initial turbulence due to the rain and
high winds blowing into the area. After several hours, the expansive lights of LA spread
out below us and we disembarked.
At the airport, we had to catch a bus to the international
terminal. Our destination was immediately apparent upon boarding the bus, which
was filled with Australian accents. As we approached our gate from the bus, we
saw that we were going to be riding in an enormous 2-story Air Bus for the next
16 hours. There was no denying it now; we were headed for the Land Down Under!
The Qantas staff were friendly and the women looked chic in
their navy, red, and fuschia uniforms, complete with neck scarves. We were fed
dinner in relatively short order. As I had requested an Indian vegetarian meal,
I received rice, green beans, and yellow lentils with a mixed green salad.
Let’s be honest, it was airplane food… I’m quite sure it will be my least
favorite meal of the trip.
I tried to stay awake but my eyes were burning and heavy. It
wasn’t long until I succumbed to a relatively long (considering) fitful sleep…
after all, it was approaching 3 or 4 a.m. Eastern time. I decided I had awakened
for good around 5 a.m. Melbourne time. No doubt I will sleep well tonight, but
I feel rested enough to make it through whatever the day holds… and no, I’m not
really sure what that is just yet! All I know is I have some bright, brown land
below me and I’ll soon be on it.
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