A Night in Newark

Not quite as nice or as awe-inspiring as a night in… well, anywhere else in the world, for that matter. But it happened nonetheless.

I was picked up at 6:00am Wednesday morning (August 25th) by my mom’s friend’s friend. She gave me a ride to the airport…. My parents were away on a trip that they had planned before they knew my departure date and.. well, you know. *sniffs and cries*

I kid. It’s ok that they weren’t there. My parents more than made up for their absence by calling me twice a day every day since I got here. And in case they are reading this – I love you, mom!

Hehe. Anyway. So. Newark.

I rushed out, worried that the hour and a half drive to the Newark airport would be filled with malicious drivers, intent on keeping me in the United States. Fortunately, the roads were relatively clear, and I made it to the Newark Airport without a problem.

I got in. Made it through security after TSA performed an explosives check on my backpack, wondered why there are pigeons flying around in an airport, and sat down.

Two hours passed. I got on the plane. Sat down. And here’s where things started to fall apart.

A mechanical problem held us in the plane for about two hours. They checked things out… then informed us that we should get off an board another plane. We moved to another terminal, waited, and boarded another plane.

In we went.
And there we waited.
Four hours passed… until, at last, we got an announcement:

“Sorry. Because the pilot has been working for X hours, it is illegal for him to fly the 15 hour flight to China. This flight will be delayed for the day.”

A collective groan circulated the plane. Out we went.

A wait at a long customer service line resulted in a hotel voucher and two free meal vouchers. Yes. There were loads and loads of lines. Interestingly, all the way over in little Newark, New Jersey, I had my first clash with Chinese culture before I even left US soil.

(I am, for the moment, disregarding the fact that I’ve lived with both American and Chinese cultures my entire life.)

What am I talking about?
Lines, dude! LINES!!!!

Most of the people flying to China were, naturally, Chinese travelers returning home. And they absolutely ignored the flight attendant’s calls for “Zone 1,” “Zone 2,” or “Zone 3” passengers. The first line to board the plane was insane. Everyone just crowded around the entrance, trying to push their way through.

The line onto the second plane, the flight attendant actually yelled at everyone. She screamed. If I did not call you to board the plane, you will sit down and wait! She sounded scary… but she managed to get everyone to calm down.

That night, I spent some time at a little hotel in Newark, New Jersey. The good news? I managed to find four other people who happened to be in the same program that I was (CIEE) going abroad to teach English in China. It wasn’t hard to spot the other American teachers… though they might have had a hard time spotting me.

We had dinner together. (My last meal in the US? A giant medium-rare cheeseburger.)

Then, finally, back to the airport at 3:00am in the morning. EVERYONE at that hotel (nearly 300 people) would be trying to make the same flight that we were… so we played it safe and left early.

At the airport, my bag got checked again. This time, they wanted to know what that big metal disc in my backpack was. I pulled it out, showed them a giant quarter, and explained to the TSA agents that I was a magician while they resisted the urge to giggle.

(“Empty your pockets. Take out your cell phone, your belt, and any change that you might have…”
*takes out a GIANT quarter*
*stares*)

And on into the airport!

After a night in beautiful Newark, New Jersey, we were off at last to Shanghai!