On Time Travel

Well--I'm here!

After 34 hours of waiting, sitting, sleeping, waiting, watching, standing, waiting, taking off and landing, I think it's pretty easy to assume that there's no going back now. It amazes me that such a journey can end on the other side of the world, where things are really sorta how they are everywhere.

Except with more motorbikes. Lord, the motorbikes.

And also: decent and free in-flight meals. Complimentary meals have been saving me these last couple of days, where I otherwise would have no other recourse but to submit to airport prices. In China, a 16 oz bottle of water calculates to roughly $5.25. I spent $19 earlier today on water and an iced latte. I wasn't even in a swanky joint--though I think there was a celebrity of sorts sitting at a table next to me, judging by the bashful approach of a waitress with a piece of paper followed by unabashed glee.

But, that's airports for you. Something about cornering a market?

Fundamentally, I am exhausted. But it's only 7:30 PM Saigon-time, and I am challenging myself to stay awake until a socially acceptable time to sleep, in the hopes that I can get myself on an adjusted schedule. I began this little experiment in beating jet-lag before it even began--on the red-eye from LA to Guangzhou. It was a 13.5 hour flight, and I slept/sat/watched Due Date for most of it. That is, the part that wasn't interrupted by a toddler screaming bloody murder, because of course there was a toddler screaming bloody murder. Poor guy. I'll bet he just wanted to go outside, hardly understanding what was happening to him.

The flight itself was interesting in as much as I set off at 11:30 Tues. evening, and when I landed, in was 4:55 Thursday morning. Wednesday never happened for me. I explained this to a colleague shortly after purchasing my ticket, to which she replied rather whimsically, "Where does that day go?"

I told her it was as close to time travel as we mortals get.

All of my emails sent today have had some sort of joke revolving around this. But I think it's an interesting concept. I mean, I didn't actually lose a day (it's all the same fucking day maaaaan), but it's a fun thing to think about. The International Date Line is the only thing reality has to a nuclear DeLorean or a magic phone booth.

So, we'll see whether or not these little plans for beating jet-lag work or not. For now, I think it's time to listen to the rain on the roof next door (there is literally a roof right outside my window) and wake up tomorrow with hopefully enough mental and physical wherewithal to, I dunno, buy a phone? Open a bank account? These sound like things responsible adults do.

I did however purchase a pack of cigarettes earlier this evening for about $1.26, which nicely offsets my $14 latte earlier, except for the health implications. There are always those.

And now for a bit of business: I'll be starting my observations with the school I'm working for, SEAMEO RETRAC this coming Monday. I don't know yet exactly what my classes will look like--that is, what age group I will be teaching. But I am looking forward to it nonetheless.

Here's to three-day weekends.