May 22, 2011 (Australia time)
I sit here on Anna’s back patio by the pool in Peregian Beach, Queensland, Australia and am amazed that I am actually here. The last 24 hours seem like a surreal dream that I can’t quite wrap my head around as yet. I figure I better write down what I can think of now or it will all be lost. Perhaps it would be better that way!
The trip to S.C. on Thursday was uneventful and we had a great dinner at El Matador with Mother and Hal, then back to the house to get mother to help me repack the bags. Biggest mistake I now know that I made (and which is warned not to do) was that I overpacked the carry on’s. I was so intent on having plenty to do to occupy all of those hours of flight. Who knew that there would be no time to do anything but hold on, sleep if you could, and pray it would all be over soon.
I wasn’t nervous or upset at all until I went to say goodbye to Maya. My walls just crumbled and I started crying like a baby. Yes, I will miss my dog but I think that little bit of sadness about leaving her was just an excuse for my body to let go of all the tension. But I had no time to let my body have its way, so I sucked it up and got moving.
Made it to Atlanta and checked in our bags and breezed through security checkpoint with no pat-downs or other such dramas. Then we ate some dinner, drank a beer, and sat back to wait to board the plane. Boarding was to begin at 5:00 but that didn’t happen because the flight was overbooked. They called for 7 people to give up their seats. We couldn’t do it because we had a plane to catch in Los Angeles to Australia. Then they pushed the flight back to 6:30 (rather than 5:30) because of weather in L.A. All the L.A. people were on their cell phones calling friends and family in L.A. who assured them the weather was beautiful in L.A. We were a bit annoyed.
We finally got to board and the plane was ready to take off at 6:30. The pilot told us there was bad weather over Oklahoma and so planes to California were being rerouted through Texas to avoid the worst of the weather and that is why we were taking off late. It ended up being after 7 pm before we took off.
The plane had 3 rows of seats – two on each side and 3 down the middle. We were seated in the middle which meant I was in a middle seat with Enzo on one side and a Vietnamese young man on the other. This young man was kind enough to give up his window seat to a little 5 year old Chinese boy who was traveling with his mother and 3 year old mother. This kid was glued to that window the whole flight….never showed an ounce of fear. I bet he grows up to be a pilot some day. Anyway the Vietnamese guy was probably 18 or 20 and sat the whole trip with his hoody on and his Ipod going. I don’t know if he was scared…honestly, I never saw his face. Strange boy.
The take off was a little rough and put me on edge but I quickly got used to all the little normal turbulence bumps. Once we neared Baton Rouge though the pilot put on the seat belt signs and told us we were going to have a bit of a rough ride for about 10 minutes. It turned out to be a rough ride for closer to an hour. I was hating everyone who talked me into this trip at that time. I kept my eyes closed and prayed really hard and otherwise forced myself to not lose it entirely and make an ass out of myself in front of my husband and 300 other people.
We got very little sleep. We were so cramped in that it was impossible to move hardly at all. Forget watching the tv or a movie or reading. First of all, the tv wasn’t working…stewards apologized for that. It was nearing 10 pm to me but it was still light outside, so I put on my headphones and mask and attempted to sleep in tiny 5 minutes increments. It was a nightmare.
Somewhere along the way Enzo realized that Delta had only booked our bags to L.A. and not to the Brisbane flight. When we finally landed in L.A., it was nearing midnight by our brains and we had to race to baggage claim to retrieve our bags, then rush outside to find a bus to take us to the International terminal to catch our Virgin Australia flight. The bus driver let us off at Virgin America and we ended up dragging all our luggage and carry-on’s for what seemed like miles before we finally found Virgin Australia. We were both exhausted.
Virgin Australia was so wonderful. The Aussies manning the check in were so nice and so understanding and so extremely helpful. They made us feel so much better right away. We again breezed through security, got a hot chocolate and muffin and settled down to wait for our flight. I was so tired by boarding (about 3 am to my brain) that I just wanted to cry. Walking towards that plane took an extreme act of will for me…after the Delta flight I wanted nothing to do with another airplane; especially one that I knew I was going to be on for almost 14 hours.
Again we were seated in the middle and it was cramped. The Aussies ran the plane on Australian time…I have no idea why…perhaps to acclimate us right away to Australian time. I just wanted to sleep but there was dinner served and then coffee and tea and biscuits. I forced myself to eat a couple of bites of rice and peas and drank the coffee but honestly it was impossible to eat stuck between two people and exhausted out of my mind. Enzo ate all of his though. I really don’t know how he got through all of it because the man never complains about anything. I wish I could be more like him; I really do.
We slept off and on. It was a strange type of sleep, that kind of sleep just before slipping into deep sleep…lucid sleeping I suppose you would call it. You sleep a little, watch tv a little, sleep a little, play a game a little, sleep a little, take a walk to the bathroom, sleep a little more. The flight was perfect…one tiny patch of turbulence but not bad at all. If you could assure me that all flights would be like that, I would fly anywhere you want at any time. Better seats though….
The hours took forever it seemed. I thought it would never ever end. Touching down in Brisbane was the most incredible feeling. But you know my stomach does flip-flops every time I think of having to do it all again for the return flight.
Enzo’s brother, Robert and sister, Jimina picked us up at the airport. Queensland looks so much like South Florida that I really didn’t feel like I was in another country. I spent the ride on the lookout for kangaroos, but I haven’t seen one yet. We had a nice drive through Redcliffe and then went to Robert’s house for coffee where I met Robert’s wife, Tricia. I feel right at home with my new in-laws…they are all so nice.
Then we went to Anna’s house, (Enzo’s mother) and she made breakfast. Jimina brought her girls over and I enjoyed finally meeting them in person. Enzo’s other brother Tony and his wife, Adrianne and daughter came over after breakfast for a few minutes. So I have met all of the Silvestri’s except Enzo’s older brother, Mario and his wife and kids. Then there all the nieces and nephews to meet.
Enzo is passed out in front of the tv now and I am going to lay down for a bit. It is midnight still to my brain but it is 2 pm Sunday afternoon here in Australia. So, just a short nap and then back up for the evening.
A poem
Memorial for Aussie War Veterans 
