From O'Hare to Manchester to Chester

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     The airport waiting began at 4:10 pm on Wednesday, January 31^st. O’Hare International Airport is huge but we only saw the international terminal which was disconnected from the main domestic terminals. My mom and dad drove me down and luckily we didn’t hit any bad traffic. I sat in the back watching familiar landscapes and cities rush by. I didn’t honestly believe that I would be in England the next day for several months. It’s one thing to move out into a dorm for the first time and another thing to move to a different country, new school, and no family nearby. I would be completely alone. We dragged the two heavy suitcases through the parking lot and into Terminal 5. I caught sight of the BMI ticketing desk and we maneuvered through the hugely insane line of people waiting to check into Turkish Air. I was amazed that the BMI line wasn’t longer; including us, there was only nine other people in economy waiting. You would think that with a nine-person line that it would move faster but unfortunately BMI’s computer systems were down so they had to input all the information manually which took forever and a day. We finally got out of the check-in line at about five; I didn’t want to go through TSA security right away so we found a table and chilled while dad ate a Chicago Gyro. Finally the time came and I packed everything up and headed to security. I hugged mom and dad and set off on my own adventure.

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     I found Gate 16 easily enough and was surprised to see that there was only two rows of chairs to sit in. I went back to the gift shop and bought a bottle of water for on the plane. After a quick bathroom break I boarded the plane. I think that because the computer systems were down that I did not get the seat Kelli originally told me I would have. I was in the way back of the plane row 39, seat D. I was in the middle aisle again. But since the flight was so light, I had three seats to myself. We waited a half an hour for ten more people to board and we finally had liftoff at seven. The flight went really great; BMI is the only way to travel. The flight crew started off by going up and down the rows to hand out these little complimentary bags that included a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, and an eyemask in addition to the pillow and blanket already waiting for every passenger. I relaxed a bit and looked over through the windows to see Chicago beautifully illuminated like an electric cornfield.

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     The Voyager entertainment system confused me as did the passenger remote. Wouldn’t you know it, I messed up my screen and it froze. I started pressing buttons trying to fix it and didn’t realize that I hit the stewardess call. A stewardess came by and told me that she will reset the system for me. The only thing I didn’t like about BMI is that you cannot watch individual movies—they are all on a timer and as soon as they start, you should know what you’re watching otherwise you’ll miss the first few minutes.  Dinner came by and I was tempted to get some pasta puttenesca and a Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Brownie Fudge ice cream, then tried to sleep.

     It was the kind of sleep that your brain is awake but your eyes are tired and closed. I wasn’t very comfortable, even with three seats, but I did my best. I got up a couple of times and walked to the bathroom. The crew rudely turned on the cabin lights about one hour before we landed to serve us breakfast. I wasn’t hungry and didn’t get anything. I had to take another Dramamine to fight off motion sickness. The last few minutes were the most excruciating but we landed right at eight in the morning in Manchester. We got off the plane and went to customs.  I went down and collected my suitcasees and headed to the nearest bathroom. I changed into some clean clothes and went to wash my face up but the water literally burned my hand. In no way did the water ever turn cold. I trudged through the “Nothing to Claim” doors and found my way out into the airport. I headed to the nearest bathroom and thankfully the water was both cold and hot. After cleaning up a bit I headed off to the store to buy two Sprites for two pounds. After deliberating for a few minutes I asked the information guy about taxi’s and trains to Chester. He suggested doing a train but I was so tired and woozy that I just wanted to have the ease of a personal taxi. I called the B & B to confirm my reservation and went outside to get a taxi.       The Chester House B & B was a nice little place, clean, the breakfast room was quite nice and the proprietor said that since I had a pretty face I could stay in the double room for the price of the single room! After a long and haggard journey, I was so thankful. We lugged my luggage up a flight of stairs and I got my room—5. It was quite spacious and clean. I checked everything out but couldn’t figure out how to turn on the TV or the lights by the bed. I was so tired and dizzy I changed into my pj’s and, not heeding my own or Rick Steves’s advice, went to bed. It was literally the only thing I could do; the ground felt like it was coming up to my knees and I could barely stand. All I knew was that I wouldn’t be going out right away for food. The maid woke me up after a few hours to give me the bath mat and I originally thought that I would get up, get dressed and head out into the city, but I was still so tired that I went back to bed. I work at about seven at night and took a shower. I couldn’t connect to the internet and I felt bad about not being able to let mom and dad know that I was alright. I took a vitamin, a sleeping pill and watched Happy Gilmore till I fell asleep again.