The excitement of the next destination, the timeless universe, or the multi-cultural slash lingual environment fascinates me in many ways about airports around the world. Passengers seem to be in a standstill in the time gap which freezes life only to begin again at full speed once boarding occurs. However, it seems to continue for the regular business person or the airport employees or the one’s with children. For a single woman who has only the priority of getting to her destination in one piece, time is nil. It’s completely fine if you get a beer at five o’clock in the morning because you’re on the outskirts of reality. It’s okay if you go to sleep on the floor or those connected chairs because there, in the multiverse melting pot, general sleeping habits have disappeared. I tend to bring a few things to do (laptop, journal, book, etc) but I always tend to people watch, listen to music, get a snack and find a nice big window to watch the planes come in and out.
Also, finding out that I have a longer layover is like Christmas because I enjoy meandering towards my gate and seeing what the airport has to offer. I was recently at Portland International Airport and on my way to my gate, I came across a coffee stand called Stumptown Coffee Roasters. Naturally being in Portland, I had to try it and I had also been up since three o’clock in the morning Chicago time. Do I have to justify getting a cup of joe? I had the Woodblock Mocha made with Woodblock chocolate and locally roasted coffee beans from Stumptown and I also purchased a chocolate croissant. Needless to say, it was delicious and if I ever get the chance to go back, I’ll go. Give me all the choco-latte!
Maybe it was growing up around strangers from around the world or getting my degree in Linguistics or going to a new destination that intrigues me about airports and the multicultural time warp that they are, but no matter what it is, I feel comfortable there. I feel extremely lucky growing up with exchange students and being an exchange student because as an adult, I’m more appreciative and more curious of cultures and languages. I hope that more people from this side of the world will travel and experience these incredible cultures. Get out there!
Audere est Facere.
Audere est Facere 