My summer experience began long before I reached the ground in Aurangabad-- even as I was waiting t board the flight in Atlanta, I was already meeting new and interesting people. As I was eagerly awaiting my endless journey, staring up at the pristine building that seemed built especially for me, I was introduced to Nameer, a professional tennis player from Pakistan. He too was on his way to Dubai, and then eventually to his home. Both of us made a deal that neither of us would fall asleep during the fourteen hour flight! Sadly, I drifted of once or twice, but for the better part of what seemed like eternity, I stared bleary-eyed at the screen in front of me, watching four movie and two tv episodes throughout the journey.
Dubai was a beautiful city to see at night; I only wish I could have seen it in the daytime as well. I glimpsed the Burj Kalifa off in the distance, standing leaps and bounds above anything else. I ran through airport to find my gate-- but only after I had gotten lost twice and been stuck in line for an hour. I panted as I handed the man at the desk my ticket, and he giggled, as I was not even late! This trip was only three hours, a meager hop compared to the trek of the last day. God is very good to me, as the gentleman sitting next to me helped me through the process of getting through customs. Without him, I might still be stuck in Mumbai! I was gloomy as I had to wave goodbye to the first friend I had made, but I have his card and an invitation to dinner with him and his wife!
Getting from customs in Mumbai to the tarmac in Aurangabad was another story entirely. Once through customs, I had to check in for my transfer ticket. Like at almost every other security stop, the guards took time out of both of our busy lives to mess with my pillow pet! I guess at least that means I’m innocent in their eyes. I am in India during the rainy season, so the airport set up a bus system to take us to the other half of the airport for domestic flights. Still, it was quite an experience to outside on the tarmac around the cargo area in order to reach the front doors.
After a few hours’ wait, I was called to board my next flight, only this time the busses picked us up and dropped us off next to our aircraft, right in the middle of the asphalt. I felt like a dignitary as I walked up the steps into the hull, only to find that my ticket was for a first-class seat with no extra charge! This final jump over the land was less than an hour, and the airport w arrived at was so small that there was no terminal...we just hopped off and we were at the exit door. After 36 hours straight of no sleep, I was somewhat inarticulate when I met my host family and gawked out the window during the 45 minute journey home. To my happy surprise, my family lives on the ‘colony’-- a community located right next to the office-- complete with a gym, a beautiful view, and security guards everywhere.
While Jalna is definitely not what I expected, the journey here was more than enough excitement for me!
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