Harlaxton Day 1: Flights

By: Drew Aubry

We started our long journey at the airport. Our parents helped to check us all in and see us off for the trip. It was sad to say goodbye, but exciting to be starting our study abroad experience. We made our way through security and then to our gate. Since we were around an hour early, many of us played card games, went and found food, or began working on some last minute assignments from the summer. The hour passed quickly, though and before we knew it, we were boarding our first flight to Atlanta International Airport.

Once we got there, we rode the tram to the other end of the airport to our new gate. Inside the airport proper, there were stores of all sorts and restaurants everywhere. It almost felt like a shopping mall. When I first set foot in that plane, I quickly realized that it was the biggest one I had ever been on. It felt like the cabin went on forever. I found my seat and was overwhelmed by the things I found there. Immediately, there was a pillow and blanket waiting for me in the chair (I honestly thought I wouldn’t use it until about hour three out of the eight). I also found international plugs for various electronics, a USB jack, a headphone jack, a touch screen loaded with everything you could imagine (games, movies, music, and more). While we were waiting for takeoff, the flight attendants came to pass around menus for dinner, complimentary headphones, and eye masks with earplugs. Before we even began to take off, all of us were locked in an intense game of multiplayer bingo (for anyone wondering, Trivan won our first round).

After that, we were all talking to each other, playing games, or starting movies. We continued to catch up from the long summer apart until it got dark outside. Some of us slept, most of us didn’t, and almost none of us slept for more than a few hours at most. Before it got dark, though, dinner was served. There isn’t much to say about it, other than it was a warm meal for a bunch of hungry teenagers. After dinner, they handed out water bottles and came by with the drink cart often throughout the flight. Breakfast was served to us around an hour before we landed. If you ordered a special meal, it was a hot breakfast. If you didn’t, it was yogurt, a muffin, and orange juice. Not bad quality at all.

Coming off of the flight into customs/immigration was amazing after sitting on a plane for that many hours. It was packed and we took an hour and a half to get through. We made jokes with each other in line and when you got to the counter they asked questions like “Why are you in England?” and “How long will you be staying?” After we were all through, we collected our luggage and without further delay, were off into the world of London!