Harlaxton Day 22: The Flight(s) Home

Wow, it’s all over.

21 days filled with amazing experiences such as exploring the amazing city of London, learning English, and ordering late-night takeout has finally come to an end.

Today at 4 AM, all 49 of us finished packing the last bits of our luggage and dragged our suitcases downstairs. We loaded them onto a coach, had a bit of conversation for 15 minutes, and then fell asleep for the next 3 hours. When we woke up, we had arrived at the Manchester airport. After checking in our bags, eating a meal, and waiting for another hour, we boarded an 8-hour flight to Atlanta.

During the plane ride, we students mainly tried to relax by enjoying movies and by getting some much-needed sleep, but there was an interesting event that went on in the plane. A flight attendant said there would be a prize for the passenger who guesses the combined ages of the crew. This was just a lighthearted event trying to spice up the flight, but some people furiously tried to win. However, Paul Portmann, a fellow student, just threw his hands up in the air and guessed a random number. But, when the results were announced, we were all surprised to learn that his guess ended up being only 1 year from the correct answer! For this, he won a prize. The prize, funnily enough, was a bottle of wine. Paul, of course, couldn’t accept it since he is only 17, so he settled for some chocolates.

The rest of the day wasn’t nearly as eventful. After touching down in Atlanta, we dragged our weary bodies from the plane, picked up our luggage, and waited for our next flight to Louisville. On this flight, most of us slept or listened to music, as it was only 50 minutes. When we got off, we picked up our luggage and greeted our families. We said our goodbyes to our friends, still wanting to spend more time with them in England, but also ready to go home.

Rithik