My actual trip to Ankara was the longest trip ever! I flew from Syracuse to Washington DC- Dulles. There I hung out in the airport waiting for my next flight. I flew stand-by and it doesn’t always guarantee you a spot on the flight, but there were three flights out of Dulles that night, so I thought I was a shoe in. All three flights came and went and I was left in the airport. Every flight was overbooked, so I was out of luck. Not to worry though, Kara lives outside DC and I was confirmed on a flight the next day. It was really nice to catch up with her and after such a long weekend at Colgate, it was nice to sleep in with no disruptions. I met Kara for lunch the next day in the Senate Café. I saw the ins and outs of the US government by observing the making of the office holiday video. My tax dollars are hard at work!
Then, I was off to the airport again. I flew in business class to Amsterdam. It was the best flying experience ever! My chair reclined with a foot rest so I could lie almost flat. It also had a button for Lombard support, a personal television, a kit with socks and an eye mask, and much much more. I landed in Amsterdam in the morning then had a seven and a half hour layover! Flew to Istanbul, thought I was going to miss my connection to Ankara, but made it through customs very quickly. Finally at 9pm on Saturday the 12th I landed in Ankara. My stick was lost in Istanbul, and it was an interesting interaction explaining to the baggage people, in English, what a hockey stick was. I drew a picture and gave them my e-mail address because I didn’t have a number.
After that, I went outside to the waiting area and no one was to be found. I waited around, tried to connect to the internet but my computer was dead, so I started walking around. As I walked to the domestic arrivals, I saw someone waving to me. It was Brittany! Our team president, his friend, Brittany, and Tyler came to the airport to pick me up. It was a long ride home into the sprawling city of Ankara.
Once at the apartment, I met my other roommates, Dmitri and Andre. They are both from Ukraine and playing on our club’s men’s team. I met them, then headed over to the rink. Mind you, it was late now, around midnight, but the rink was bustling. I’ve never seen a rink so popping on a Saturday night. I e-mailed home, to let my beloved family know that I am well and safe.
Back at the apartment was another story. Brittany and Tyler had discovered a mold problem in their room the day before I arrived, therefore were sleeping in living room. Just so happens, that is where I would be staying on the couch until we were all moved to another apartment. So it was one big sleepover; what a great welcome to Turkey!
How many nights will this sleepover endure?
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