8:00 p.m.: After a riveting game of Monopoly Deal, we heard over the loudspeaker, “We will now begin boarding!” Having sufficiently bonded with our new friends, we made our way onto the plane! This part was so exciting! My first time boarding an international flight! As I walked through the jet bridge, I realized that I need to be playing my main character playlist immediately. It was only fitting! I reached up towards my neck to put my headphones over my ears…and they weren’t there. Oh. No. Unfortunately for me, I had left my headphones on the floor where we were sitting. This is when the panic set in. How would I be able to entertain myself on my flight? How will I operate in Ireland without my music? What do I do know?? I decided I needed to go back and get them, or at least try. I turned myself around and hurried back to tell my sob story to the person working at the desk. After filling her in, she allowed me to go retrieve my headphones from where I left them while she held on to my passport. Then, I was able to walk onto the plane listening to Djo’s End of Beginning to leave the Chicago airport. After that, I was able to find my seat next to Reese and we got all buckled and ready for take off!
9:00 p.m.: No, we still hadn’t taken off. The pilot came on the intercom and told us that the wings had too much ice on them to take off in that moment, but that a deicer truck was coming to spray the wings down so we could leave as soon as possible.
9:40 p.m.: As we watched the truck spray down the wings to get rid of the ice, Adam, in his fancy window seat, noticed that it looked like the water was just freezing on the wings too! Like the wise man he is, he informed the flight attendant that the wing out of his window was still covered in ice. Then, the pilot came to investigate (pictured).
10:00 p.m.: After some deicing, deliberating, and delicious snacks, the plane took off towards Dublin!
10:00 a.m. (Dublin time): We had arrived in Dublin! After going through customs and getting our bags, our group was able to share a taxi to our accommodation where a member of IES Abroad staff was waiting for us to help us get all settled. This eased a lot of anxiety because we were able to figure everything out as a group. Now that I have completed my dramatic telling of my travel day, here are some overall tips I have after my first international flight:
-Meet other IES Abroad people at the airport! Having someone to travel with makes everything so much less stressful
-Bring a game to break the ice with your new friends
-Keep track of your headphones
-Eat the Penn State pretzels they give to you on the plane (trust me!)
-Ask for orange juice on the plane (you won’t regret it)
Kylie Klassen
I am from Mesa, Arizona and am a third-year at Grinnell College studying English and Anthropology with a concentration in Peace and Conflict Studies. I come from a big family of 6 people and four pets. I run cross country and track and field.
