The flight from San Francisco was supposed to be a long one. We had dreaded it not because we are nervous flyers. Oh, no... We were to embark an aircraft for an extended period of time with a lively toddler strapped into a car seat strapped into a seat. And we were those people (well, at least I was that person) who made snide comments, sighed audibly and rolled her eyes without shame on our many plane trips before when other people's kids went ballistic.
Thus it was the vicarious trauma of having experienced the youngsters-turned-travelers-turned-devils in the past mixed with my own sense of shame that accompanied me (and believe me, I generously shared its company with Eric) to the airport on March 28th, 2008.
On a serious note too, the whole idea of leaving my home, family and friends (yet again) and starting a new life in a foreign country (yet again) surrounded by strangers (yet again) with an odd accent... well, let's just say, I was in a state of emotional discomfort.
We had armed ourselves with a variety of toys, books, and gadgets that we thought might keep E's attention for a few dear moments during our sleepless, restless flight. We had also purchased a bottle of Q-Dryl but in the end I felt too guilty to use it.
Well, to make a long story short: E fell asleep within an hour after the plane took off (after he had his bottle) and woke up a couple hours before we landed and then he flirted with the flight attendants. Eric enjoyed a couple movies and then slept soundly as well and so did Carol, Eric's Mom who was coming to help us settle in in Auckland. I, on the other hand, had a difficult time to come down from my anxiety-driven high and was unable to sleep. I was also very distrustful and suspicious of the seeming tranquility that emanated from our son's end of the row.
After this shockingly smooth flight experience, we arrived in Auckland. Here are a few pics of us taken at the airport.
Thus it was the vicarious trauma of having experienced the youngsters-turned-travelers-turned-devils in the past mixed with my own sense of shame that accompanied me (and believe me, I generously shared its company with Eric) to the airport on March 28th, 2008.
On a serious note too, the whole idea of leaving my home, family and friends (yet again) and starting a new life in a foreign country (yet again) surrounded by strangers (yet again) with an odd accent... well, let's just say, I was in a state of emotional discomfort.
We had armed ourselves with a variety of toys, books, and gadgets that we thought might keep E's attention for a few dear moments during our sleepless, restless flight. We had also purchased a bottle of Q-Dryl but in the end I felt too guilty to use it.
Well, to make a long story short: E fell asleep within an hour after the plane took off (after he had his bottle) and woke up a couple hours before we landed and then he flirted with the flight attendants. Eric enjoyed a couple movies and then slept soundly as well and so did Carol, Eric's Mom who was coming to help us settle in in Auckland. I, on the other hand, had a difficult time to come down from my anxiety-driven high and was unable to sleep. I was also very distrustful and suspicious of the seeming tranquility that emanated from our son's end of the row.
After this shockingly smooth flight experience, we arrived in Auckland. Here are a few pics of us taken at the airport.
Some of us had more fun,
more energy, obviously,
and all the patience and curiosity in the world...
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