Sunday, 9/25/05
8:25 p.m. ORD to LAX
Spent the hour-long
takeoff delay with a Bears fan, trying to forget the loss with leftover beer
buzz. This alcoholic stupor apparently
causes temporary deafness; he clearly had no realization of other passengers
who do not particularly care for hair-raising tales of his retired parents, nor
do we care for his shouts of, “Are we there yet?”
Overall an
interesting fellow. Had been a teacher
for 22 years and now teaching 4th grade. My pains proved fruitful because he told a story
that was quite endearing: A class assignment called for making poster boards of
living things. Students came into class
with leaves or assorted array of insects glued to their boards. As the day progressed, a student in the back commented
that something smelled awfully foul. He
then found out that one of his beloved 4th graders stapled in 3
areas, a red snapper onto his board!
Tuesday,
9/27/05. Approaching Taipei’s
Chiang Kai Shek Intl. Airport
There are finger
prints on my window, rhythmically illuminated by the plane’s flashing right
wing lights, like specks of dust only visible when the sun touches them
right. I wonder then, if this is
evidence of persons before me, who also felt compelled to trace Taipei’s streetlights,
flowing like gold script, around hills and mountains hidden by the lingering
shadows of dawn. Taiwan’s
natural beauty never fails to amaze.
The plane pushes
east as the sun rises and with its rays came emerged the vibrant shades of
green, bordering lakes refreshed from midnight’s rest.
6:25 p.m.
Chiang Kai
Shek Airport seems devoid of life in the early hours of
the morning. Its bright lighting
reflects on polished marble floors, marked with the unwelcome brush of all that
is stone. The ultra-modern look of
steel, screens, and humming air conditioners is a stark and ironic contrast to
the life obvious outside the airport windows.
Taipei to Singapore
Making
conversation while serving a meal, a flight attendant asked me, “So are you traveling for vacation
or are you going home?”
The pain of
uprooted-ness which pursued me during the trip then gave me a particularly
nasty pinch. However, the rule has been
that with questions such as this, I usually go with the place I hang my
hat. I took a second to catch my
composure and thought of Chicago
in my heart.
“Singapore,” I replied.
“Oh wow,” he
remarked with wide eyes. “Welcome home.” | 
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