I'm here!

I will try to get this posted before my computer runs out of juice. I'm at the orientation hotel (the only place with wireless, or anything) so far. Also, Blogger is in Arabic, so hopefully this is correct.

We left Dulles at 7 pm and got in to Heathrow about 7 am. It was rather amusing. We didn't go to a gate, but more like a parking lot. We walked down these tube stairs and got on buses to get to the terminal. Then we had to change terminals. I didn't realize that meant going through another level of security – I ended up having to ditch my unopened bottle of water from DC. I also set off the metal detector. Not sure why – I always go fine through the US ones. After I set it off, a security woman, youngish, asked if she could search me. Then she gently patted me down, talking to me the entire time: how are you today, having a good trip, yada yada yada. That's seems a bit different from US security.

I was fairly impressed with British Airways. They are constantly trying to feed you! I mean, we took off from DC at 7 pm. Seven pm! They gave us a snack and a drink (the snack was salsa flavored pretzel bits and I actually liked them! I hate pretzels). After they picked up trash, they started serving dinner! I got the chicken, which was cut up bits of chicken with mashed potatoes, carrots, a few pea-like things, and gravy. It came with spring water, but when they gave us our snack we had the option of getting a small bottle of wine then. I also found that amusing since many of our group are undergrads, some pretty young.

Frank – a special announcement for you and my parents. I think I ate cheesecake! The desert smelled like cheese, but tasted like lemon, and it had a graham cracker crust. And it was delicious! (Frank has spent the last 10 years trying to acclimatize me to cheese – I'm not very fond of it.)

So we had a snack, then supper. After supper they bring tea and coffee around. Real tea in a teapot, not a little bag and hot water. Then, a few hours later we get breakfast. A box with croissant, jam, juice, etc. in it. And then another hour and it's time to land.

The same thing happened on our trip from Heathrow to Muscat. Snack (salsa-flavored pretzel bits), then supper – this time I had the option of Lamb Machbous, which I took! It was sort of Indian, I think. And very very yummy!