Travelling is not usually something I begrudge or resent, but because of complicated circumstances, I had to sacrifice sleep. That meant
So I showed up to Heathrow Airport, just having recovered from COVID. I’m on a later flight than I was supposed to be; four days later in fact. That’s what happens when you test positive about four days before your study abroad ends– You can’t quarantine in Economy seats, so postponing my flight it was. That didn’t mean I was fully recovered. I was just no longer infectious according to CDC standards. What that meant was I had a sinus pressure headache that felt like my head was a canister full of air 30,000 feet deep and I could hear my blood pumping. It also meant that I was braving Heathrow alone, without my group.
Heathrow Airport, which is internationally being made fun of at the moment for having horrible security and luggage issues. I won’t lie, at the bottom of my list of anxieties was COVID. I was more focused on the string of hope that my luggage would make it to my first connecting flight in Orlando. Not to mention the obvious security lines.
My flight overall was uneventful besides the head pain, which meant I couldn’t sleep at all. Then I had a three hour layover in Orlando that became a 1 hour due to luggage taking forever, then a 2 hour flight to Atlanta with a two hour layover. I’m writing right now from the gate in Atlanta, and I haven’t slept in who knows how long.
Flying, especially when you’re leaving behind something so awesome AND you were just sick, is sort of a bummer. I definitely recommend a direct flight if you think you’re going to be a little depressed leaving your study abroad. Or text your mom for help, it definitely helped my bad mood.
