Getting There

February 11, 2011, 7:01 p.m./February 12, 2011, 2:01 a.m.

I’m about 2 hours into my 7 or 8 hour flight from Chicago to Madrid. Thus far, I’ve read the Iberia Airlines magazine and the Chicago Tribune. I’ve also dined on some sort of Spanish chicken dish with mushrooms. It was hot and filling. I don’t know that I’d call it tasty. The mashed potatoes, however, were amazing. I don’t know why but I LOVE instant mashed potatoes. I’ll eat regular mashed potatoes but if they’re not with chicken or fried chicken gravy, I only consider them mediocre. Instant mashed potatoes, however, I love with or sans gravy. The dessert was also really good. I don’t know what it was, something with a buttery crust, a creamy layer, and some strawberry goo on top. I’m sure it was full of lots of preservatives and such but it was darn good.

My flight is on Iberia, a Spanish airline. It appears that all the flight attendants are Spaniards and everything is said first in Spanish and then in English. I can already tell that listening comprehension is going to be an issue for me. As I listened to the pre-flight instructions and watched the closed captions on the TV, I couldn’t believe how fast they could read. Holy smokes. It’s like I’m recalling a word and by the time I finish, they’ve said 100 other words. This is going to be pretty challenging.

While reading in the Chicago Tribune about Mubarak and Egypt, it remind me of the hell raising we KVTA members did on the front lawn of the KV School Corporation. I remember, at one point, being inside a board meeting, sitting on a table in the back, only one of three teachers that made it in before they cut off the number of people coming in. Outside were 200 people who wanted to get in but were denied entry. They kept cars on the highway honking and did sporadic chants. They also kept protest signs pressed against the door of the board room. At various points during the meeting, a certain school board member insinuated that the reason it was hard to hear board members was not because they barely speak above a whisper but rather all the noise being made outside. I considered that moment a victory. Fine, if you don’t want to listen to us at the bargaining table, we’ll just make sure a whole bunch of people show up and make noise that you cannot ignore. By the end of the night, of course, the local, county, and state police were called in for back up and I, as union president, was told by an officer that the superintendent told him that we were prone to violence. Seriously? Teachers? You’ve never met a more rule-abiding group than teachers, especially at the lower grade levels. It was a good time, though, and I’m sure we’ll be telling stories about it for years. Hooray for civil disobedience, especially when those in power are not getting the message. Kudos to the Egyptians and kudos to the KVTA!

February 11, 2011, 10:58 p.m./February 12, 2011, 5:58 a.m.

For about 2 hours I tried to sleep. I put in the ear plugs. I removed my contacts and put on a sleeping mask. No luck. Why? Because the three 18 year old girls behind me have not shut up the entire 6 hours we’ve been on this flight so far. Who can talk to 6 hours in such loud voices? The ear plugs muffle it to a normal volume but it’s still annoying. I thought maybe they would eventually zip it up. After 11 years with high school students, I should have known better. They have now turned the lights back on in the cabin and have begun serving breakfast. I guess the chance for sleeping is over. Oh well. Maybe I can sleep on the bus to Granada. That’s about 4 hours from now and lasts 5-6 hours. Or maybe I’ll close up this laptop, turn around, and clock una chica upside the head with it. I can’t wait to climb in a bed!

February 12, 2011 1:52/8:52 a.m.

I am now sitting at the Madrid Aeropuerto waiting for my bus to Granada. It leaves at 10:30 a.m. so I still have about an hour and a half wait. So far this trip has involved a lot of sitting and waiting. For some reason, all the sitting is exhausting. Well that or it’s 2 a.m. according to my body and thus I’m tired. The Madrid aeropuerto seems to be fairly new. I would say the design and materials are very modern. The ceiling in the terminal was a very interesting wave pattern and, I believe, has trumped even Denver’s Big Top Circus Airport. We arrived slightly ahead of schedule, around 7:30 a.m. and it was still pitch black outside. Customs was a breeze which was something I was really worried about. Before scheduling my studies, there was some confusion regarding how long I could be here without a visa. Last week, I discovered the real regulations and let’s just say that I may end up being slightly out of compliance. To say it another way, come June I might be deported. I’m planning, however, to apply for a visa ASAP so that I will not be an undocumented immigrant.

Besides being dark outside at 7:30 a.m., the airport was dead. And by dead I mean no one waiting at a single terminal. There were two flights arriving and that was it. I’ve been to airports in the States as early as 5:00 a.m. and they were hopping. This place was like a ghost town. Very interesting. I will have to investigate this further.

Note to Kev – Tell the KV kids to nab the pillows and blankets off the plane when departing. When I was in Italy, I used my flight pillow and blanket when snoozing on the bus. Also, they will probably have you fill out a paper, during the flight, to present when going through customs. It requires an address of where you’re going to be. Make sure the kids have the address of a hotel in Italy as well as the flight number and airline (going there and coming home). Maybe that is something you want to print out on colored paper so they can find it quickly. Also tell them to not be obnoxious on the plane because it will really piss off the person in front of them who is trying to sleep.