Better Than I Imagined (Day 14)

Dominic Thiem (5) v. Novak Djokovic (2)

The 2020 Australian Open Men's Final.

I rolled into the Men's Final like it was old hat, like I belonged on the grounds.  It felt right to be there. I could see myself living in Melbourne and working for the tournament or going back as a fan.  I truly hope that this wasn't my one shot to be there.  Out of all of my worldwide travel, Melbourne and the AO are one of the very few places I'd like to go back without reservation. I usually like to go somewhere, experience it, cherish my memories, and then try somewhere new, but I don't want Melbourne to be only in my memory. It's a place and experience that I don't think would be tarnished if I revisited it.  It's not something I want to preserve as it was, but I want to live the tournament again and feel its evolution over time. It was really cool speaking with people throughout the two weeks who had been coming for 10 or 20 years and hearing about all of the changes they've witnessed. I can't help but wonder how my views on the tournament would change if I had been able to go to Rolland Garos, Wimbledon, or the US Open. Would it be as special to me or would another one be even better? It would be so much more convenient if the US Open was my favorite. LOL This wasn't my year to get a Calendar Slam, but hopefully those tournaments are still on my horizon.  

I had so much fun at the Men's Final! It was a real party. I sat next to an Irish couple who lived in Melbourne for many years. They were a blast to chat and cheer with while we watched the match. We had great seats - the first row in the uppers. There's no bad view in Rod Laver, but ours provided us with a good perspective and we were high enough to be able to chat quietly here and there without being disruptive.

We were also sitting around a mass of Djokovic fans, which suited me just fine. Or at least it did until they became pretty obnoxious.  I loved the energy they brought, but some drank a lot and then wanted to always get the last cheer in before the next point started. It frequently delayed the next point and was pretty rude to the Thiem. I didn't like that at all.  I wasn't able to capture a video of when they were being pretty obnoxious because I was more interested in the play about to start, but here's a video of some of the fans around us. 

I was gifted the experience of watching my favorite men's player win after a 4-hour battle. As I mentioned in my post about the semifinals, I was nervous about Thiem's ability to bring it for the final. It didn't take long to realize that he was there to win, not to be satisfied with making it to the finals, and was going to make Djokovic work. Never in the match did I feel like Djokovic was taking a commanding lead or like the title was in the bag. I had a weird faith that he was going to win, but I also knew that assurance came from trying to will it to happen. 

The match was the exact culmination of my entire trip to Australia that I dreamed of.  From the moment I bought my tickets to the moment Djokovic held his championship trophy, I 100% took for granted that he'd win. I assumed from the start that he'd be in that position. There was one match where a little doubt creeped in, but I really never believed that he would lose. It felt fated. As I look back now and I think about how many players were in that tournament, I'm a little shocked that it came together like that for me. It's an incredibly egotistical perspective to take. Nothing in the tournament was done for me as an individual. The way this came together felt like it though. Knowing that this might have been my only shot at seeing these iconic players in person, I wanted so bad to see the tournament I imagined, the one I built up in my head.  It didn't work out that way for me on the women's side. I didn't see most of my favorite female players play before they were eliminated, but the magic came together on the men's side.  It was better than I ever could have imagined.  You can hear my excitement after match point was played in the video below.

With the conclusion of the tournament, my time in Australia came to an end. The next morning I boarded a plane for Malaysia. I was excited about what was to come, but really didn't want to leave Australia yet. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 13)

Sofia Kenin (14) v. Garbine Muguruza

The 2020 Australian Open Women's Final. 

The Women's Final.

I still kind of can't believe that I can say that I've actually been to the Australian Open Women's Final. And that I sat in a player's box. For the final. It's insane. 

I'm glad that I have the time to sit down and write about what the night was like and how I felt, but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do it justice writing about it now instead of right when I got back to my temporary apartment or the next morning.  I was worried that I would lose the essence of what I really wanted to remember about my time in Melbourne if I didn't do it immediately. I'm sure that some temporal things are lost, but I think there's been value to me waiting to write about it because now I have the ability to step outside of the sheer excitement of the moment to recognize how privileged and unique it really was.  I'm not sure I could have done that in the same way if I reflected on it back in early February.  There were a ton of matches I didn't see, premium seats I didn't sit in, and suites I didn't have access too, but most of those things are things that I could have done if I had a few thousand dollars more to spend. What made my lived experience so valuable were all of the things I got to see and do that money can't buy. 

What I remember most about the Women's Final was how serious it felt. Duh, right? There's an argument to be made that it's more serious strictly because of what's at stake; that the seriousness could be felt no matter where I sat.  While I'm sure that there's some truth to that, I think the palpable feeling of what was at stake was amplified because I was with people who were invested in the outcome of the match in a personal way.  Everyone I sat with was either directly involved in Garbine's performance and career or were extensions of those relationships.  Winning or losing had different meaning for everyone around me.  

Sitting with a player's team is inherently a different experience than sitting among fans.  Anytime I sat in or around the box, I did a lot more self-censoring than I would normally. Sure I chatted between points or made small quiet comments to the people next to me, but generally I kept a lot of thoughts in my head, kept my voice quieter, choose my moments, and was super conscious about when I clapped and cheered. Someone who didn't know me wouldn't necessarily see how I was more reserved than normal, but I was holding back. I wanted to be my real, open self so that I could build real relationships with the people I was meeting, but I was always checking myself to make sure that I was being appropriate for the setting.  I wanted to make sure that I was friendly and approachable, but never intruding on experience of anyone who was "qualified" to be there.  That concept is probably pretty stupid to begin with because I learned that while players have different standards regarding who is in their box, most players boxes have people sitting in it who are "unqualified" friend of friends like me, or business acquaintances of members of the team.  There will be people in their box that they may not know, have never even met. For all the times I sat in Garbine's and Daniil's boxes I didn't once meet them, nor did I expect to do so.  The first two rows are usually filled with the people we'd call the player's team -  coaches, trainers, hitting partners, agents, spouses, etc.  I can't remember if the box is three or four rows, but either way both of those rows tend to have friends, friends of friends, business partners, etc. I think it's fair to say that the players in general don't care that much beyond the first row or two. I know Daniil was particular about the first row of his box, but other than that he probably didn't even notice the rest of us.  

There was a small group of people I got to know while in the boxes and we all commented that one of our dreaded fears was to cheer when no one else did, which is a lot easier to do than you think.  There were so many calls that I had initial reactions to, but I had to take a second to see how others responded. As a fan my view was awesome from the boxes, but not great to judge if a ball was in or out. Seeing a match in person and not having the commentators to guide your viewing experience will quickly make you realize how many more shots than you think are on the line in professional tennis.  I didn't consider my initial reactions as much during the early rounds of the tournament or when I was sitting in the seats I purchased. When I was in the box though, I was super conscientious about waiting a beat before I responded with close calls because the last thing I wanted was to show up on tv looking like I was cheering for a call made in favor of the opponent. I knew that if the box was on tv I wasn't going to be the focus, but I also knew that the chances of me being in a shot were great than if I was sitting pretty much anywhere else. In fact, I was spotted on tv a few times. I didn't want to look like an idiot.  I think I wrote about this before discussing the imperative to get in a seat as fast as possible, but we all talked about how none of us wanted to be the person that the umpire had to tell to be quiet, or to learn that ESPN had zoomed in on us and the commentators were chucking about any of our actions.

This did not happen to me while at the Women's Final, but there were a few times when I felt noticed by players on the court, like the same way you think a singer on stage at a concert is looking at you, singing to you directly.  I think it's a lot more reasonable to think that happened in the earlier rounds when the crowds are smaller and you can be very close to them at times.  Sure they might notice, but it's likely nothing more than a general awareness and their focus is somewhere else - preferably on the match. There was once I thought Stan Wawrinka noticed me, and Shelby Rogers at one point too. I had a friend who played basketball at Valpo and I used to cheer him on from the student section. He told me that he could always see and hear me, even though he always seemed super focused.  I didn't believe him until he quoted back to me something I cheered in the game. I know that hockey players notice people all the time during warm ups or when they're going to the bench. So, who knows? 

Anyway, that was a long way to say that the mood around me during the Women's Final was much more serious because of my direct company in the box. It also didn't help that Garbine didn't dominate.  She took the first set, but she didn't run away with it by any means. It was tense because everyone knew that nothing was guaranteed. Sofia Kenin proved that she deserved to be in the finals. I was hoping that Garbine would build momentum, but I hesitated to make a prediction because elite tennis players have this uncanny ability to go within and sway the momentum of a match when it seems impossible to do so.  Even if she started the second set strong, that didn't mean that Kenin was going to roll over.  Garbine scratched and clawed to stay in the match, but to me it definitely felt like the match was Kenin's to win, as opposed to it being Garbine's to lose. Kenin won the second and pushed the match to three sets. Unfortunately Garbine lost. FYI: Sitting through the awarding of the championship trophy does in fact suck when your player comes in second.

I didn't feel the loss deeply because I'm not personally invested in Garbine's career.  I want her to do well for the sake of her, my friend and all the people on her team that I met, but it wasn't something I carried with me once I left the grounds.  I was bummed a bit because I can imagine what the energy is like sitting in a player's box when they win a championship. Everything up to this point was so amazing, that would have been the cherry on top. It was not surprising to think that Garbine would make it to a major tournament final match, but when I think about my chances of having a friend who introduced me to his agent friend who represents an athlete in one of my favorite sports who I casually follow. Then, as I plan to go to the other side of the world I am invited to attend these events to watch her play, and she keeps winning. I get two weeks of watching her advance in the tournament to have it culminate with the final match. I'm too lazy to look it up, but how many times did she lose in the first or the second round? My experience could have lined up with one of those tournaments.  When I consciously think about the fact that all of those stars aligned I am immensely thankful.  

I don't want to talk crap about Sofia Kenin because I'm aware enough to know this is going to be out on the internet and that there's a chance she could read this.  I never want to be hurtful or harmful. Plus, as much as I struggle with being a gossip like anyone else, saying bad things about another person isn't productive or valuable most (all?) of the time. At the same time, I do want to express that it was not a challenge for me to cheer against Sofia and for Garbine. LOL Had Ash Barty been in the Finals I would have publicly been cheering on Garbine, but also having a bit of an internal dialogue with fist pumps for Ash.  I can't put my finger on why I had some antagonistic attitudes toward Sofia. I know that the fit of her skirt bugged me like crazy, and there was something about her attitude that I didn't like. I try to be conscious of times when the public dislikes strong women who are confident, but choose to describe them at bitchy or cocky instead, and avoid doing that, but there was something about how she presented herself and her attitude that really bugged me.  I'm not sure if it's founded on anything of substance or if my expectations of how a 21 year old should present herself are unfair, inappropriate, and/ or unrealistic.  I haven't been able to fully identify why I was unsympathetic toward her then and now.

Oh, and here are two celebrity sightings from the night. Gladys Knight was in attendance. Apparently she's a big tennis fan and was doing a pre-match interview right below the player's box.

Adrian Grenier, a la Entourage fame and one of my favorite teen movies Drive Me Crazy, was in Melbourne filming and in attendance at the finals in some swanky corporate sponsor VIP seats that I didn't even realize were there until this moment. This isn't a great pictures, but he looked very handsome. For the record, he was not aware of me at all. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 12)

Dominic Thiem (5) v. Alexander Zverev (7)

Day 12 brought me only one match, the last of the semifinal matches. Up to this point I hadn't seem Dominic Thiem or Alexander Zverev play in person. I casually watched them play on television, but wasn't particularly invested in either. In fact, prior to the Australian Open, Zverev blended with Medvedev blended with Shapovalov blended with... Apparently I have issues distinguishing people with v's in their names. My AO experiences definitely changed that for me forever. Self check: I have no right to get frustrated with anyone who looks at my Polish last name and just gives up. 

The Thiem/ Zverev match was such a high for me. The tennis was off the charts amazing. Not that I need to justify any of my ticket purchasing, but this match was well worth the money and then some.  I was actually a bit nervous about this match being so good because it's not uncommon that the quarters and the semifinals are better matches than the finals.  There was so much build up to the final matches that a total engaging, sitting on the edge of my seat, nail-biter of a match made me question whether the final could be as exciting.  To watch someone like Thiem seemingly empty the tank to make it to the final round makes you wonder if it's possible for him to fill that tank back up within 48 hours. The players focus on fueling back up as a mechanism to give them the best chance win a championship, but my focus as a fan is for them to find a way to put on a good show. Winning a match doesn't necessarily equate to putting on a good show (for example: my post on Roanic v. Djokovic).  I wondered if either of these young players had enough physical stamina and/ or enough experience to find a way to push through to win the match in front of them and then be fresh two days later.

After losing the first set, Thiem closed out the next three to win the match. That score report makes it seem like Thiem ran away with it, but the final two sets were decided in tiebreakers. It was a nail-biter. I caught myself legitimately sitting on the edge of my seat and holding my breath during the points. It was exhilarating. I have very few experiences in my life that I was describe as exhilarating, but this was definitely one. It probably sounds really cheesy, but when I left the grounds that night I had a conscious thought, "This is what a major tournament is. This. Tonight." Everything that night felt perfectly in place. 

Better Than I Imagined (Day 11)

Three months later and it's finally time to write about Day 11 of the Australian Open. This feels very "me".  LOL

Something really cool about the Australian Open is that they have a sunscreen sponsor.  I can't remember what this brand was, and I can't read it in the picture.  They had practical, useful sponsorship activation that included brand employees walking around giving away sunscreen.  I don't remember seeing sunscreen in the shops, but it wasn't difficult to find a representative giving it away any day of the tournament.  In addition to giving away these boxes, there were easy to find employees who had larger bottles so that they could just squeeze it into your hands.  I went to get some for my face on a day I didn't have my trusty hat. When I asked for a little more so I could put some on my shoulders and chest they were happy to give me as much as I wanted.  It was clutch.  I couldn't help but be a sport management professor and think about what an asset this sponsorship was to the tournament in terms of customer service, hospitality, and risk management.  I'm not sure how much the brand benefitted because I can't recall what it is, but I would definitely recognize it on the shelf if I were at a Chemist Warehouse (an Australian pharmacy with everything you could ever want at discount prices!). I'm fairly certain it was an Australian brand so I'm sure I would have remembered if I stayed in Australia longer.  Something I noticed in the Whitsundays and continued to see in Melbourne was that it was really difficult to find any sunscreen under SPF 50.  I'm not sure if you can see in this picture, but it was SPF 50. They take sun protection pretty seriously. 

Simona Halep (4) v. Garbine Muguruza

I have a few very clear memories about the Halep / Muguruza match, but none of them are really about the play on the court.  First, it was HOT.  The day before was the first in the string of peak temperatures, but it was on this day that I could feel it getting warmer and warmer and I walked down the steps to Muguruza's box.  I was conscious of how hot the court must have been.  This to me felt like the Australian Open.  Each year on tv you can see all of the fans sweating through their clothes, fanning themselves, and looking a little deflated by the heat. I was expecting to feel that way the entire time and only got a few days of it.  It turns out most of my time abroad would be atypical, so I guess in hindsight I'd call the weather pattern fitting. Anyway, I was happy I was watching, not playing any sort of sport in 100 degrees. 

The second thing I remember most was thinking how tiny Simona Halep seemed.  I have heard commentators talk about how she's small. According to the internet she's 5'6", which isn't ridiculously tiny, but at the time she seemed so much smaller. It helps that Garbine was across the court a full 6 inches taller. Halep may be short in stature, but she was impressive. I would definitely call her small, but mighty.  

I was nervous about this match because while I knew Garbine was capable of beating her, I've seen enough of Halep's play to know that she could take control of the match and shut down Muguruza early. Muguruza won in straight sets, but it wasn't an easy win.  She won the first set in the tie break, and the second seemed to come easier, but it wasn't something she breezed through.  Muguruza worked for it all, no doubt. Looking back at the stats, Halep had a better first serve percentage and fewer unforced errors.  Muguruza won only three more points than Halep did.  How I saw any of the match I don't know because I was holding my breath through most of the first set in particular.  Paired with the heat, it's a wonder I didn't pass out.  

Third, this has nothing to do with anything, but I hated the Nike outfit that Halep wore.  The color scheme was weird to me - pink, purple, yellow, and white. Vomit.  I saw several players in variations of this kit. I hated the dress less than the skirt, but all of it missed the mark in my opinion. I thought it looked cheap and unfinished, particularly because the skirt was able to be pinned up and the underside of the fabric looked unprinted (known in sewing as the "wrong side" of the fabric).  The contrast in the photo isn't great, but you might be able to see what I mean in this first photo of Halep.  If you go back to my Day 6 post you can see that Svitolina had her skirt up like this too, but instead of wearing a white tank she was wearing a yellow body suit, I think. At first I thought she just tucked it up, which would explain why Nike didn't make it look like the "right side" on both sides. Then I saw Halep with her's like this too. If it wasn't meant to be lifted like this, which might explain why it shows the "wrong side", then it tells me that Nike didn't design a skirt that was functional for their female athletes and they were making it fit better for their movements. Either way, this kit and the skirt in particular disappointed me. 

Of course I had to take at least a couple of Muguruza. 

Roger Federer (3) v. Novak Djokovic (2)

As was with all of the Muguruza matches, I was gifted the experience of sitting with the box in the afternoon.  Luck/ fate/ whatever gifted me a Federer / Djokovic match during the evening.  You know, I bought tickets for time slots and didn't really know who would be playing at what time and on what court until the night before.  Night 11 was one of the hottest tickets of the entire tournament. I got to see two absolute legends play.  Everyone knows that Federer's days are numbered.  It's something he has admitted himself.  I think there's a chance that he plays another seasons or two, but no one would be surprised if Federer announced his retirement at any moment.  I think we all collectively hold our breaths a bit and wish it's not today each time he's in a presser. Hopefully Djokovic has several years to come, but who knows?  He's a bit younger, but he's still in his 30s. (Side note: I've had a sneaking suspicious that he was battling injury at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, but I have no real facts to support that.  I was wondering if he was going to withdraw at a few points.) How many more matches will these two play against each other in the majors? Each one is a gift to the tennis world that fans do not take lightly.  I was so happy to be at the match. I don't know how to put sufficient words to it, but I felt like I was hyper aware of how lucky I was to be seeing each of these men play live, and how special it was to see them competing against each other. 

We all know Federer wasn't at his best, as evidenced by his seeking medical attention a couple of times. We also know that being at less than his best doesn't mean he can't win. We saw him pull through in the match against Sandgren, despite Federer clearly hurting and Tennys playing excellent tennis while winning more of the points. Federer knows how to dig in to find the win.  Djokovic didn't underestimate him or let up, even though there were times I was quite nervous.  Knowing Fed's remaining matches are limited it's hard to see him eliminated, but I was PUMPED Djokovic advanced.  

You can tell I bought these tickets because the view changed slightly. BAHAHAH!

This was my view after I departed the train that took me back to my little neighborhood.  I took this picture because I thought the perspective was cool, but also because in this moment I recognized how spent I felt and like I could see that in everyone else. I have no idea if these people were tired from a long day at work or something else, but I was spent because all of my emotional energy has been poured out that day. It had been pouring out for almost two weeks and my tank was getting empty. I was still excited to be there, but I knew my days in Melbourne were coming to an end.  The finals were around the corner and I had all this excitement for it, but I started to get sad that I was set to leave.  

Looking Back

Here I am... sitting in a guest bedroom in Charlotte, NC... writing a post on my travel blog... without traveling.

Because I have zero ability to write in real time or even in a timely fashion it's not surprising that I'm writing about my travels after I returned to the United States.   I knew that there would be experiences that I wouldn't have the head space or the drive to reflect on and write about until after I got settled back into my regular life.  Never did I imagine that I would return less than half way through my allotted sabbatical time because of a global pandemic and find myself trying to wrap this up. 

My travel back to the US was not phenomenal, but I know it also could have been A LOT worse. I wasn't mentally prepared to travel. I knew it was likely that I would need to leave soon, so throughout the week leading up to my departure I had prepared myself for making the final decision to come back to the US as much as possible.  What I didn't have time to do is put myself in the position to be facing a long trip back without things like a fully charged phone and wireless headphones, a charged power bank, snacks, and an organized bag that I packed in advance. I basically woke up, made the decision to leave, spent time buying a flight, made cut throat decisions about what to pack and what to leave in Thailand while throwing stuff into my bags, and ran out to the door to get a taxi.  There was no moment to make sure I was practically prepared to go. I had to hope I didn't forget anything, didn't leave anything I'd want in the long run and would have what I needed in the event I got stuck along the way without making it to my final destination.  

I had a lot of stress as I was leaving because I walked out of my hotel at 10:00 AM and my flight was taking off at 12:20 PM. I was under the impression that I was about 30 minutes from the airport. It turns out that I shorted that by about 10 minutes, but that shouldn't have caused much anxiety, despite my window being kind of tight.  I was nervous because it was an international flight (Phuket to Hong Kong) and I knew the check in would close an hour before it took off. So, I really only had an hour and 20 minutes to get there and get checked in. It was enough time in an ideal situation without any snags and without any major waiting in line.  The taxi driver that took me to the airport did so in a tuk tuk instead of a van. Ok, fine, but it ended up taking longer because that thing didn't go over 35 mph.  It did have a sound system that would have allowed me to connect via bluetooth and have a little party in the back, but I was too anxious to do more than notice it. We also hit road construction, like three times. The driver kept taking turns to avoid it, but was just kind of feeling it out. At one point he even stopped because he had to go to the bathroom. I had to really do some yoga breathing and remember that human beings have to pee and I shouldn't be upset with him because of it. I had to trust him, but I had little confidence.  More importantly, he was super shady and at one point we missed the turn off for the airport. He seemed to be intentionally overshooting the airport in order to back track.  It made zero sense because we agreed on a flat rate. It's not like he was adding time to a meter. When I asked about it he mumbled something about going passed it to come back. It made zero sense to me but it stressed me out greatly because I couldn't always tell where we were and the clock was running. At about 45 minutes into the trip I asked how close we were and he said 20-30 minutes, which was insane. He knew I had to be there by 11:00ish and acted like he had no idea that I had a tight timeline. I ended up getting to the airport with 10 minutes before I thought the flight was going to close. I asked the taxi driver if I was at the right terminal and he assured me I was. After I waited in line to get my luggage screened and my temperature checked I learned that I was not in fact in the right place, and I had to go through the processes in an adjacent building. 

Let me pause and tell you that starting off a long international trip with an experience that will make you stress sweat isn't awesome because stress sweat smells awful. I knew I was going to be traveling for over 24 hours and I already reeked. Cool.

Thankfully, they didn't close the flights like normal and I checked in just fine, even after the expected deadline. The agent working the line told me not to worry, but I didn't believe it until I had my ticket in hand.  It was still close though. One I made it through immigration to officially exit the country and then security I was able to go to the bathroom and pick up a crappy panini because I didn't know if the flight would have food and at that point I hadn't had anything to eat yet all day. As I was paying my flight started boarding and before I knew it I was on my way to Hong Kong.

My first flight was about four hours and was uneventful, which was great.  When I landed in Hong Kong it was eerie. I have been to HK before I knew what to expect on a normal day - hustle and bustle, lots of people. It was not quite a ghost airport, but it was clear that the only people traveling were people who were on connecting flights. Most were westerners who were responding to travel warnings from their home countries.  There was a feeling that's hard to put my finger on, but it was palpable in the Phuket and Hong Kong airports.  There was a sense of urgency and anxiety, but also to some degree humor because what else could people do but throw their hands up and take what came at them. It was a weird mix of tension and a laissez-faire attitude about it all.  As I'm writing this I'm realizing that I think it was the only time I've ever traveled when I didn't witness an argument, at all. No parents and kids arguing, no middle-aged businessman without a sense of how loud he is when talking with a client on the other end of his cell phone, and no passengers and agents arguing (more on that later). It was quiet. Some people were talking on their phones to people back home, but here were a lot of people like me who were just waiting. 

I had a lot of time to myself in Hong Kong - about eight hours. I walked around and visited some of the shops to waste some time.  There were a lot of stores that were closed because there just wasn't enough people to warrant them being open. Even if there weren't concerns about spreading coronavirus, it would be bad business to keep the stores open with such little demand. I browsed lululemon, but continued on thinking about settling in at my gate.  I circled back because I realized how tense my body was and what difficulty I was having calming my brain. I realized that I had on a sports bra and work out top, so all I needed was a pair of yoga pants and I could go through a practice to help me relax.  The people at the HK airport lululemon were awesome.  They were ridiculously friendly in a genuine way. I didn't feel like they were just trying to make a sale. I engaged in some retail therapy, spending entirely too much un-budgeted money on two pairs of yoga pants. (I was only going to buy the pair that was on sale, but I tried on a new pair that felt like butter on my skin. How could I resist??) After I came out of the dressing room the staff even suggested that I borrow one of their yoga mats for my practice. It was great! So I left the shop with my spirits lifted a bit and with the plan to find a corner out of the way to do a practice.  

It felt so good. I released so much tension. I can't imagine what I would have felt like by the end of my trip had I not take this hour to stretch and slow my breathing. 

The flight was kind of bonkers. Out of about 265 potential passengers there were fewer than 50.  I was originally seated in an aisle where one seat had an immovable armrest, so before we even took off one of the flight attendants suggested I move to a center row where I could spread out and actually even lay day across the seats.  Everyone did it. Unless someone traveled with a child they were sitting in their own row.  I couldn't help but think it was probably the worst flight to have purchased an upgrade or even a business class ticket.  I read something after I got back that was a blurb about how a woman purchased her own domestic ticket with points, and then two dirt-cheap accompanying tickets on each side so that she didn't have to be within close proximity of another passenger. The joke was on her when her flight had fewer than 10 passengers.  FYI, in case you ever get the opportunity to fly with three seats across to yourself, if you try to lie down make sure to tilt back all the seats. It will make the seat cushions a bit more level across all three and will also make it so that the seat belt joints are less prominent.  It's much more comfortable to lay across like that. I slept something like 9 hours out of the 12-hour flight.  

The flight to Seattle was followed by a nine-hour layover. That was when my trip really started to suck. If I start counting from when I left my hotel I was about 26 hours in and I was pretty tired, despite sleeping on the plane. I was lucky to have gotten a fair amount of sleep across this trip, but it was all disrupted, uncomfortable sleep that wasn't very restful. I was appalled that the United States seemed to have finally woken up to the very real dangers of corona and the lack of preparation to stop its spread, yet I wasn't even asked if how I felt when I reentered the country, much less had my temperature taken.  I was asked where I traveled and when the immigration officer knew I had flown from HK he asked if I went to mainland China. When I said no I was welcomed back into the country without any further questions asked. It wasn't shocked because I read enough to expect that, but I was still baffled by the official process. It felt incredibly inadequate to me. 

I spent the next nine hours trying to sleep on a bench in the small mezzanine above the check-in desks because it's the airline's counters closed and it's impossible to check a bag in early, which meant I couldn't go past security. Once 3:00 AM PST hit I was able to check in, check my bag, and get through security. So, at 3:10 AM after all of that was done I found that Qdoba was the only place open. I destroyed a burrito bowl and a Dr Pepper just a few minutes later. Despite eating Mexican food, it felt like a very American experience.

My flight to DFW was uneventful and I had a quick layover that allowed me just enough time to go to the bathroom, grab a snack at the shop near my gate, and then get in line for boarding.  It was at this point that I craved being home all the way down in my bones.  I ached for it in a way that didn't feel nearly as intense at any point before.  It only got worse during the last two hours because my flight to Charlotte was the worst flight I ever had - worst than the four-hour turbulence-laden trip back from Turks and Caicos last year that culminated in me throwing up during landing, if that tells you anything. 

I started to feel airsick almost immediately.  I kept it to myself until the beverage service started, when I began to feel like I had an urgent need to vomit. My hope was that sipping on some ginger ale and deep breathing would help settle my stomach. It did not. I was sitting in the back of the plane and while drinks were being served in the front I got up to ask the male flight attendant (FA1) if he had a barf bag because I was having trouble finding one and was worried I was going to throw up in the seats 30-45 minutes into a two-hour flight. He barely looked back at me and said, "There's one in your seat back pocket and if not there are some in the back" while vaguely pointing to the rear of the plane. He was dismissive in tone and didn't seem to care that I was in need. At this point I was trying really hard not to vomit so I went to the bathroom and threw up. I made it back to my seat and then found a bag.  

As I was sitting in my seat after I vomited, FA1 and a female flight attendant (FA2) proceeded to the back of the plane to serve drinks.  FA1 did not acknowledge my presence, but FA2 asked if I was feeling ill. I said yes. She provided me with a ginger ale, but did not say anything else to me at this point. At first I thought she was being friendly and helpful, unlike FA1.  My stomach continued to bother me. I was cramping and felt nauseated. I got up again to vomit and FA2 suggested I use the bathroom more forward in the cabin instead of the ones three rows behind me because they were serving the last two rows of drinks. They could have stepped back less than 10 feet into their prep area, but seemed to refuse to do so. I was confused why they would refuse me easy access to the bathroom.  I rushed forward to find out that the bathroom was occupied. I returned to the back, waited until they finished and then went into the bathroom to vomit again. I barely made it. 

When I came out of the bathroom FA2 asked me if I had a fever. I said no and told her that I was airsick.  She asked me where I traveled and I said I was coming from Thailand. She asked if I had a fever again as if I never answered her first question. It was clear that she didn't believe me and was treating me as if I had lied to her.  I told her AGAIN that no, I was just airsick. I told her I had my temperature checked in previous airports and that it was fine. She did not respond to me further.  Throughout this interactions, both FA1 and FA2 were sitting behind the curtain that closes off the area behind the bathrooms.  FA2 was partially obstructed while speaking to me and FA1 was completely obstructed, but I could tell he was talking to her while she talked to me because she kept looked back and forth and interacting with both of us, but I could not hear what he was saying.  It was incredibly disrespectful to not meet my eye and speak with me directly.  

I returned to my seat and again, after some time passed, I felt the need to vomit and I had really bad stomach cramps.  I stood up near the bathroom in the rear, but facing forward until the bathroom was unoccupied.  While standing there FA1 breezed by me and nastily said, "You can't stand here."  I responded by telling him that I was going to vomit and he curtly told me I needed to sit down.  There was no suggestion for an alternative and no acknowledgement of my assertion that I was going to vomit soon. The seatbelt light was not on at this point in time. I sat down again, breathed through it, but eventually returned to the bathroom to vomit. 

With approximately 45-60 minutes left in the flight I stood at the back because of cramping and fear of vomiting again. One whole side of the back row was empty with the tray tables down. I worked my way back to the bathrooms, but knew I'd get reprimanded for standing again so I sat in the closest seat to the bathroom. The flight was not full and there was nothing that indicated that sitting in the back row seats was prohibited or that there was anything special about the seats. They just looked like unoccupied seats. A third flight attendant (FA3) rushed up to me to tell me that I couldn't sit in the back row. I told her I was just trying to stay out of the way because I had to keep getting up to vomit and I didn't want to disturb the gentleman sitting next to me again (aisle seat).  In a loud voice and snide tone she said, "Yeah, we all know." And started to walk away. She paused and asked if I had a fever. I told her no, that I had my temperature taken at my previous airports and she interrupted me and told me that I was lying because she knew that no one was taking passenger temperatures at SEA or DFW. I tried to explain, but she cut me off. She exclaimed that I wasn't even wearing a mask. I told her that I was air sick and that I didn't have coronavirus and that throwing up was not a symptom of coronavirus.  She then exclaimed that I was disrespectful and shouldn't have even been on the flight in my condition. The last thing she did was threatened me by telling me that she was already in communication with the American Airlines Chief Medical Officer who was going to meet the flight and advise them on what they would do with me.  I later learned that FA3 was the head FA for this flight.  

I was sick and miserable the rest of the flight.  I recognize that there was nothing the flight attendants could have done to prevent my airsickness, but they were rude and provided zero customer service in response to my seeking help.  As I departed the flight, all flight attendants acted as if nothing happened. They looked at me vaguely and thanked me for my business. There was no follow up, no follow through about medical intervention, no apology, and frankly, no recognition of me as a human being. I did not make any complaints to anyone in the airport because I was still feeling ill after landing and proceeded to vomit in an airport bathroom.  I decided to address this situation through written communication instead of lodging a complaint in person.  So far I've received a $100 flight voucher from AA that they issued me "as a courtesy" because transportation was provided and that is their core product, but I'm preparing to challenge it through another communication. What good is a $100 flight voucher to me when we're not even supposed to be flying now??

I'm happy to say that I made it to Charlotte where my dear friend and former roommate, Havaleh, graciously met me in baggage and handled me bursting into tears when I saw her like a champ. For the record, I puked one more time in the airport before I made it to baggage claim.  I was in rough shape and the idea of getting into a car to drive back to her house seemed like torture.  Eventually we made it there.  I am staying with Havaleh to avoid inadvertently bringing the virus back to my parents.  I wouldn't forgive myself if I got them sick.  No, I wasn't being cavalier about Havaleh's health; we both have a lower chance of getting severely ill from it if we did contract it.  My parents are each in the high risk category and I feel much more vigilant about keeping them healthy. I was confident that if I got "stuck" in Charlotte for weeks or even months that Havaleh and I would be ok.  We've lived together before and knew that we'd handle the situation well together. Plus, we're the closest of the friends and isn't that exactly who we'd want to be quarantined with in this type of situation? 

Almost two weeks in and we're still doing well. We're living a pretty basic life and it's fair to say we both have experienced heightened emotions, but I don't think to a greater degree than anyone else right now. We have mutual intentions of balancing of work, walks, working out, cooking, cleaning, and relaxation. We have been cognizant of how many entertainment options we have - Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, HBOGo, Starz, books, podcasts, music, etc. I've found that what's helping me is setting a list of daily goals, telling her about them for a little accountability, and then being satisfied with what I've accomplished, even if it's very little on some days. The expectations I have for myself are a bit different than what they would be if I were not on sabbatical right now. 

I haven't exhibited any symptoms of the virus in the last 12 days.  Two more and we can be confident that I don't have it. (That timeline is a bit debated, but it's the guideline we've decided to use.) We committed to social distancing before NC required it and also have been practicing isolation to protect others until we're confident we're not passing the virus along. Honestly, I think it has helped control some of our spending because we're not popping out to grab a few things here and there as we think of it.  This may seem counterintuitive, but in some ways I wish I got a mild case of the virus just so I wouldn't have to worry about it now.  Unfortunately, there seems to be no way to guarantee yourself a mild case.  Who knows, maybe I had it when I was feeling pretty miserable my first week in Bangkok?

So, anyway... my intention is to keep writing posts to discuss the things I haven't discussed about my trip yet. Once I finish, I'll be done until the next time I travel. 

One COVID19 Moment at a Time

I haven't spoken about coronavirus on this blog much. It's been fairly intentional in that the purpose of this blog is to provide reflections on my traveling, not provide commentary on current world events. I haven't wanted to post anything that could be interpreted as advice or recommendations for how to procedure during this challenging time.  There's a lot of ignorance and a lot of fear mongering out there, by both the overreacters and the underreacters.  I don't want to be one of them, so I've stayed away from the conversations here on this site.

Considering the frequency of my posting I doubt any of you few readers have been wondering about my realtime thought process regarding being abroad and travel while the virus spreads.  I am touched that so many people have reached out through social media and text to make sure I'm safe and in good health, though. Since I left the US on December 30 I have been following the news about the spread of coronavirus and keeping it in my mind while making travel plans.  Much to my parents' annoyance/frustration/concern I didn't view the virus as a reason to return.  While it was spreading in China, South Korea, Iran, and Italy, it wasn't a major issue is Australia, Thailand, and Laos.  I had to weigh the risks of being away from my home country with the reality that I may never get an opportunity like I've had these few months ever again. 

My mom cautioned me a little while ago that she wanted to make sure I wasn't making the decision to stay in Asia based on emotion.  The assumption that I wasn't looking at the situation intellectually hurt me and angered me. It played upon all my insecurities that people view me as ditzy and not very smart.  It felt like a low blow because it felt like my mom was saying that I was just too caught up having fun to pay attention to how the world was reacting.  I got a lot of messages telling me about the news that I had already seen as if I was completely cut off from western press, despite me saying over and over again that I was reading western sources.  What I think was really going on was that my mom was frustrated/annoyed/irritated/angry/whatever verb that I wasn't making the decision that she wanted me to make - the one that she thought was the right decision.  I can appreciate that both of my parents were very uncomfortable with having one of their adult children away from home during this growing crisis.  My sense was that both of my parents felt I was just digging in my heels. 

In a sense I was. Honestly, I did not feel a threat at all in Thailand. When I was staying in Bangkok I saw regular temperature monitoring of individuals entering public gathering spaces like malls and on public transport.  I saw regular cleaning of then handrails on escalators and on the metro.  At the entrances to those public spaces there were workers who stood offering hand sanitizer to everyone passing.  Most locals wore face masks every day, all day in public. There was so much consideration for keeping people healthy and so few cases that I felt very comfortable. The threat of mass outbreak was growing in the US and the US seemed woefully underprepared, but Thailand had already been dealing with it for months.  There was absolutely no concern in Laos because there didn't seem to be any evidence of the virus in Laos. 

More so than feeling safe in Asia, I felt less and less certain about returning to the US.  Most of what I read talked about how the US wasn't taking the virus seriously and that it was underprepared with few supplies, limited testing, and practically no protocols in place.  Why would I want to return to that when I'm in a good spot, having amazing experiences, and not feeling threatened by this virus at all?  Asking someone to leave a safe spot to come back to an uncertain at best location seemed foolish to me.  Additionally, I was really uncomfortable with the idea that being in Thailand I was safe, but through the process of coming back I could bring the virus with me.  For a variety of health and age-related reasons I didn't want to put my parents' health at risk.  For those of you who don't know, everything I own except what I currently have with me is either in a storage unit or being stored at my parents' house. Coming back means coming back to their home.  If I were to self-quarantine there's no way for me to do that without doing it with them. I don't have my own living space to go back to. That made things much more sticky for me. 

My parents kept raising the concern of "well, what if you get stuck in Thailand?" My response was, "Well, then I'm stuck in Thailand."  There are much worse places to be stuck. I'm lucky enough to have a job that I could do from afar if we stay in social isolation for long periods of time.  If things are so bad that blanket travel bans are in place for long periods of time I don't have to worry about in-person work resuming either. I could do my job from Thailand. The only thing that would stop that is if this virus hurts the economy so badly that my employer closes up shop. Hopefully that's not even within the realm of possibility. 

So, I decided to keep on keepin' on. I decided to stay where I was and enjoy my time, but keep my finger on the pulse of the world. I put myself in the mental state of being able to respond reasonably when I knew it time to change my plans, and be able to do so quite fast if necessary.  I was extremely disappointed to wake up to news one morning of India closing its borders. My friend Liz was due to arrive for a visit with me in Phuket in a few days and then a few days after that we were scheduled to visit Sri Lanka.  If India closed its borders it was only time until Sri Lanka did the same.  Liz ended up cancelling her visit altogether and I swiftly cancelled my flight to Sri Lanka.  We both felt confident that it was the right things to do because there was a lot at stake. We both agreed that it was better for us to stay in place where we were instead of risking international travel and getting each other sick.  It was alright right about this time that New York started ratcheting up its response and most people starting practicing social distancing and working from home.   I'd like to note that throughout this past month, but especially in the last two weeks I conferred with friends, colleagues, and other family members and all were supportive of my rationale for staying, all except for my parents. Go figure. I'm swear I'm not trying to make them sound like bad guys here. I understand their apprehensions and fears. We were just in opposition on this topic. 

Here's what flipped the switch for me.  This morning I woke up to a text that said, "Katie the US State department urges all US citizens to come home or shelter in place." I also had a bunch of news alerts saying the same thing. I read a few articles that made it clear that if I got stuck the US government was not coming to help. This was my warning. Well, poop. 

I considered sheltering in place, but just two nights ago I questioned what I would do if I ran out of my prescription medicines. I'm sure Thailand has accessible medical treatment for asthmatics and narcoleptics. It has a pretty good medical system and there is a substantial presence of western doctors in Thailand too.  The question was going to be how easy it would be for me to get routine care if the hospital system became taxed. I also started thinking about how I would get food if Thailand imposed a required quarantine. I'd like to think that whatever hotel I stayed at wouldn't let me go hungry, but that's a bit of a gamble.  I felt like I had a reasonable rebuttal to every request from my parents to come back to the US, except now.

As new of the virus taking its toll on Italy, it beginning to spread in the US, and governments around the globe responding I began to think about where I could spend my time if borders began to close.  Could I stay in Thailand if my tourist visa ran out? If the US closed its border or if I couldn't get a flight were there any other countries I could bide my time in? For a while I had been thinking about how I had to come up with a plan, and probably a few back ups.  I was considering going to a yoga retreat in Cambodia a few weeks ago but changed my plans earlier this week when I read that their medical system assumes your family will provide some basics like clean linen and food for you if you have a prolonged stay in the hospital. So Cambodia immediately turned into a no go for me. I could go back to Laos, which I loved and seemed to have a low chance of closing. But, I had just read that Australia closed its borders to all foreigners. I started to get the impression that the chances were greater of that becoming the standard across the globe, or at least in countries that seemed relatively untouched by the virus so far. 

After a few days of recognizing that my options were becoming more and more limited and the messages I got this morning, here I am - in the Hong Kong airport waiting for my flight to Seattle to start boarding, which it will do in about 5 minutes.  I know it's the smart thing to do, but I am heartbroken that this experience that I've waited 3 years for is now abruptly over. I'm crushed, but also know that I've had so many amazing experiences so far that it would be a bit inappropriate to be too upset about it. There are a lot of people dying from this virus and a lot more are going to get sick. I can handle having to go back early.  

And I will sing Neil Diamond in my head as I board the plane. I'm comin' to America... today!

International Women's Day

The Laotian people take International Women's Day pretty seriously. It's a proper national holiday where a lot of businesses shut down for the day, the men seemed to really celebrate the women, and the women get certain benefits and discounts. My new friends, Deborah and Emmy, and I were wished a happy women's day several times throughout the day by pretty much everyone we interacted with. 

We learned that the Luang Prabang View Hotel, a hotel that overlooks the entire city and has a gorgeous pool, was offering free admission to all women on the holiday.  I think we would have done it no matter, but it was wicked hot so we took full advantage and went for a dip.  I'm not sure if Baptist ended up having to pay, but we were hoping to sort of sneak him in with us.  We chilled out on the lounge chairs, had lunch and a few cocktails, and had a great time! 

I didn't know it until after the fact, but Baptist was sneaking a few pictures of me because the setting was pretty perfect. He's really into photography and was taking photos with a film camera instead of a digital one. Once Emmy saw that she took a few snaps too. I ended up with a few pretty great pictures.