foolish_m0rtal | Writer's Block: Up in the Air

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I'm going to be flying to Tokyo next week, so I'm taking the Japanese-English book I bought so I can practice both my hiragana/katakana and verbs on the plane. I'll also be going over research papers I might need to be familiar with when I go into the labs after I land. I'll also have my laptop with me (albeit in the matchbox sized economy class) so I might try and work some more on the stories I'm writing. Since my trip this time is for academia, I'll probably also be in Microsoft Word typing up what I'd like to say in my blog posts (the blog I'm keeping for other university students participating in the same exchange program next year).

I usually watch the movies they provide on the flight. I don't get much time to watch movies normally, so sometimes flying is the most movie-watching I do in the whole year. I've flown to India a few times, so Indian movies can sometimes take up the whole flight! I also like listening to the local music they have on the radio. Air Austria had some very nice classical stuff, and of course, Austria has no lack of classical composers.

I've befriended people on planes and chatted with them during the flight. It's really fun talking to strangers, and I often meet people my own age. I've met many interesting people over the years, and we like to swap stories about places we've been.

I know some people may call me strange for this, but one of my favourite parts of international flights are the meals. I always get the meal specific to the airline company. For example, Air Austria I had the Austrian meal (Austrian breakfast is delicious), same with India, Lufthansa, and now with Nippon Airways. Food is a good way to get to know the culture and try new things.

And if none of this interests you, I recommend sleeping. It makes the jet-lag so much more bearable. I remember pretty much sleeping the first leg, layover (on top of my carry-on luggage, paranoid as that might be), and second leg of my flight to Asia and not even being slowed down by the 10 hr. time difference. If you stay hydrated (not too hydrated, mind!) and well rested, you'll do so much better. I would actually recommend doing the silly leg exercises they talk about in the manuals. From sitting so long, your ankles swell up like oranges, and you really don't want that. It's horrible trying to get up and walk around the cabin (especially if you have a window seat), and you always feel vaguely guilty about it if you're just walking aimlessly and not to the lavatory or something. But get some sort of movement.

Lastly, I'm a bit bothered by the first bit of this question. I've never been on an aeroplane where it's been okay/possible to call people or get on the internet. Is this just something not allotted to us lowly economy-classers?