Day 1- Flight

The day was finally here. After all of our planning, packing, double-checking, triple-checking, and preparing, we couldn’t believe that the day was finally here! Our alarm was set for 5:30am, but none of us actually needed an alarm; our excitement was enough. The morning was a hustle for all of us: getting ready, checking everything for the last time, and saying goodbye to our houses for the next two weeks. We all met up at my house, and I made a big breakfast of pancakes with blueberry compote. I called my sister and she said she would be at my place at 6:30am to take us to the airport. It was 65° and sunny, so we all were comfortably wearing t-shirts and leggings; comfortable clothes for the long journey.

Pancakes with Blueberry Compote

We reached the airport around 7am, yet our flight was at 10:35 am, so we went to go check in our luggage; I’m pretty sure we annoyed the people behind us in line by taking a plethora of pictures. The security line was as long as it always is, and Isabella joked that we should cut the line by going under the ropes. Luckily, security didn’t actually take too long, and we were finally free to roam about the airport. We went to our gate and checked the time; it was 8:30, and we argued for about five minutes of where we wanted to go first. It turned out to be a funnier experience than we thought, since we had to practically drag Shreya away from all the shops so she wouldn't spend all our money before we even got to South Korea. Airports are overpriced anyway. Who would buy a dress for $342? That’s ridiculous. We had some time to grab coffee at the Starbucks, and enjoyed our last hour of WiFi before we got on the plane.

RDU International Airport

Soon, they announced that Economy Class could board Air Canada 7316. When we got on the plane, Shreya had to ask a Anisha for help because she was too short to reach the overhead compartments for our carry-on baggage. The plane was quite small, a walkway with two seats on either side. Kaitlyn and Isabella sat together, Anisha and Shreya sat together, and I was kicked to the seat behind Anisha and Shreya. They then announced the security measures, and how long the flight would take (about two hours). Anisha immediately started playing a game on her phone, and Kaitlyn was plugging in her earbuds. Soon, the air hostess came around with pretzels and drinks, and we gladly gorged on snacks to take our mind off of the turbulence. The two hours went by fairly quickly, and we were at Pearson Intl. Airport in Toronto in no time. We landed at 12:32am, and our layover was one hour and thirteen minutes, so we couldn’t get out anywhere. We went through a brief security check along with a boarding pass check, and we were free to roam around Toronto’s airport. I suggested that we get some chewing gum to help with on the next flight when our ears pop, and that we get a meal before our flight. Everyone knew that I never eat on flights, and their food makes me want to throw up. Isabella found a burger place called Wahlburgers, and we bought “Yukon Gold Fries” and a two “Portobello” sandwiches. After the meal, we checked our watches and noticed that it was around 1:15, and our flight was going to leave at 1:45, so we headed back to our gate.

Walhburgers at Pearson International Airport

This time, we boarded Air Canada 61, but still in economy class. However, this plane was much bigger; three seats on the left side, three seats in the middle, and three seats on the right side. The drill of boarding which we were all too familiar with from this morning was just enough for me to realize that when we land, we’re going to be in South Korea. Anisha yet again had to help Shreya with her luggage, and we sat in the same row. Isabella, Shreya, and Kaitlyn sat together in the middle aisle, and Anisha and I sat in the seats next to them. We began to get comfortable, because we had to sit in the same place for thirteen hours and thirty five minutes, to fly a span of 6,601 miles. The three of us watched a couple movies, and then dinner was served. Of course, airplane food is disgusting, so none of us really ate anything; good thing we had those french fries! Soon after the so-called “dinner”, the five of us fell asleep on each other’s shoulders and dreamt about our upcoming adventure.

Air Canada 61 Economy Class

Written by Ananya