Circumambulating the Airport

This time while circumambulating the airport, I discovered that the digital sign under the big white-on-black label “Qatar” now says:

“Qatar Airways check-in opens at 18:30.”

So I have slightly under two hours—I counted with my fingers to figure out that it means 6:30 pm--before I can get my boarding passes at last. Then I can go through the security check, and then I can get to the correct gate, whatever it is.

One thing I didn’t mention—really there are a few—is that on the flight from KC, United Airlines, surprisingly, was on a very small plane. (After we all got on, a flight attendant made her announcement but said we were going to Denver; she was probably confused rather than joking. We were over two and a half hours late as it was—not a good joke under the circumstances). I dozed off during most of the flight, even though I had an aisle seat and was sitting up. When we got off the plane, I was surprised, not to mention a bit hesitant thanks to my acrophobia, that we had to walk down a flight of steps like in India and walk across the pavement toward another flight of metal steps that led up into one of those accordion-like walkways, into the airport. Things had, up to that point, been surreal ever since I saw that the flight from KC to Washington was delayed.

This trip has already been a lesson in insecurity, in uncertainly, and I haven’t even left the United States yet! It’s kind of shocking to realize that.

It’s 5 pm—one and a half hours before I can get my boarding pass.

I’ve seen people from many different countries here, of course, and that’s a major reason why this is an interesting place to people watch. There’s a woman up ahead of me wearing a sparkly black hajib and a long black robe. I’ve also seen several women in salwar-kamiz: the pants are frequently a contrasting color with the tunic, which sometimes has embroidery around the border. I also saw a woman in a magenta sari with emblems spaced evenly all over—colorful embroidery. I can embroider.