Versus

Issue date: 11/19/04 Section: features

Flying home for winter break? Chances are, you will be among the majority to head to the airport after your last exam, and hopefully your flight will not involve multiple connections, lost baggage, and babies screaming in your ear. There will probably be about fifty Vandy kids on your flight, so expect to either make new friends or have extremely awkward encounters with people you have not talked to since freshman year.

You will get to the airport about two hours before your flight so that you can be felt up by a security guard and then wait for an hour at your gate. When the plane pulls in, everyone will run to get in line, so you will feel obliged to do the same. If you do not have assigned seats, a real clever trick is to be first in the "B" or "C" group. ("A" passengers do not like to sit next to each other, so you can usually sit between people in one of the front few rows.) When you finally get on board, be careful about where you sit. This important decision can make or break your experience.

Strangers seem to be much more assertive and chatty nowadays. During my flight back to Nashville after Fall Break, the man sitting next to me felt it necessary to grill me about my political beliefs. After I told him I was undecided (untrue, but I wanted to avoid a political discussion), he questioned me about whether my friends were going to vote and about their political views. Since when do strangers randomly ask "Who are you voting for?" I thought those sort of questions were limited to close friends and acquaintances. Apparently not.

People also think it is acceptable to force their religious beliefs on you. Recently, I prided myself on being a good passenger and sitting next to a child traveling alone. Bad idea. Throughout the flight she asked me if I had "accepted Jesus into my heart," and also told me all about church camp. I tried to distract her by pointing at clouds, but that did not work. Thankfully it was a short flight. Another friend of mine, Kalee, had a similar experience when she was younger. After receiving the complimentary in-flight meal, she began devouring her food. The old woman sitting next to her asked, "Did you pray before your muffin?" Since when did people decide it was appropriate to preach on a plane?

I know you are thinking you probably have stories similar or worse than these - everyone does. And if you can top this next one, I give you serious credit. A friend from work, Mike* (name has been changed to protect the victim), was once recruited for a cult on a flight to Florida. It all began innocently. He met a man on the plane who had a physician friend who was doing research similar to his (Mike is a Ph.D. student). They exchanged numbers and decided to meet up so that Mike could chat with his doctor friend. When they met at a sketchy location, the two men began pressuring Mike to join their cult, and to get his friends involved. After this awkward situation, Mike learned his lesson; do not ever give your number out on a plane, especially not to a crazy fanatic.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools