It's Who You Know

I know my cousin, Jay, and he knows just about everyone who works at Logan Airport. After introducing me to members of the bomb squad (including a gorgeous German Shepard), he walked me over to the Sky Lounge where I got to pretend I was a VIP for a short while. He also surprised me with a new and improved seat assignment! I'm not sure if I was in first class or business class, but I know I was in a fancy seat...and it came with just about anything I wanted. Within two minutes of boarding I heard, "Welcome aboard, may I offer you a glass of champagne?" This was soon followed by a delicious multi course meal (including two desserts because I couldn't decide between tiramisu and an ice cream sundae), a couple glasses of Reisling and a small glass of port. After a slumber in my reclining pod, I was greeted with a warm hand towel and cup of coffee to wake me up. I somehow missed the hand towel pick-up, so I returned it to the flight attendant and watched in shock as she tossed it into the trash! She told me the waste she witnesses on airplanes makes her sick to her stomach. I found the handtowel incident particularly ironic because I had just been thinking about the one thing I forgot at home: a washcloth. Also on my mind was the contrast between life in the ritzy part of the plane and my soon-to-be life in a developing country...and how so many of us take so much for granted, whether it be handtowels or clean water, food, an education (you name it, really). I loved being a passenger in the fancy section, though, and loved it even more after telling my co-passengers how I got there and where I was going. :)