As I was on my way to Boston Logan Airport many thoughts swirled through my mind as to how my trip to India would play out. At first I felt nervous and stressed out that I had the wrong documents or my carry-on was too big, among other random anxiety induced thoughts but when I stepped up to the ticket desk I was surprised to hear the agent say the words “You are on business class?”. My initial ticket reservation said Economy 29K but somehow got a free upgrade to Business class which normally costs about $1000! All of my stress and anxiety quickly subsided and I made my way through the security check.
When I boarded the enormous Emirates Airbus I was ecstatic to see an amazing seat facing a television screen equipped with hundreds of channels for tv, movies, music and podcasts. The flight attendant assisting me assumed I had flown before but I quickly told her I had never flown Emirates and especially not in the luxurious Business class. She then showed me the various other offerings including a touch-screen device that could control the seat position, massage, privacy partition, reading light, and the television screen. I could barely contain my excitement as I dabbled with all the gadgets and controls. I watched some TV until a dinner of Chicken Chetinnad was served to my seat and then tried to fall asleep in order to be alert and ready for the next leg of the trip from Dubai to Bangalore.
We arrive in Dubai and are awe struck by the enormous airport that includes high-end fashion, coffee, food and other shops. Unfortunately our layover is only an hour and we are not able to experience the true nature of Dubai. Keeping this in mind I have made a mental note to return to Dubai and truly experience everything it has to offer.
We eventually board the flight to Bangalore and make our way to India. When we land in Bangalore we are met with a barrage of customs, passport and visa checks. After 8 grueling hours of waiting for the plane, we finally board and make our way to Hubli on a small airplane that has its propellers exposed. When we arrive in Hubli we are greeted by the students of KLE Technological University and they don us with kumkum and Indian flag necklaces. Eventually we board the school bus and make our way through the bustling Indian streets towards the host school. After we arrive at the school we have a brief orientation and go to our rooms to rest after a very long day (or two) of traveling.