The Rollercoaster That Was My Trip Home

Part 1: Getting There

For the past several months, I had been getting ready for my trip home. Finally it was almost time to depart. Being me, I had made several lists detailing things I needed to do, things I needed to pack, and things I needed to accomplish before traveling on the 11th. Unfortunately… I am me…

What I mean by that is that common sense was not always on my side. I ran 3 loads of laundry but can only reach the bottom dryer in the laundry room, so I removed what needed to be hung and placed the rest of the laundry in the dryer. At the end of the cycle, most of the clothing was still wet and I wound up having to hang it dry… HOWEVER I didn’t have nearly enough room on the drying rack in my apartment, so I had to empty all of my wire hangers and hang the wet clothes on the hangers in my front closet. I left the door open and the light on so mold wouldn’t grow, but obviously, this was not ideal.

Furthermore; when I was putting my pills together, I realized that the remaining bottles of one of my medications were not filled with the proper medication (I had always gone by size of bottle on those ones because it was the only medicine that came in a bottle that big)... oops…

Knowing that I would more than likely not hear from my doctor before I left for the airport, I sent a message asking for the medicine to be called in to the pharmacy back home… then the new insurance company refused to fill it; but that’s a story for another time.

On Thursday night when I was supposed to be packing, my friend Jason had posted on facebook that he was uploading a new video of the abandoned Six Flags New Orleans. I call it my “Aspie Obsession”. I am obsessed with all abandoned amusement parks, but my true passion lies in SFNO. Anyhow, he posted that the video had been posted so I stopped packing and immediately started hitting the refresh button… Two hours later, I was still hitting the refresh button and was somewhat horrified that I hadn’t spent the last two hours packing. Around midnight, the video finally finished rendering and appeared on my computer screen. I spent a half hour watching it with a grin on my face. I felt that I had satisfied my obsession but I’d done nothing to prepare for my trip!

After my series of unfortunate events (many more than these three, but I hate to make myself look dumb), I was ready to travel. I worked both of my jobs on Friday night and returned home completely exhausted. I finished packing my carry-on, fitting my teddy in and my Tigger Pillow-pet in my suitcase, and climbed into bed.

I didn’t sleep… I was too excited (and anxious… but mostly excited)...

The next morning, I had some cereal, packed the car, and headed to the airport. I HATE flying! I don’t like airports, planes, and I definitely don’t like being out of control of the situation. Since my diagnosis, I have been able to receive accommodations at the airports and on the planes. Sometimes the help is great and sometimes it leaves something to be desired, but I am definitely grateful for it!

My local airport is very small. I don’t mind it so much. I still enter wide-eyed and “snap-necked” ( a phrase I coined to describe the quick jerking movements my head and neck make when I’m anxiously looking around) but don’t need any help navigating the airport. I do make sure to get there early so I don’t get stuck in a throng of people, but even if I did, there’s only about 50 people in my airport at a time.

About an hour before takeoff, I took my dramamine and zanex. As the waiting area filled, my headphones went on (although I sometimes look rather silly with the cord not plugged in to anything). Boarding was not as smooth as it normally is… they boarded all priority boarding with military (and I live in a town with an air force base) and AA Advantage members (that’s most of the town… AA is the only airline to fly in and out of our airport). Fortunately, once on the plane, I was in a single seat and the zanex sent me off to dreamland before takeoff (which for me is the best way to fly).

I HATE takeoff and landing. Nothing is ever perfect, and this time, I was asleep for take off but was awake for landing. My teddy was squeezed extra tightly but I survived. When I got off the plane, I stopped on the jet bridge and asked where I was supposed to meet my escort. Just my luck, the escort wasn’t there. I was brought to the gate and left while the gate attendant tried to get someone to escort me.

Because of the mixup, the special escort who was supposed to have training working with Autism and other special needs (as opposed to mobility needs) never came and I was escorted by a regular mobility assistant (someone who pushes the wheelchairs). He walked about 10 feet in front of me. When we were on the tram, I sat in the handicap seating and he stood on the other side of the tram. If I hadn’t been paying attention or if I’d been lower functioning, I can only imagine what could have happened because he was so far away. I told him I have a phobia of escalators and he walked right onto the escalator and proceeded down it like it was no big deal. I finally got onto the escalator and he was already off it and disappearing around the corner. The escort did not make things easier for me and other than showing me the way, it was almost like he was never there.

The second plane boarded much like the first, but instead of AA Advantage members, they boarded first class along with military and priority boarding. Again, I was surrounded by more people than I was comfortable with. I fell asleep before takeoff again and woke up to find that Paddington was on. I enjoyed the movie then watched one of my own on my tablet. Landing was once again a source of anxiety but I knew that my mother was waiting at the gate for me.

Once we landed and I released my grip on my teddy, my legs started bouncing up and down with joy. I was home and almost in my mom and dad’s arms.