Killing time in the USA

I'm sat in the food court of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in Georgia, USA waiting for my connecting flight to Monterrey, Mexico. It's crazy! I've hardly been around the bloody UK and here I am, for the first time, in another continent! I'M IN THE USA OMG!

Okay actually I'm in the USA in the same way as Tom Hanks was in the Terminal: not being allowed actual access to the country and having to make do with the airport's limited and expensive facilities. Luckily, I'm just here for 5 hours (unless Enrique Peña Nieto declares civil war in the next couple of hours) but I was way too excited to spend US dollars for the first time on an actual American Maccy Ds! I feel like Eddie Murphy in Coming to America.

My current location

Already I stick out in this crowd like a lumberjack at gay pride, thanks to my accent. A couple of people have remarked on it already, or at least I think so because I can hardly understand their Southern American accent! This is my own bloody language too: what hope do I have in Mexico!

The journey started early, with my dad very kindly taking me to Heathrow in plenty of time for my 9am departure. The flight was nine hours: my very first long haul flight. I had no idea what to do with myself in that time, but I ended up discussing Candy Crush strategies with the lady next to me (Okay it was more like her helping me. I've become addicted, and for someone who was so good at Tetris I really do suck at this game!) I was pleasantly surprised every time the air hostess came round with refreshments and I didn't have to pay for another Coke.

And thank God for in-flight entertainment! There was an awesome languages game where I could learn numbers and days in lots of languages, but the touch screen was pretty shit. I kept getting the answers wrong on the general knowledge quiz there too! Yes the questions were asking things like "What is the first track of Chaz and Dave's second album?" but I blame the touchscreen for my failure. 

The system also had music on it, so I finally checked out Paramore's latest eponymous album, which isn't as shit as I first thought (maybe it grows on you, but it has nothing on Brand New Eyes or Riot), as well as Jake Bugg, who's somehow made Bob Dylan-style music popular again. 

Oh and the movies! The Campaign, The Identity Thief, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. As you can tell, I wasn't interested in any movie with a challenging plot. I've had hardly any sleep so comedy was all I could take. 

I realise this is a lame blog post for those of you who've done long-haul flights before, as it's like someone saying "Have you heard of this awesome thing called Google?!" but hey it's a new experience for me, a statement of intent for the years to come of flying around the world. 

So it's just another few hours until the real fun begins, until I see Daniela again after a whole year apart. I seriously cannot wait: this is insane! I have no clue how I'll react when I see her, but it's exciting. I can already hear a lot of Mexicans in this airport and it's getting me feeling excited and ready for what's about to come. 

Next time you hear from me, I'll be at my destination in Monterrey, Mexico.

Done (for now).

Ollie

PS. I had made a quick video in my attempted Spanish to go with this but the upload speed here sucks, so I'll just upload it later...