less than on time flights

so getting here was fun.
no problem at RDU, but when we get to JFK it starts to get fun. we land at one terminal and have to leave from another... at the other end of the airport. so that means we had to go thru security again. then we rush thru the airport to get to the flight before it takes off and just barely make it. we get on the plane, wich was the biggest plane i have ever been on, and start trying to find our seats. i find mine, and it's occupied by a french guy who doesnt speak english. the flight attendant explains that he's trying to sit with his wife and would i please switch with him and i did because i didnt really mind. after finding my new seat i discovered that im not even in the same compartment of the plane as anyone else who speaks english..... it wasnt all bad, they had on demand movies. so i start watching some movie and when i finish that one i watch another... then i notice that we have yet to take off. we were delayed for 5 hours at JFK for several reasons that i dont understand because the pilot spoke french. so after we take off we got served a meal, wich was surprisingly really good, but it might just be because i was really hungry. halfway thru the flight i opened a container of oreos and shared them with the one french guy who spoke enough english to tell me what the pilot was saying, and i was surprised to learn that he had never heard of oreos before.

so when we get to paris, the first thing we notice is the lack of food vending in the airport, and when we finaly do find it we notice that the euro is worth alot more than the dollar. then we were delayed at paris for an hour wich was nothing comparitvely. if Air France ever offers you a pre-packaged lunch that looks like chicken and tastes like fish, don't eat it. you wont like it, and it wont like you.

finaly, 24 hours after taking off from RDU, we land at the Kiev airport. we packed in like sardines into this little seatless shuttlebus and brought to the terminal, where we were greeted by a representative, in full combat fatigues, of the Ukrainian national army. the weird part about it was that he couldnt have been any older than me. we didnt have any trouble at the immigration desk and went to get our luggage. i walk over to the group, who is standing around a pile of luggage, but mine wasnt there. so i got to extend my tour of the worlds air system with an in-depth look into Ukrainian baggage claim. after learning that lines mean nothing to Ukrainians, i filled out 3 copies of the ukrainian/airfrance customs forms (with the help of a translator) and left with just my backpack. i had one extra t shirt, so i figured i'd be good for the week.

the ride to the Ark was really interesting. no two buildings looked alike. also, the other drivers were scary. i could never permanently live here. Jane, who runs the Ark, keeps telling me that i cant be polite, i dont like it.

so we got to the Ark and i was so jet lagged that i just decided to sleep and worry about the rest later.