Preparations

Just a little less than a week ago, I shared that I'd be moving to Hong Kong.  This information has been in my mind for a little while now, and the newness of it has started to fade away.  I had a few days of renewed elation about it after having the chance to share, but now the reality of all that this move means has set in.  I have a LOT to do!

Tonight, I took what I consider to be the most major step so far forward (after accepting the position in the first place, of course) and that is booking my ticket.  If you know me at all, you might know that I am detailed, thorough, and an information-seeker.  This created quite the situation for me in booking this ticket.  I've done quite a bit of International traveling, but I haven't ever:

a) been flying at someone else's cost (thank you Community Church for paying my ticket to HK)

b) booked an International ticket just a month out

c) had so many different options to choose from (Canada or San Francisco?  JFK or Moscow?) 

So, now, I'm not only trying to be a good steward of the church's resources by booking a low-cost ticket, but also being creative with some sold-out flights, and trying to figure out how exactly to fly halfway around the world.  Phew.

Tonight, I sat down on my couch at approximately 6:37pm with the full expectation to book a flight I've been looking at for a week.  It's a Singapore Air flight leaving out of Houston in the evening, connecting through Moscow, Russia (no plane change, just drop off and pick up some Russians, I presume) then to Singapore.  From there, I'd connect to Hong Kong.

This not the plane I'll be going on, but you get the idea...

But then, as I sat down, I started to think of all the other possibilities.  First, I could pay about $200 more dollars and connect through LA or San Francisco and save about 7 hours of travel time, cutting  from two days to one.  Or, I could save $100 and fly through Calgary, Vancouver, then to Hong Kong, but with 7 excruciating hours of layovers in each location.  Each new possibility had its benefits and drawbacks.  I found myself going back and forth, reading reviews on each airline, each plane, each route.  When I finally looked at the clock, it was after 8:00!  

Finally, I decided to man up and book the Air Canada flight that had slightly shorter layovers, and was a little more expensive.  I got to the check out page and noticed that I wouldn't be eligible to get ANY frequent flier miles with my Star Alliance carrier partner with this fare.  Oh my.  Of course, at this point, I had to go back and re-research all of the previous options to figure out just how I could maximize my frequent flier miles. 

And then, that led me to a whole new conundrum.  I do sincerely believe that frequent flier schemes are elaborately hatched plans to make you feel like you're getting a great deal while really shrouding useful information in a vast fog of codes like Y, Q, W, Z, V, etc.  Can I buy a vowel?  No, I can't as it turns out,  because I work for Jesus, and those are the first class fares that I will likely never be traveling on. Ha.

All of this became quite comical when, at 9:05pm, my roommate and best friend announced that she'd had enough of my fact finding mission and that it was time that I stopped worrying and just booked a fare.  So I did.  And what fare did I book?  The Singapore Air one.  The flight I originally intended to book three hours before. 

So yes.  The moral of the story is that I will be traveling to Hong Kong, China on Tuesday, August 21st.  I will arrive almost 2 days later after being on a combination of planes for nearly 27 hours.

Let's end this positively and note that:

Singapore Air has been voted one of the best airlines in the world for several years in a row
Their in-flight entertainment is apparently the best in the sky
There are in-seat power plugs, which will be REALLY nice

and lastly, I'm moving to Hong Kong to serve Jesus and all of this doesn't really matter so long as I remember what I'm there to do.

Til next time!

The Adventurer