Rouane Itani

Went back the following day to the administrative offices in the airport. Needed a special permit to enter passengers arrivals area. I was directed to a room with shelves and luggage piled up everywhere. Happily, my 2 bags, and most importantly the one with the lights and sounds, were there!

What followed was a series of unpacking, figuring out internet connections, charging batteries, family reunions, jet lag and adjustment to sounds and smells of Beirut. New buildings, new street, and old areas I navigated through unconsciously surprising myself how I would remember as if I was here yesterday, while forgetting basic details, like which floor my aunt lived on and taking the elevator, one floor after the other to check out the doors.

Not wanting to be stuck inside the airport during the wee hours of the day with everything closed, I decided to get out. Relishing the experience of passing no-questions-asked provided by the American eagle, I found myself on the side walk outside Terminal 1.

A cool gray French sky. I took in the smells of France, its air, mixed with gasoline, tobacco and it was all a happy nostalgic moment of a country I grew up fancying and stealing any moment to be in.

Flashbacks to school time spent in Lyon when I was 11, and later trips to Paris. I felt home.

Started walking along the side walk in the circle that makes the terminal, just grasping minutes of French. After some dawdling, day dreaming, and wandering, I walked back in to figure out how to reach Terminal F. The search turned out more complicated and longer than expected, intensified by lack of sleep and lethargy. Finally got on the shuttle with a large group of TaeKwondo athletes from Tahiti returning from la Coupe de France. It was fun to speak with them and listen to their peculiar french accent.

By the time I arrived the MEA counter where I had to get a boarding pass, I was getting late. Then had to stand in the never-ending, slow-moving security-check line.

My companion passenger was a former police officer from Philly going on vacation to Paris with his family. The conversation ranged from his last cruise trip around the Mediterranean, to Pushing Pin- to our complaints about the lousy service and tight seat space on US Air. Had forgot that they now charge $5 for a headset, watching bits of silent scenes from shows and films that were running. You always see something new in films you’ve seen and no audio makes the experience different. Between naps and all, dawn was in the air before we flew over French agriland, until stopping at CDG.

8:30 am French time. I already switched my watch to be in the zone. few more hours to my Middle East plane. Not enough time to go to Paris back and forth.