Airports: Post Obama

It has been a hectic month getting married, going on our honeymoon, spending time with the whole family (which is very rare because we have a London branch!) and preparing for our new life back in Japan.

In all my life I have never been to four countries in a space of a month! So as you would imagine, I practically lived in airports.

I like discovering new places and cultures but completely despise the thought of going to airports, getting on a plane and sit for hours and seeing my feet swell up like watermelons

But what tops the hate list, is the never ending questioning and ‘random’ bag checking and security checks which when you just want the leave the souless beings that are airports, is just like pouring salt on a flesh wound!

The worst experience was when I first came to Japan after what was a marathon flight from Bahrain-Dubai- Hong Kong then from HK-Taipei-Nagoya and with my feet barely fitting into shoes when we finally landed and from that moment I was bombarded by security checks, very long questionings all in badly broken Engrish and opening every single piece of luggage I brought with me including my little passport bag.

But the cherry on that sh*tcake was the second I exited the Arrivals gate, two uniformed officers come up to me casually with one of them telling me in better yet still broken Engrish that his friend (the other officer) has recently learned Arabic and wanted to practice some with me.

WTF

So after an excruciating 10 minutes with him destroying the Arabic language and myself speaking to him in the slowest and clearest Fusha that made my first few minutes in Japan even more surreal!

This was in the Bush/Pre-Obama era

Post Obama:

Chubu Airport (Nagoya)> One bag checked which was my wifes, with the customs officer embaressed because he was checking through her things (Nobody told him to check the huge Bright Pink bag in search of narcotics, weapons and exotic animals in the first place!)

and that was it!

God Bless you Obama!