It begins, well, kind of

In an effort to preview my Russian blog, I'll  start here at Newark Airport.  That is, Newark to Korea, to be clear.

I arrive at the airport at 3.30am and head over to my favorite counter, the check-in counter.  After 30 minutes of inevitable scrabbling to get both of my overweight bags down to appropriate proportions, leaving countless valuables behind, I begrudgingly head to security.  Side note: I need to install a luggage scale thing in my house.  #Futuregoals

Oh, security.  Or should I say, oh post 911 America?  I have a backpack (that contains electronics that I need to take out for the scan), a coat, a fanny pack (NOT proud of this) and I have my Benes.  As you may already know, we're at the point in US security where we almost literally need to strip down to our undergarments before we can walk through the security system. We approach the scan and Benes gets to walk with me through the metal detector, happily avoiding the X-ray scan (I can tell by her wagging tail.)  So, through we go and, to no surprise as this happens to me EVERY TIME, I get "randomly" (though it doesn't seem that random) checked and have to have my hands tested.  Meanwhile all of my boxes of crap are now lined up outside the X-ray scan and are causing a backup in the line.  Benes's crate is at the end of the line.  I HAVE to put her down in order to pick up things.  So in my haste I place her in one of the X-ray boxes.  Of course, she jumps out and is now running down the X-ray counter causing chaos.  I'm trying to gather my things and get the dog.  The airport people are yelling at me about the dog.  I'm like "I KNOW GUYS!  What do you want me to do?!?" I finally manage to get all of my things together and get out of there and onto the next leg of the process.

Well, after that fiasco, I thought that I was in for a long, long journey.  Turns out, everything went pretty smoothly.  In fact, as I was getting off the 13 hour flight to Seoul, a stewardess saw Benes and said, "Oh my god!  Has the dog been on the flight the whole time??"  (She was surprised because Benes was so quite.) "Yes," I told her, "the WHOLE time."