delay due to TYPHOON reason

and that is why I'm still sitting in Taipei waiting for my flight at 12:14 am. (The above was written on a sign for EVA airlines. I wish I had my camera for documentation.)

Soooo I just tried to purchase food/water, but I have no Taiwanese money, no money exchangers are open, they don't take AmEx, and I don't want to use my Visa $25 gift card in case the phones in LA don't take AmEx either. Yar. I felt like a hobo, getting all this food and then being unable to pay. I also have all these baht just sitting around, now. I was rushed so quickly through Bangkok that I literally only stopped to pee. I did not even sit down in the waiting area.

I do not know where my next gate is. My ticket says one thing and the monitor says nothing. So I'm just waiting for a loudspeaker annoucement, wishing I had some liquid.

I must be tired, because this post is coming out more pathetically than it should. I got here. I will make my original flight to LA, despite the fact that it is delayed by 3 or so hours. I will still make my flight to Houston on Saturday - and that's the important part.

Good things:
+I got an aisle seat on the flight to Bangkok (I did have to pay for it, though...)
+and an emergency exit seat on the next, which meant limitless legroom! and they had movies too. and they fed me, and i felt like i had never been so hugnry in my life. like i said, in bangkok i had exactly 0 minutes to do anything
+ i have this sweet bag that's my carry-on that says "HAPPY VIRUS" on it. it's so cool that a security chick commented on it. yep, i have officially become asian.

....i've about run out.

Weird thing: I found out about this typhoon by reading a blog this morning in Chiang Mai. Tom's ex-roommate teaches English in Taiwan, and I saw her post, and I was like OH NO. I checked the Taiwan airport, but they said all my flights were on time, so I was like ??? Of course I get there and my noon flight is delayed until 10pm. The internets, both informative and not.

Before I forget, I had a real medical school moment - the first I've had in a long while - when we were talking about how much we skipped class/slept through it and I mentioned that in one of my classes in college a friend finally turned to me and asked me why I even came, since when I did show up I just ate a sandwich and then fell asleep. I told my friends the class was really interesting though, and they wanted to know which class, and I said "tumor biology! Cancer is really cool, actually." And I got a few sets of rolled eyes and an outright laugh. I forgot who I was with! It made me simaltaneously nostalgic for med sku and glad I've been away for a while. Haha.

OKAY I should probably go find out where my stupid gate is. Ugh. I am tired. I am going to get on this plane, find some free water, and then pass out.

UPDATE it is 1:45 am and we still have not left. They did this really funny trick where they put D8 on the monitor and then were like PSYCH! your gate is totally D9. I wanted to destroy them. There was a mass exodus to D9. Where we are all now sitting and staring at each other. I know there's a plane here....what on earth are we waiting for??

PS The reason I am updating this so much is because I have no reading material left. None. The shops are closed. I'm not counting my anatomy board review book. I'm not.