To celebrate the transition into my 3L year, I decided to visit D in Texas for a few days. The trip started off to be an annoyance.
My flight left at 7:00 AM, so I had to wake up pretty early. I drove to Chicago the night before so the commute to Midway airport would only be 20 minutes from my parents’ house. I booked the tickets a couple of months ago, and got an inexpensive fare flying Southwest Airlines. I boarded the airplane under the “B” class, and with Southwest Airlines’ “open seating” policy, I was forced to sit in a middle seat. In addition, the woman in front of me decided to change her cell phone ring while boarding. She literally went through at least 20 rings trying to decide which ring she preferred. It was really annoying. Also, the oldest flight attendant could not have been more than 30 years old. More so, they were all wearing shorts and no ties; they spoke with chewing gum in their mouths. They were rude.
Once I landed in Texas, however, everything drastically improved. I landed in Austin a little past 1 P.M., so D and I had the whole day to visit the city. We started by seeing the state capital. Two massive Texan distinctions jumped out at me: (1) every statue in Texas has a gun or cannon, and (2) the birds in Texas walk more than they fly.
After the capital, we visited the UT campus, walking endlessly. Throughout the journey, I was showing my UT pride by randomly displaying the long-horn finger sign thingie to students. I bought a t-shirt at the Co-op, and as a result, I now proudly identity as part Long-horn. I plan on organizing a day at the law school next term where all Longhorns can wear a UT shirt.
We visited San Antonio on the ride from Austin to Del Rio. We stopped at the Alamo (most impressive), and walked along the River Walk (totally bunk). Maybe my River Walk experience would have been better if it were night.
I visited two border-towns in Texas: Del Rio and Eagle Pass, and their Mexican border cities, Ciudad Acuña and Piedras Negras, respectively. These are considered the safer border-towns. Sure, there were some shady characters, but you’ll find shadiness everywhere. I was able to practice my Spanish, eat phenomenal Mexican cuisine, and speak with border control officers. As much as I wanted to identify as a “Citizen of the World,” I bit my tongue and identified as a “U.S. Citizen” instead.
All in all, this trip was one of the best get-a-ways I have had in a very long time. It was an outstanding historical and cultural experience, and I am grateful to D and her family for providing me with such an enjoyable visit.
As with any trip that I take, there was drama – major drama. Going through security at the Austin International Airport while leaving Texas for Chicago, security forces stopped for 20 minutes because of a suspicious object in my carry-on backpack. The officers discussed for 15 minutes what they should do with my backpack. They ran it through the machine at least half a dozen times. To speed along the process (the incident was stopping security inspection in my lane), I told the officers “I give you permission to open my bag.” I understand that the officers have the right and duty to inspect my carry-on bag, but I said it to speed things up. At that moment, the inspectors and their boss laughed as if they were at a college bar, sarcastically and obnoxiously saying, “Well thank goodness you give us permission!” I felt completely embarrassed, while their lack of professionalism made me rather furious.
During the hand-inspection of my bag, they found the troubled object . . . my [sharp, deadly, unsafe] silver Westlaw thermos filled with coffee.
After I passed inspection, I went to the administrative desk and asked for an FTA comment card. The supervisor on duty asked me if I would like to speak with the main FTA supervisor. I met with him, and I shared with him my outrage. He seemed semi-sympathetic, but more apathetic than sympathetic . . . I think I’ll write a letter, too.
: 11:00 a.m. 