The incredibly long lines, constant requests for identification, people with rubber gloves sifting through luggage and inquiries from the national guard form an unsettling combination that embody the American flying experience following last month's terrorist attacks.
No one really has any room to complain about increased security measures, and most of us are grateful for the attention paid to our safety, but it remains a jarring experience and one more illustration of how much life has changed now that our country is at war.
While I was in line with a friend at an airport fast food restaurant Wednesday, a woman asked me if I was on her flight.
When she told me which city she was heading to, I told her no and asked why she wanted to know.
She replied that she and her family were just checking to see who was on their flight so that they could talk with them and develop a plan in case their plane was hijacked. My friend thought she was joking but her words had a certain ring of fear and sincerity that stuck with me.
I wasn't the first to fly since Sept. 11 and won't be the last. Many students and faculty left town for Fall Break, so I am sure I am not the only one who felt uncomfortable standing in line, waiting for my turn to show my identification for the fifth time that day.
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Perhaps it is such an awkward experience because I come from a generation that has never lived through a war waged in my country. I have only really known that most days I could arrive at the airport 45 minutes before my flight and breeze right through. Even on international flights, I had never seen the luggage I checked in get X-rayed, much less the rubber-glove treatment.
I am not angry or upset. Just like many other Americans, I guess I am still adjusting to a very frightening, rude awakening.
Iliana Lim¢n
Editor in chief
