Welcome back...

So, I can't tell if the guy in the window seat of my aisle is just kooky or if I make him nervous. He keeps getting up to find another seat. Blond(ish) western woman...ha! I've already got them running for the back of the plane to get away from me.

The flight attendant just brought him back to his seat, and he begrudgingly struck up a conversation with me. Ok, maybe it's not me. Or what I look like. He's an engineer. From Bangladesh. His mother is dying and he and his sister, who lives in Atlanta, were considering moving her to Singapore. It is a small, small world. He's shorter than I and sure squirrely. He reminds me of Digger from the cartoon Shirt Tales, not sure anyone will remember that one.

He moved to another seat once and for all. No complaints. I'll stretch out in my 3 seats for sure. The flight attendant touched my on my shoulder and revealed that she'd moved him on my behalf. She just couldn't do that to me. Her name is Hayet, which means life. She's from Austria, but originally Algeria. She just came back to offer me a drink. Pre-flight. Apparently, they have quite a selection. Wow, do I look like a drinker? Don't answer that. She admitted that she was on the tired side herself. She'd spent the night clubbing in the city. She's wearing pearl earrings, her hair pulled back in a bun. Professional. Welcoming.

The emblem of Qatar Airways is the oryx, similar to an antelope, and is also the name of the in-flight magazine. The airline itself reaches to quite a number of international destinations. Launched in 1997, it will begin flying its longest flight on March 30th to Houston, "linking the energy capitals of the world--Doha and
Houston," according to the CEO Akbar Al Baker. I have never thought about Houston being one of the energy capitals of the world. Hmm.

The magazine is ingenius. Written in two languages, English and Arabic, the magazine starts off in English, as we read English. Front to back. Left to right. The back of it is written in reverse order and in Arabic, as it is read. The middle of the magazine is a mirror, on the left the last page in English, on the right the very same final page in Arabic. Maybe I'm an idiot, but it just seemed brilliant to me. Capitalizing on both markets, neither impacted or distracted by multiple translation.

So, each time the captain comes on the PA, he pronounces Qatar Airways like Kotter Airways. Not like Vinny Barbarino, Mr. KotTERRR, per se, but evocative of the t.v. show nonetheless. I've been saying KaTAR, not Kotter. They should use the theme song while loading in passengers!