Ben Hart
Our journey really begins as we board the impressive Emirates A380, only to be mustered into the rather underwhelming cattle-class. The almost unpalatable realisation of the arduous 17 hour slog awaiting us was sweetened ever so slightly by the extensive collection of just about everything in the Emirates entertainment system. Having landed in Dubai, we relaxed in the knowledge that we had successfully left school behind.
However, my favourite Latin teacher Mr Buckingham had other ideas: including forcing us two fifth formers to brave the second term Latin exam, which we would be sitting in the airport itself, sustained only by the 6:30AM pizza. The examination was interspersed with multiple consultations of the 2017 edition of the Buckingham Latin Dictionary and frequent yawning episodes.
Exam completed, we made our way to the 777 aircraft via an airport transport system which rivalled that of the whole of Auckland! We were crammed into a bus with no seats, which meandered through the airport's motorway system before pulling alongside our aircraft.
Upon our egress from the bus, the overwhelming 45C heat enveloped each one of us. As we were waiting outside on the steps, we dreamt of the cool refuge which would be afforded by the interior of the plane.
The flight itself from Dubai to Athens proved somewhat interesting. As we ascended away from DBX, we caught a glimpse of the towering Burj Khalifa, which puts the surrounding skyscrapers to shame. Later in the flight, as we discretely skirted around Iraq and Syria, we soared past the similarly small-looking Egyptian pyramids.
And so, our Athenian adventure begins: with a brief glance at our passports by Greek customs officials who appeared more interested in having a good old chinwag with their colleagues!
However, my favourite Latin teacher Mr Buckingham had other ideas: including forcing us two fifth formers to brave the second term Latin exam, which we would be sitting in the airport itself, sustained only by the 6:30AM pizza. The examination was interspersed with multiple consultations of the 2017 edition of the Buckingham Latin Dictionary and frequent yawning episodes.
Exam completed, we made our way to the 777 aircraft via an airport transport system which rivalled that of the whole of Auckland! We were crammed into a bus with no seats, which meandered through the airport's motorway system before pulling alongside our aircraft.
Upon our egress from the bus, the overwhelming 45C heat enveloped each one of us. As we were waiting outside on the steps, we dreamt of the cool refuge which would be afforded by the interior of the plane.
The flight itself from Dubai to Athens proved somewhat interesting. As we ascended away from DBX, we caught a glimpse of the towering Burj Khalifa, which puts the surrounding skyscrapers to shame. Later in the flight, as we discretely skirted around Iraq and Syria, we soared past the similarly small-looking Egyptian pyramids.
And so, our Athenian adventure begins: with a brief glance at our passports by Greek customs officials who appeared more interested in having a good old chinwag with their colleagues!