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Notes from a Long Layover at Pudong Airport

Busan, South Korea - Pudong, Shanghai - Frankfurt, Germany

There are no direct flights from Busan to Germany, so traveling west always comes with a pause somewhere in between. This time, instead of passing through Incheon, I found myself in Shanghai, waiting out a long layover at Pudong International Airport.

I flew with China Eastern Airlines. The ticket was surprisingly affordable, and it allowed two checked luggages of 23 kilograms each ⎯ a quiet relief, considering I am no longer traveling lightly. I am moving, not visiting. Germany is not a destination this time, but a place to live. 

From Frankfurt, I will still need to take a train to reach my final city, but after developing a fear of flying in recent years, I don't mind extending the journey on the ground. Trains feel kinder to the nervous system.

Shanghai is new to me. The air is cool but not cold, around 12 degrees. I will only be here for a little over five hours, most of it spent inside the airport, yet even brief encounters with unfamiliar places spark a quiet curiosity. Airports, especially new ones, always do.


Shanghai Pudong International Airport


A Small, Personal Miracle

Something unexpected happened today. Since 2018, I have struggled with a growing fear of flying. Strangely, the more often I flew, the worse it became. Tight breathing, racing heart, dizziness ⎯ turbulence over the sea once lodged itself deeply in my memory.

Before today's flight, I braced myself for the unusual tension. But when the plane entered the stretches I usually fear most, I felt... calm. No pounding heart. No spiraling thoughts. Even during sudden changes in altitude, my body stayed still. I read a book. I didn't feel nauseous. When the plane shook, I simply thought, This will pass, and it did.

I don't know what changed. Maybe the pilot had an exceptionally smooth hand. Maybe the Masayoshi Takanaka album playing in my headphones softened something inside me. Maybe all those small mental exercises ⎯ imagining turbulence while riding trains and buses ⎯ finally worked. Or maybe my mother's quiet prayers reached me somewhere above the clouds.

We arrived in Shanghai earlier than scheduled, nearly thirty minutes ahead of time. I stepped off the plane wondering if the longer flight to Germany might feel just as gentle.



Walking, Eating, Waiting

Pudong Airport is vast. Even after landing, the plane continued taxiing for what felt like ages. The walk to the transfer area was long, followed by another stretch to security. All together, the process took about twenty minutes. I was layered in heavy winter clothes, carrying too much with me, and by the time I was done, hunger had arrived with certainty.

On the fourth floor, after circling the food court a few times, I chose a Japanese ramen place called Mutekiya(无敌家). The miso ramen cost 69 yuan, and I finished nearly every drop of the broth. I've been careful with meat and flour lately, but days like this feel like exactly what restraint is for.

After eating, I walked. Slowly, then steadily. I once read that a short walk after a meal helps redirect energy away from harmful cells and toward the muscles. Whether or not that's scientifically precise, it feels right. The terminal was quiet ⎯ a weekday evening lull ⎯ and the calm made the long layover feel lighter.


Meal at Mutekiya




A Temporary Desk near Gate G121

Near Gate G121, I found an unexpected gift: a nearly empty seating area with power outlets and enought quiet to think. I opened my laptop. I wrote. I charged everything here that needed charging. Time passed quickly. Two and a half hours dissolved into sentences and small tasks.

Soon, there will be twelve more hours in the air. I hope to sleep through most of it and wake up somewhere closer to my new life.


Desk area near Gate G121


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