The Sleep Pod

The sign that hooked me in. 

I was exhausted! Physically and mentally exhausted! It was my last week of school and we were moving. It was a week of many good-byes, preparing for the next counselor, sorting items, discarding items, selling items, moving items, packing 3 months worth of clothes and documents into two suitcases each until our shipment arrived in our new location, and preparing mentally for the next chapter in my and my family's lives. Eleanor and the boys had left 3 days prior on a plane to the U.S. to begin the summer. I viewed my plane ride as the, "Light at the end of the tunnel," regarding my week. With Eleanor and the boys gone, I was averaging 3 hours of sleep a night. With no family at home, and an empty house since the movers took all our belongings, what was there to go home to? So, I just stayed at work late, where I had high speed internet and I cleaned my office (A Herculean feat in itself). During those late nights into the wee hours in my office I discovered that YouTube carries a lot of full length concerts of many of my favorite musical artists and NPR's (National Public Radio) Tiny Desk Concert Series on YouTube (Or you can check out the website at: http://www.npr.org/series/tiny-desk-concerts/). The Tiny Desk Concert Series is great! A lot of good music!

The day had come for me to depart. First flight: Muscat to Abu Dhabi, 5am. I boarded the plane, sat down, and the next thing I remembered was the flight attendant waking me up to inform me that we were about to land in Abu Dhabi. I had no idea that the plane had even taken off! I typically don't get restful sleep on planes, but this was an exception. I was thankful for the hour long rest.

Groggily, I deplaned and made my way through the sparkling, gleaming Terminal 1 of Abu Dhabi International Airport. As I was approaching the gate for my connecting flight to Washington D.C., I noticed a sign to my right that had the word, "Sleep" in it and something futuristic close to it, an enclosed somewhat oblong capsule. Something one might see on the Starship Enterprise or Millennium Falcon. I got closer and I saw the sign, it was an area that contained sleep pods.

Sleep Pods

The attendant working the sleep pod area informed me that sleeping in the pods was free and that one could rent a pod for up to four hours. Free is in my price range and I was exhausted, therefore, I was up for something that would assist me in my quest for a quiet place to sleep until my plane was ready to board.

I signed up for a pod and I was quickly taken to one. I entered the pod and I noticed that it had a compartment to accommodate luggage and was long enough to accommodate someone who is 6'2. If one is claustrophobic I would not encourage using the pod.

The attendant then showed me how to open and close the pod. Once I got settled after she closed it, I slept, it worked! There is an alarm in the sleep pod, but mine didn't work. I used the alarm on my phone and I'm glad I did or I may have used the four hour sleep pod allotment.

The Sleep Pod. The next time you are somewhere that has one, check it out, it works!

The remaining room I had left at the bottom of the sleep pod.