ABSTRACT
Johanna is waiting for her flight, sitting at her gate among a crowd of people. She never liked airports. Airports are weird places: They contain mostly people who are strangers to each other, and who are constantly on the move, coming and going. Johanna feels uncomfortable and intimidated by the strangers around her. The couple sitting behind her are arguing, not especially loudly, but loudly enough that she can hear every word they say. Johanna has been trying to read, but she decides to give up on her book because she cannot concentrate with everything going on around her. She puts her book down, reaches into her backpack and takes out her iPod. She then puts her headphones on and turns her music up so that she can stop paying attention to the couple’s angry conversation.
