I consider myself a planner. I like to know what lies ahead, and I like to be in control. Planning this move to Kigali has been hard because I don’t really know what to plan and what to expect. So, I resigned myself to the fact that I would get on the plane, then show up in Kigali and I would just “go with the flow”.
Well, even that got interrupted! Today as I got off my first flight to Washington DC, I knew there was a short layover of less than an hour, but I did not panic. I have traveled a lot, and I figured it would be ok. I walked off the plane, took a right, found a monitor and realized I was going in the wrong direction and needed to head back all the way to the other end of the C terminal. Took a quick stop in the restroom to fix my dried out blurry contacts, and then walked straight to the gate. No one was in line, no boarding or final boarding call, the door was shut. I missed my flight.
I am grateful I don’t often experience the emotions that happened next. Panic, fear, frustration, anger. At myself, at United, at life. In the hours that followed I found that there is ONE flight per day between Washington DC and Brussels, and there is ONE flight every TWO days from Brussels to Kigali. Ugh!
Over an hour to get my flights rebooked, and several phone calls later, I am safe and sound at a hotel, and will be spending the next 2 days in DC.
After the panic and anger faded, I tried to find the positive in what seems like a terrible beginning to my year in Rwanda.
I have a whole day to myself tomorrow. No deadlines, no appointments, nothing to pack, no one to see. Just me and God. Maybe this could be good?! Or great!
So tomorrow I spend the day in DC, our country’s capital, taking in one last bite of America before I leave for 10 months. I am excited and looking forward to this turn in my adventure.
And on Wednesday I will be showing up really really really really early for my flight. :)
Sounds a lot like my flight to Italy! I had 55 minutes between flights, and my connecting flight was late arriving. I've never raced through an airport like that before - in flip flops none the less! Somehow I made it, but it was so close. A day in DC sounds awesome.
ReplyDeleteI think God knew you needed to take a deep breath and rest as He always seems to put in those stop-breaks when WE need them even if we don't know it at the time. Hugs!
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