Journal 1
Sunday - 01-16-11
Well… It's Sunday, the 16th of January… I'm FINALLY back in Moscow, after what was supposed to be a 12 day trip in the US turned into a 14 day one (details below), and I'm sitting here on Day 2 back in Moscow, staring down my first attempt to Journal since my return!
Last night/this morning was spent posting up online the zillions of photos I took while in the US (Yes, "zillions" is TOTALLY a scientific term… *shifty eyes*); so today should be about writing… In theory, anyway…
[2-16-11 Note - One month later, and I've finally come back to start working on my journals, and this one journal entry has about tripled in size… Before I've even FINISHED it… Shoot, I've just been writing the 12th-14th of January!! Plus the previous description of the 15th as being all about posting photos… Of course, now this note is just extra blathering, so, on with the show!]
And returning… It was an adventure in and of itself!!!
January 12:
After a sleepless night of making cookies (From 10:15 PM until 3:30 AM) to send to two different states, two different countries, and to the pharmacy my mutti works in; packing (Which didn't start until after 3:30 AM, and I was planning to leave the house at 8:30 AM…!); and making sure that my head was still on my shoulders…
… Bad weather cancelled the first leg of my 3-leg flight back to Moscow!! (IND-Newark ; Newark-Dusseldorf; Dusseldorf-Moscow) The weird thing was, the flight was never delayed. It simply went from being, "On-Time," to "Cancelled." Thankfully, Papa checked the status one last time, before we got in the car to leave!
Still, the bad news left my parents worried and stressed out, which never leaves me feeling good. I'm probably the most mellow traveller you'll ever meet -- so all I did was beat it to finding whatever number I needed to call, in order to get re-scheduled, before *everyone else* found out that the flight had been cancelled.
About a half an hour or so later, I was all re-scheduled for the next day, and I felt better… So naturally, I made plans to get back up to Purdue and go see everyone again! (Namely, my best friend, Yitian.) (But only after mutti left for work!)
**********
When I met up with Yitian again, she had a rather funny story to tell me… Two of them, really -- both related to my flight having been cancelled.
Story 1 -- Yuehwern (You-when) and Daniel (two of our other friends whom I visited in a smaller get-together) went out to a restaurant with a group of the dancers after practice before coming back to see Yitian and I, and our friend Johnson. While there, they had apparently joked, "We need to find a way to get Caitlan's flight tomorrow cancelled, so that she will stay with us!!!"
Story 2 -- Yitian had been saying her prayers that evening, before going to bed, and was expressing her thanks that I had been able to visit, and that we had been able to spend time together; but she also mentioned that she wished I didn't have to go so soon…
… Imagine her surprise, then, when I called her the next morning, and told her I was stuck in the US! She said that as soon as we got off the phone, she looked Heaven-wards, and said, "That's not what I meant!!! … But thanks!"
Ha ha ha ha! Friends. =^___^=
*****
I was so completely thrilled to have another day to spend with them, and the niceties just kept adding up!
When I had been there for my original visit, Johnson and Yuehwern spoiled me *rotten* with Chinese/Asian food goodies (instant milk tea, Boba pearls, and the straws to drink them with!!), because they knew I couldn't get any of those things here in Moscow! It was so kind of them! They really just gave me everything they had, because, "…We can go get more!" They had hoped I could spend the night, and then go grocery shopping the next day, but because I thought I had to fly the next morning, I couldn't…
… Then, I got to come back to visit again, and when I returned, Yuehwern gave me a beautiful pair of portable chopsticks! This is to say, that they are, "collapsible." Each chopstick is comprised of two pieces that screw together, and they come in a pretty little case! She picked up a few pairs when she was last in Taiwan. It's part of a "green" movement that has been going on. If people bring their own chopsticks to restaurants: a. they know that their chopsticks are clean; b. restaurants don't have to waste water washing so many pairs of chopsticks; and/or c. restaurants don't waste materials on throw-away chopsticks!
I had actually been joking to her, regarding the chopsticks, when she asked if there were any other supplies that I needed. Yitian had mentioned them to me, and I thought they sounded neat -- but I hadn't seriously expected her to give me a pair! It was so kind and thoughtful of her, I was just speechless! I felt very loved. =^___^= So, if you are reading, Yuehwern -- you're the best!! And thank you so very much!!
**********
January 13
After being blessed with one more "reprieve" evening, the next day, I was trying to check in for my flight -- but the regional carrier said I wasn't on their manifest…! Worried, but not yet alarmed, I called my main carrier, with whom I'd booked my flights, and re-scheduled. They assured me that I was in their system, but could only get checked in at the airport. … It didn't make much sense, but I figured I'd roll with it…
Enter my mutti taking me to the airport; arriving at the airport counter; and being told I was not on any of the manifests, and there was no way I could fly out that day!!
I got re-booked to fly THE NEXT DAY, and mutti and I headed home. The whole way, mutti was grumbling about how the whole trip had been for nothing, and what if more bad weather came through the next day and cancelled my flights again, etc., etc., etc.. I smiled and gently teased her, "You'll be sorry when you are driving back from the airport tomorrow, and I'm not in the car with you. Why don't you just enjoy it today?"
She grumbled a little bit more, for good measure -- I don't think she wanted to admit to me that I was completely spot-on in my observation!
*****
When I got home, as I thought about the stories Yitian had shared with me, about everyone praying I wouldn't leave, or that my flights would be cancelled, I hopped on Facebook to post the following message to everyone:
"Never doubt what the power of impassioned thought from many people can accomplish. To wit - you guys win: I didn't get out of the country today either!! And not because the flight was cancelled, either. Oh, Life."
Everyone got a kick out of that.
Yitian took the cake for reactions, however. I called her, and the first words out of her mouth after I merely said, "Guess what?" were:
"Oh, Good Good -- AGAIN?!?!"
Yitian, I absolutely adore you. =^___^= She has the absolute BEST reactions, when it comes to travel items that involve me. Some of the brightest gems involve our time in China together -- but those are stories for another time...
**********
January 14
The next day started bright and early, with a life endurance medical exam that was more difficult to obtain than a snowball in Hades --
[Short Version: I'd call the company/my insurance people, say I was leaving the country soon, let's schedule this! They would respond by not calling me back for some odd days, and then trying to schedule on whatever day I was leaving the country. -- Eventually, we managed to work something out, thanks to my being stuck in the US for two extra days, but only at the last minute [AGAIN]; and even then, the woman running my exam was half an hour late! Although they knew I had a flight to catch that morning!
The bright spots?
1. I should now have life insurance, so that if something unfortunate should happen to my, my parents will be protected from student loan people coming after them.
2. The lady taking some measurements (For BMI, I imagine), and exclaiming, "A 25 inch waist!! Oh my! I remember when my waist was 25 inches…"
3. Said lady taking a good, long look at me, gave me some beautifully kind words, about her being sure of my success in Life, and that God had blessed me, and that she would pray that it should continue to be so. It was awfully heartwarming, and quite unexpected!!!! But, so it goes with Life's gifts; you never know when they will come to you!!]
-- and after that was finally taken care of, Mutti and I were off for the airport! I'm pleased to say that everything went fine, I got checked in, passed through security (got my first pat-down, because I forgot a gum wrapper in my pocket!), and went to wait at my gate.
Naturally, when Mutti returned home, she had this to say, via Facebook:
"Sigh…..back from the airport, this time Caitlan did not return with me, she went through the departure gate to start her odyssey to Moscow, Russia. Safe trip little one. I miss you already."
Of course, I had to be a smart-aleck, and gave her a very gently-teasing, "I told you so!" phone call, when I saw the message, after getting back to Moscow.
*****
I made it to Newark without incident… … But after arriving, the following happened (shared, courtesy of Facebook):
"Had a bit of a heart attack here at Newark. I handed over my boarding pass thing I was given in IN when I had been rescheduled -- and then I was told by the agent that she didn't see me on the flight!!
"I need to talk to the office." And she disappeared.
When she came back, she started working again, without saying anything to me. Naturally, I asked, "I am on the flight???"
"Oh," she looked surprised that I was asking a question, "Yeah." And she went right back to working.
One heart attack moment later, I'm sitting at the gate, thank God."
*****
While sitting at the gate, I called Yitian, for one last conversation.
We joked (about how, now that my dance partner has seen her and me together, through Skype, he will probably tease us about being lovers, as most of our guy friends already have/do), talked about dance (and how I wish I had sharper cheek-bones, like the Russian girls), and covered a million other, random things, before it was time for me to say, "I love you," and hang up.
You'd think that would be the end of it.
… But you forget who you're talking to!!
Not 5 seconds after I'd hung up with Yitian, a gorgeous, middle-aged, blonde woman (with beautiful cheekbones!) touched my arm to get my attention.
"Excuse me," she said, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop -- but I just wanted you to know, there is nothing wrong with your cheeks!!!"
I almost died laughing on the spot! How I wished Yitian could have heard that, or been there for it!!! (I think she was Polish. Which explained her gorgeous face.)
The whole situation was twice as funny, however, because she only mentioned my cheeks; as though she hadn't heard every other bizarre thing she'd heard me say in my side of the conversation I was having on the phone -- which would probably have been enough to keep your average person from striking up a conversation with me!
[Namely, all the, "We'll have to tell him we slept together all the time while we were roommates," type jokes. Of course, Yitian and I literally mean sleeping/taking naps, but for all of our guy buddies who for some reason want to think of us as sleeping together, well… It's not difficult to see how they would interpret that sentence.]
**********
In sum, I've always said that, if I'm traveling internationally, something ALWAYS happens. (This has been proved through France, China, and Russia, now.)
Whether it's delays (France); ticket issues (China, Russia), wondering if I've become stranded / not meeting up with people where I thought I would (US->Russia / China), or randomly meeting people (The Men's Amateur Volleyball Team of Costa Rica (coming back from China), Cheek Lady (going to Russia)) -- I never lack for a circumstance that makes for a great story when all is said and done!
I must say though, the two day delay, and nearly getting stuck in Newark has certainly been the topper of the "bad" circumstances -- but at least, when I was truly stuck, I was stuck at home (and thus, got more time to see my loved ones)!!!
**********
Finally, as of January 15th, I could say:
"I got back to Moscow safe and sound. My thanks to everyone who started praying that I'd get OUT of the country, instead of praying that I'd stay IN it! =^_~=" ~Via Facebook
-- Note the nod to all the people whom I knew had been wishing I could stay/wouldn't leave/etc. I really did, after the second day I was made to stay in the US, start asking my friends and family to STOP wishing I would stay, and START wishing for a successful flight back to Moscow! I truly believe in the power of thoughts and prayers -- obviously, after reading this account of my attempt to get back to Russia, you can see why!!!
*********************************************
No comments:
Post a Comment