Yesterday I wrote that change is bittersweet; it’s so true. Today I had four different flights to catch. Knowing today’s transportation systems, I should have known better than to think it would happen problem-free. I made my Florence flight to Rome without a problem. The sleep I got on it was great; I’d only slept 5 hours last night. I arrived at Rome ten minutes early and made my way to my gate. Then the chaos started. First the flight was only delayed 15 minutes; then an hour and 15 minutes; then it was cancelled altogether.
Normally this would have driven me crazy. I remember a flight two summers ago being cancelled and causing me to get to a conference late. I stressed all day about all of the details and in the end it worked out OK. Because of experiences like that, however, I despise airports.
Italy taught me to “go with the flow” this semester. Using the walking power I built up over the semester in Florence, I calmly beat almost everyone on my flight to the ticket counter at the other end of the terminal. There’s a Lufthansa flight that leaves at 12:55pm (almost four hours after mine was supposed to leave). Alitalia wrote out the transfer slip and I, along with two new traveling companions for this leg of the trip (one from Germany and one from India) got our new boarding passes and made our way to our new gate.
I don’t know what awaits me in Frankfurt. My bags will have been on three different airline carriers when I get home, so I’m not betting on them making it with me. If they do: great; if not: that’s OK as well. When I get there I’ll arrive 40 minutes after my flight to Chicago is scheduled to leave. American may still put me on a flight to Chicago – or they may do one to DFW – or they may do something completely different: who knows! In any case, I’m anxious to get home, but I’m also remarkably stress-free at the moment. It may just be the lack of sleep, or it may be that I changed this semester.
Speak Your Mind
You must be logged in to post a comment.