One day Shaggy entered the school gate with the students. It has happened before that one dog follows his owner, but when inquiries were made; Shaggy did not belong to anyone. In short, we adopted him.
He needed attendance from a vet and is receiving his vaccines. He walks in a “funny” way with one of his back legs as if he’d have had a joint injury, but it does not prevent him from running after the ball when students are playing futsal.
He now has a big family.
“First class is a category of luxury seating on a plane that has more space, comfort, and service than other seats, with amenities ranging from private suites to access to on-board showers.”
MMMmmmmmm, I’m yet to experience that!
My name has been called twice on the speaker before boarding my flight THE SAME DAY!
I always asked myself why some people’s names are called to the stand at an airport gate. That day I could say I was “calmly” enjoying my cup of tea at a nearby restaurant table and “relaxedly” having a conversation with family when I heard my name asking me to please go through the security check-point then to the gate; my flight was boarding.
Farewells are hard, but that announcement made it easier as I hurried to the electric scalator taking me to the waiting area. Once up there, I sat in one of the chairs, again “unconcernedly” and only focussed on my thoughts when I was called to board; I was the last person to get in the aircraft.
It’s not for a regular person like me to experience a flight to take off as soon as I got in; I felt important. HA HA HA! (not really!).
Another adventure I had to discover is that round trip flights are not always as simple as: from point A to point B and back to point A.
In the end; I did get back to my starting point, but looking something like: from point B to point C and even point D and then back to point A.
For reasons the airline only knows, in the course of my trip; the flight that was supposed to return me to my initial city of departure changed airway routes taking me to places I had not planned to be.
Only once I did get to do some sightseeing; the other occasions I just can say “I’ve been to that airport!” but it has been somewhat frustrating to be hours in a city without actually being in the city.
What will the next trip bring that was not in my plan? I will find out. It has been said that best moments happen when they are unplanned, but in particular I’m in favor for those in my agenda.
“Is there a Doctor on board that can help us assist a passenger?” was the announcement we heard from one of the flight attendants. One person volunteered and he went with some of the crew members amidst commotion and noisy whispering of the passengers. Next thing we were making an emergency landing; or in this case I think it’s called “Diversion”.
Once on land, paramedics took the passenger off the plane with what I’m sure it had to be a very serious medical condition, to an ambulance to a hospital.
Off we went on our way again, but arrival time was altered and modified; so I lost my connecting flight. The airline put me in another flight next day. I could spend more than twelve hours in the airport, but I was tired and decided instead spend the night at one of the airport’s hotels. It was expensive for me, but that night, after a good dinner (included with the room), a shower and a comfortable bed; I thought of the passenger spending that night in a hospital bed in a strange country. Did she have someone with her? Did she have money? Did she survive? I realized the incovenience of my budget variation and delayed hours to my final destination was nothing. I really had nothing to complain about. I slept with gratitude in my heart and my prayers for that unhealthy person.
All passengers were in our seats. For some reason that I don’t remember if it was announced or not; the plane did not take off on time and we remained seated…a long time. Some of us, began to stand up in the aile; perhaps tired or maybe as a sign of discomfort and complaint while one of the flight attendants kept going back to the PA system to ask passengers to “please return to your seats”.
When we were finally into the flight, they offered food for purchase. I debated in my mind if I really wanted to spend money, but I was hungry and still have many hours before reaching my final destination; so I ordered a turkey sandwich and a soft-drink. I saw one of the flight attendants coming row by row with the bank card swipe machine. When it was my turn, I was ready with my card in hand and to my surprise; she softly said “leave it there, this is on us”
I did not ask “why” audibly, but in my mind I have asked “why me?” over and over again and I don’t have an answer. As I took my belongings to start walking to the exit, I turned back to make eye contact with this unkown person who happened to do her work shift in the same flight with me that day and I said (lip-speaking) THANK YOU.
Immediately after the check-in operations, baggage pass through a system able to scan the barcodes in the suitcases. When you have a connecting flight, checked baggage is fowarded to your final destination and will change planes with you AS A GENERAL RULE! Then once in a while the exceptions come:
1.- I don’t know how it happened, nor was I given an explanation, but once my suitcases were sent to an airline different to my connecting flight. I wouldn’t have a problem with that if my baggage’s flight had the same arrival time than mine, but on that occasion it took a few days to finally get to me.
2.- Another time, I went to the baggage claim area with everybody and waited until the concourse stopped and there were no more luggage to in the carousel. As I approached an agent to report my missing baggage; there I saw my two suitcases behind the counter. I exclaimed “Those are mine!” He calmy said “Nobody claimed those from the flight before”
The airport is a place for two happy reunions following a period of separation; the first one with your luggge, the second one with family or friends. It’s a great thing to reencounter both.
The cost of overweight baggage has been a matter of great consideration when packing. Such charge took me by surprise as a college student when flying back home with clothes and all my bulky books. All of a sudden my undergraduate funds were significantly crushed. My travel budget today is STILL narrow and limited, so; on one occassion, the check-in officer voiced a rude suggestion “you can put all your excess weight in the garbage bin”
I had to crammed as much as I could in my small backpack and laptop bag. I felt helpless, frustrated, overweighted and uncomfortably to walk, but to some extent alleviated as well to go on with all my belongings which in the end the aircraft carried it all.
“WE SHOULD TRAVEL LIGHT AND LIVE SIMPLY. OUR ENEMY IS NOT POSSESSIONS BUT EXCESS.” -John Stott
After COVID airlines that used to allow 2 suitcases free of charge; now they have a tariff for the second one. Nothing to do with biosecurity, but with recovery of the economic loss during the pandemic. Since I intend to continue traveling by air; I must make changes in my thinking of what and how to pack.
There are two emotions one experiences when having connecting flights; one is of calmness IF there is enough time in between flights or a rush of panic if the departure is scheduled too close to arrival time. Landing and taxiing the airplane to the gate or even worse using a distant runway to relieve congestion takes time and it seems that every movement is in slow motion until the aircraft is totally stopped, doors opened and passengers blitz through the boarding bridge to different gates or baggage claim area; adding the fact that now one of the biosecurity protocols is to disembark row by row testing everyone’s patience!
I am familiar with both feelings. Yes, I have been in my seat desperated to deplane and directly run to the gate or to find a horribly long line for another carry-on bag security screening. At times making it as the last passenger to board and other times to only discover I was left behind.
One incident I remember from my first time missing my connecting flight was that I said “I lost my flight” which is the literal translation from Spanish. Sadly and truly the one lost thing is time with no refund or replacement and depending on the case, the budget is somewhat or greatly altered, but money comes and goes.
I have learned to book my flights with ample time. I prefer to wait, walk the airport from one end to the other, read, listen music, use the free 30-minute WiFi, write in my journal and sporadically enjoy a cheap, not-so-healthy snack.
Any piece of music is compose with intervals and rests (silent notes) and these are also needed to compose a life. Layovers at airports are some components to the music score of our lives.
Andres SGV17's Weblog 