I have a true talent; however, my talent is more like a misfortune. It may even be a curse. I have the worst experiences at airports. Every time I go to the airport, there is bound to be a problem. My trip to Ireland wasn't any different.
I eagerly arrived at Logan International Airport in Boston ready for my trip. It was raining, but I figured delays would be minimal. I was wrong. Of course I was wrong. I am not able to have a smooth flight..ever. I ended up boarding the plane an hour late. I thought that would be fine because my delay in Newark was scheduled for over two hours. Well, the plane was on the runway about to finally leave when an announcement comes over the loud speaker informing us that the plane was turning around. The reason? Not weather, but a mechanical error. Just my luck.
The plane ended up landing in Newark about twenty minutes before my next plane was scheduled to leave. I intensely watched the clock as people fled out off the plane. When I finally got into the airport I had 10 minutes to get to my next gate, so I just started running. I started at gate 80 and ran all the way to 128. I hadn't really trained for an airport marathon, so it took me, my heavy backpack, and my suitcase, 7 minutes to get to gate 128. As I'm approaching the gate, a woman yells to me asking if I'm going to Dublin. I yell back that I am, and she starts heading to the plane to see if I can still get on. Face flushed, stressed out, and three minutes before take off, I think I still have a chance. The woman hurries back out to the desk and tells me that I am unable to board the plane.
Now that I am a professional at airport disasters, I know exactly where to find a customer service desk and how to get my way. I furiously wait in a short line, ahead of at least four more people from my plane who also missed my flight. I was ready to put up a good fight and demand a new flight. Luckily, I didn't need to. I told the customer service representative that I needed to get to Dublin. I hand her the boarding pass to my missed flight. To my delight, there is one seat left on the next plane to Dublin. It leaves at 9:55 pm, only two hours away. I was originally supposed to have a two hour layover anyways. I happily accept the new boarding pass and wait it out.
I arrive in Dublin right on time. Going through customs was a breeze, even if the man I dealt with was a grump. It began to look like my luck was beginning to change. I enter baggage claim, and hear my name being called. I turned around out of reaction, not thinking that someone was actually talking to me. It was my friend Brittany! I had been in Ireland for 10 minutes, and I already saw a familiar face. What a relief. I get my bags and with my friend, we head to find someone waiting for us with a Champlain College sign. We didn't find him at first, but what you are told when you are 5 and lost stays true in the real world. If you're lost, stay put. That's exactly what we did and 15 minutes later I find myself in a taxi on the way to my new apartment.
So, here I am. Safe and sound in Ireland.
Here is a YouTube video that makes light of people like me, who get angry at the airport. Enjoy!
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