Saturday, August 20, 2011

Airport Adventures

So, I'm supposed to be in Szeged already with my new family, going over first night questions and trying to fall asleep. Instead, I'm sitting in JFK, where I've been for the past 15 hours.

My flight to Salt Lake City went pretty well. I was in the back of the plane next to the bathroom but it wasn't that bad. When we landed I managed to find my gate pretty easily and continued to cry on the way there and while sitting at the gate. When we all got on the plane to JFK, we had to wait on the tarmac for a little over an hour because there were lines of planes waiting to leave. We finally got in the air and it was a four hour flight. They told us we had to land 50 minutes away in Hartford, Connecticut because the weather was so bad and there were no available gates at JFK.

We sat at Hartford in the middle of the tarmac for I think four hours. I boarded the plane at 10 a.m. CA time and got off the plane at 7 p.m. CA time. While we were sitting at Hartford, we couldn't get off the plane because we didn't have a gate. I sat in my seat and cried and called my mom and the emergency number of the travel agency. They told me to stay on the plane until it gets to JFK and they'll book me another flight.

I got to JFK at 10 p.m. NY time and a flight attendant took me and another guy to a room where they keep unaccompanied minors. I tried not to cry and texted my mom to call the travel agent to see if I could get a hotel. The travel agent called Delta's reservations desk and they said they couldn't keep me in that room and would get me a hotel. However, the ladies at the unaccompanied minor's room kept saying I wasn't of legal age to get a room anyway and I had to stay there because I was 17. My mom talked to one of the ladies, and she was SO rude to my mom. There were about four women yelling at me and telling me I couldn't get a hotel room no matter what the travel agent was saying.

Eventually, I gave up. A nicer lady came in and asked me if I wanted to change my clothes and get something to eat. I told her yes, and I ate a panini. Once I was in my pajamas, I went and laid down in my cot. They couldn't turn the lights off for some reason, so the room was fully lit. They also worked in the room we were in and the room next to it through out the night, so there was always someone talking or a phone ringing. I slept from 2 a.m. to 11 a.m. Even though it was horrible, it made me feel a little bit better.

When I woke up, they told me I could take a shower in their VIP club. I showered, brushed my teeth and hair, and felt so much better. I've had a headache, leg aches, and a back ache ever since the plane from Salt Lake, but I just bought Advil to feel better. I haven't cried yet today and I feel a lot better. I emailed my host family to tell them what was going on and they said not to worry and that they're waiting for me and they love me :). I talked to Melissa and she said it was the first time she's seen something like this happen to a student. While I'm glad to know I'll be of help to anyone this happens to in the future, I wish I wouldn't have gone through it.

So now I'm sitting at my gate at American Airlines. They've been so much nicer than Delta.. nearly everyone I've talked to has noticed my blazer and knows I'm a Rotary student. At Delta, I was never asked once while I was there, only where I was going. I have 3 hours until my plane boards, so I think I'm going to watch some TV on Hulu and then maybe Rent if I have time. The wait here isn't so bad, especially considering what I went through yesterday!

I'm so glad to be hours away from boarding. It's been such a long night and day and I can't wait to arrive. I know it's going to be so much better finally seeing my family since I've gone through all of this! Next post will DEFINITELY be from Hungary :).

1 comment:

  1. Oh goodness! That is horrible, sucks you had to go through all that! I guess it will make a good story one day!
    Best wishes for when you finally get to Hungary!
    Julia from CS :)

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