Bumped back to Blythewood

Hola desde Blythewood! (No estoy in Chile)

I should have known when I made it through security that it was going to go downhill from there (I’m notorious for getting stopped). So I make it through security just fine and grab a bite to eat and head to my gate, take a seat and grabbed my book.

My flight was scheduled to leave Charlotte at 6:50, arrive in Miami at 9:15ish, and then leave for Santiago, Chile at 11:50.

The plane came in, people got off, and everything seemed to be normal. Then, the pilots and flight attendants got off and the pilot and mentioned to the ticket agent that they had some problems and the plane needed maintenance before we could go anywhere.

About that same time, I got a call on my cell from a 1-800 number. I answered it, and it was American Airlines calling. The lady told me that my flight from Miami to Santiago had been cancelled, but there was a flight an hour later out of Miami. Did I want to be booked on it? Only with a little bit of freaking out (I’m traveling by myself), I agreed to be on that flight.

I wasn’t sure if the lady on the phone actually booked my flight, so I walked to the counter at the gate to make sure. About that same time, she made an announcement on the intercom that there was a 90% chance our flight would be cancelled out of Charlotte because the plane needed major work. So now, I really started freaking out. I’m by myself, in Charlotte, at an airport, and now I’m stuck.

On top of that, the American Airlines lady was not helpful at ALL. She told me what I already knew: I was stuck. There was no other flight on any airline that went to Miami that night. I was trying to get to Santiago by Sunday (today), because we have orientation on Monday. I ended up calling my parents and letting them deal with it (haha) and they got me booked for a flight that leaves from Charlotte to Miami tonight at 6:15. I went to wait for my luggage, and my parents told me do not leave without it. It was arranged that my brother’s girlfriend was going to pick me up, since she lives so close to the airport in Charlotte. By the time I got down to baggage, it was around 7:45. I waited about 30 minutes, then went to the baggage claim office to see what was up. The lady there was as equally unhelpful--she told me I would get my bags by midnight. My mom told me earlier that they would give me the option to stay in a hotel room for the night or a voucher for a free flight. She offered the hotel room, and I told her no, but I would like a voucher for a flight. However, she just gave me a boarding pass for today? We’re going to check on that later.

Fast forward an hour later. I’m still at baggage claim, waiting for my bags. Lauren is here at this point, and I feel horrible making her wait even longer for me. I saw one of the men who had TSA written on the back of his sweatshirt with the reflective vest (he clearly was one of the men who worked with the luggage) coming out of the back room, and I asked him if he could please find my bag. I told him I was on the cancelled flight to Miami, described my bags, and said my final destination was to Santiago, Chile. Two minutes later, my bags came out on the belt.

I called my mom and told her that we were leaving the airport. She freaked out a little bit, and asked what about my bags? My dad was on the phone with American Airlines at the time, and they were saying it would be AFTER midnight before they could locate the bags and get them to me.

During all of this though, I was having a hard time getting in touch with the people at the University in Chile. I knew that they were going to be waiting for me at the airport at 11 AM (9 AM our time) this morning (Sunday) and it would not go over well if I wasn’t there. I called. And I called. And I called. The contact number that I had for the director of the program had some blurb in Spanish, and it was too fast and too unclear for me to understand it. I found someone that was bilingual and let them listen to it. The lady told me that it was her voicemail, and I should leave a message. I did, but then it occurred to me to email as well. I copied the email to my Spanish teacher, as well.

I ended up talking to someone down there, but with the phone connection as bad as it was, It was extremely hard to hear him and I know he was having a hard time hearing me.

I finally ended up at home, and had an email from my Spanish teacher. I called her, and she eased my worries: I was not the only one who hadn’t made it on the plane. A few other people had trouble.

So, today, I’ll venture to the Charlotte airport, and hopefully make it to Santiago at 5:45 (our time--7:45 their time) Monday morning. Adios!