Firstly, I'd like to say that this blog is intended to show you what I am up to on my semester abroad in Australia. (If you don't already know, I'm studying at James Cook University in Townsville, Qeensland, Australia until November 17). Secondly, I am here to tell you about my first day of traveling. Hang tight; it's been a loooong trip already!
I finally had the guts to apply for the Australia program back in
January, and in April, my dreams came true when I was accepted. Yesterday, Monday, July 9, 2012, I was preparing for my flight to Australia. I was on top of the world because I had waited for this for three years.
The first stop: Burlington airport in Vermont. I had a flight to D.C. at 2:30, so I was waiting in the terminal and up until 2:05 in the afternoon, the flight schedule still read "Washington, D.C., Dulles- ON TIME." I was confident, as were the other passengers, that the flight would be ready to board before 2:30. We watched a small plane land and come up to Gate 8 at around 2:15 pm. I figured it was ours because it only looked big enough for the 50 people the flight was planned for. At the last minute, the board still reading "Washington, D.C., Dulles- ON TIME," an airport attendant came on the loud speaker, "Flight ____ to Chicago, now boarding at Gate 8, I repeat, all passengers for service to Chicago, now make your way to board at Gate 8." They had switched flights at the last minute without telling us that our D.C. flight was delayed- by an hour! We were to wait until 3:40, which didn't seem bad at first glance, but when I checked my ticket for the D.C. to San Francisco flight I was to take later, it said departing at 5:21 pm. We weren't going to make it on time. By now, I was panicking because I had never flown on my own before. I asked at the service desk if there was any way they could hold the plane in D.C. until we arrived at 5:45, but the attendant said there wasn't. I either needed to find a flight to San Francisco to get me to the Sydney flight, or stay overnight in D.C. I felt myself starting to get red in the face, and cold sweat was now soaking my back. It seemed like staying overnight was the only plausible option, but I was still optimistic.
I arrived at Dulles at around 5:40 pm, and had missed the flight to San Fran. I asked at three different desks if there was any way to connect to either San Francisco or LAX, to get me to Sydney by the next morning. After trying several different customer service stations, I was finally directed to an International desk at the other end of the airport (mind you, Dulles isn't tiny, if you haven't been there). After a trip on the shuttle and about a half hour of walking and asking for help, I found the customer service desk I was looking for. Finally, a competent person! I was very nicely helped by a rotund fellow wearing a bowtie and glasses who spoke clear English, and he booked me at a nearby resort. Yes, I said RESORT. Not a hotel, but a 10-story luxury resort only 20 minutes from the airport, with 3 free meals included, HD TV, free wifi, and a pool. This guy also booked my flights all the way through to Townsville. Maybe a delayed flight wasn't so bad after all.
So, here I am, looking out at a view of D.C. from the third floor, watching The Price is Right from my bed. My flight to San Francisco is tonight at the same time it would have been last night, 5:21. So, not too awful considering I will still get to Townsville in time for the welcome session at James Cook on Friday. A comfy bed, all the amenities, free room service; I'm doing alright. Let's hope the rest goes more smoothly.
See you soon, Australia!
No comments:
Post a Comment