I’m still here. By here I mean Chicago. I was supposed to be board a 5pm flight yesterday to Madrid, but when the crew discovered a broken part that needed to be shipped from elsewhere, we were told to go home because we wouldn’t be going anywhere that night.
So after a very emotional farewell right in line for security, I once again said hi to my mom when she picked me up outside at arrivals. When I got in the car she, being the mom she is, said, “Oh my god! How was Spain? It feels like the time just flew by!” I stuck my tongue out at her, and we got back on I-294 to head home. I ate soup for dinner, snuggled my dog again, watched the People’s Choice Award curled up under a blanket, and let myself savor one more day of the comfort of home.
My 3 hour line!
There were of course several inconveniences of this. They kept all our baggage on the flight, so I had no new clothes (which wouldn’t have been a big deal except for the underwear). I also spent several hours on the phone with Iberia agents arguing, because no one could guarantee me a seat until Friday morning unless I went to the airport immediately. So my mom took another day off work to drive me to there, where we waited in line for 3 hours to secure a spot on the 5pm flight to Madrid. I got a spot, but the three hours was brutal. No one knew what was going on, and it seemed like every segment of the line had different information.
I eventually got a ticket, said goodbye to my mom again, and passed through security. As of now, there is no plane at the gate, probably because of the oh-so-perfectly timed snowstorm going on in Chicago right now. Hopefully, next time I write I will be writing from Spain.
The only upside to this whole experience is that it helped me to feel more ready for the trip. After going through the whole process twice, I am seriously ready to get out of here!