I went to the airport with my mom,
dad, and brother. On the way to the airport my mom was prepping me for all of
the questions that they might ask me in Spanish when I went through customs. I
had all of the questions down as well as my responses in Spanish. We parked at
the airport and the whole thing seemed very surreal. We had been talking about
this trip for about two and a half years and it was finally here but it hadn’t
hit me yet. We waited in line to check in for two hours but didn’t realize that
we had been waiting so long because I was soaking in every last minute with my
family before I would have to say good-bye for five and a half months. I went
up to the counter handed the lady my passport, held my breath while she weighed
my bags and I was off to security where I would have to say good-bye. I gave my
mom the longest hug and I heard her start to cry and at that point it hit me
that I was not going to see any of them for a very very long time and I started
to cry. I gave my dad a hug, my brother a hug and then my mom again. I then
went off to security with my face wet and I’m sure everyone around me wondering
why. I got through the thirty-minute security check without a hitch. However, I
had arrived at the airport three hours early so after a two hour check-in, a
ten minute good-bye, and a thirty minute security check, I now only had twenty
minutes to find my gate and buy anything that I needed for the long plane trip
ahead. I found my gate, did my shopping and sat waiting for my row to be called
onto the plane. Now since I was flying on Copa Airlines, a Latin American
airline, all of the employees spoke Spanish and therefore I had to be extra
alert to hear and understand what they said.
When I was
waiting to be called onto my plane I realized that a teacher never rests. I saw
a little boy about five years old come around the corner without an adult in
sight and he seemed to be looking for someone. So I just watched him for a
little to see if one of his parents would come around the corner or if he would
find them. After a couple of minutes of the little boy still looking for
someone I decided to go up to him. I asked the little boy if he was lost and
looking for someone and at that moment his dad came around the corner. His
father said that the boy was not lost but he had told him to look for his
mother and thanked me be looking out for the boy.
My row was
finally and as I entered the plane, my mother’s words repeated in my head, “Now
I wasn’t able to pick your seat so if you can sit next to a woman because a
women is safer than a men.” I find my seat and the row is still empty. I have
the window seat and now more words of wisdom from mother start, “Now make sue
you go to the bathroom before you get on the plane because you don’t want to
bother the people sitting next to you by making them get up five times during
the flight.” Well I didn’t go to the bathroom and it’s too late now because
everyone is pushing to get on the plane. I decide ok well then maybe I just
won’t drink that much but my mother also said, “make sure to drink a lot of
water because the altitude dehydrates you.” I guess I’ll just sleep and
whatever happens, happens. At this point I have also decided that instead of
putting my backpack in the overhead compartment I will put it by my feet, that
way I don’t bother my neighbors if I need something and because my mother
stressed that I didn’t have much time to get to my next plane. She said, “make
sure that you can get your backpack quickly because you have to get to your
next plane quickly and you CAN NOT, CAN NOT, CAN NOT miss your plane in Panama
because you wont be able to get another one if you do.” So okay I will sacrifice
the legroom (which is a lot to sacrifice when you are 5” 8’ and trying to get
as much sleep as possible on the plane) but it was worth making my next
flight.
At this point an older couple is at
my row and they seem very nice. The woman sits next to me (Mom will be happy)
and the husband sat on the aisle. They introduce them selves in English, I
don’t remember their names, and state that they are from Canada and on their
way to Nicaragua. They proceeded to tell me how they used to visit all the time
and now the husband’s brother is married to a Nicaraguan so they are spending
the holidays with his family. Then there was an interruption in the
conversation so I went to sleep. I spoke to them a few more times during the
flight when I translated their food and drink orders. The plane landed and I am
ready to go however the very nice Canadian couple has a three-hour layover and
therefore is not in a rush to get off the plane. Luckily I already looked up
what gate I needed to get to and it was only one gate over from our plane.
However my mothers voice is repeating in my head “you CAN NOT, CAN NOT, CAN NOT
miss your plane in Panama!” I wait patiently and decide that I might have to
keep a bathroom stop between planes. I get off the plane and they hadn’t started
boarding yet so I had enough time for a bathroom stop.
After sitting and waiting to board
my next plane, a classic case of what my Papa calls “hurry up and wait” I
boarded to plane with plenty of time. As I fine my seat there is a man in his
early thirties sitting in the seat next to mine. Que my mother’s words, “…sit
next to a woman because a women is safer than a men.” Oh well, what am I going
to do. I sit down and notice he is wearing a Houston shirt, so I try to strike
up conversation in English to find out that he is definitely not from Texas.
After mumbling something in Spanish in response he proceeds to not talk to me.
So I go to sleep figuring it is a very small plane and nothing would go
unnoticed by others. I land in Calí and I get ready for customs I repeat to
myself everything I had reviewed with my mother. I get to the front and he asks
me (all in Spanish) what hotel are you staying at. I respond that I am staying
with my aunt. He asks for her address. Shear panic, I don’t know it, its not in
my folder of information! I tell him that I don’t have it and he asks for her
phone number. Now that I have, so I gave it to him and he let me go, that was
it. After all of that prep my mom put me through, he only asked one question
and it was the only question she hadn’t prepped me for. Just me luck. At that
point I got my bag and was greeted by the hot Calí air of December. It was the weirdest
thing, for it to be so hot during Christmas time.
When I walked outside I found family members waiting for me and I was
off to my Calí grandma’s, where I would be greeted with food (of course) and
where I would stay for the next two weeks.
