Dissapointments

Well, I'm on the eve of my third attempt at leaving Austin.  So I thought I would update you about the failures of my first two attempts.


The first attempt was Thursday May 19th.  And here is what I posted to my Facebook about it:


Ok, so long story short:
After much troubles with a scholarship and reimbursements and budgeting failures (my fault) and annoying visa applications (China's fault... yes, all 1.3 billion of them), and working for my parents for 2 weeks (I have splotches of fence stain permanently on my skin lol), and packing, and getting shots and malaria pills and travelers' checks (my dad's idea - do people even still USE those?) and a replacement debit card (just in case) and a million other things....
I made it to the airport today, 50 minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart (I'm on a standby ticket), check my bag, squeeze through security, walk over to the gate (our airport is not terribly big), and talk to the agent. People are boarding already.
"I'm on a standby buddy pass ticket, do you know if I'll be able to get on?"
"Uhm, don't go anywhere, but it doesn't look promising"
[Side note: For all of you who are like "silly Addison, always late" - From my understanding, it doesn't matter how early you show up when you're on these standby tickets, you have a seniority ranking and they just go down the list. You just need to be there when they're boarding]
At this point I was already prepared to come back tomorrow or something. After everyone boarded the flight, they went through some people who were ahead of me on the priority list, but they were all couples and didn't want to split up. So, finally for the LAST SEAT they call "Jenkins?" Thats ME! So I go up and she gives me a ticket (I'm like not even believing that I really got the last seat / totally excited).
I get on the gangway or whatever thats called, and my Dad calls and is like "you forgot your (malaria) medicine, in the car" and I think to myself eh, just mail it or something. But my dad says hes at security and he can just hand it through, so against my better judgement, I walk back to the counter and ask if I can run get my meds
"Well, we can't guarantee your seat will be here, but RUN!"
So I did... and waited while they passed through the X-rays and all that. Grab it and RUN (maybe 150 feet) back to the gate...
A confirmed passenger (the last one) who hadn't shown up, finally did while I was gone, and they gave her my (originally hers) seat back. SO, I lost my seat.
So yeah, I would've been dissapointed, but totally fine, if they didnt have any seats or something, but I'm just mad at myself for leaving the gangway when I had a ticket and a seat assigned and be gone for (literally like 3 minutes max, round trip) and come back and they gave my spot away. Oh well, live and learn I guess.
- For a little background, this was the last connection today to get me to Atlanta on time for my next flight. And if I missed todays international flight from Atlanta, then I have to wait until Saturday to get to Johannesburg Sunday night, for a Monday morning flight, b/c the ones on Sunday are $200+ more than the Sat, Mon, Tues, etc flights.
Also, my status was somewhat in response to everyone who's been texting me wondering when I've left. When I'm gone (like actually gone, not just get-on-the-plane-to-get-back-off-and-lose-my-spot-gone) then I will update my status and everyone will know I'm gone. Until then I'm not gone. And you all can just wait with baited breath for pictures.
In final note on growth of maturity... my initial reaction (which lasted quite a while) was hoping somehow that one of the flights I was supposed to be on crashed into the ocean and that I was saved at the last second by some divine providence from certain watery doom. After a nap and some lunch (and some growing up) I decided that was rather childish, and that instead maybe the lady (who got her seat back) is going to see her dying father and she'll make it just in time because she made the flight. And yes, I always think things through to the most dire possible outcomes (usually violent death) - even though there's a statistically insignificant chance of them ever happening -and make hindsight judgments and general life decisions based on these thought processes. Call me crazy.

The End.


Dissapointment #2:

I showed up to the airport on Saturday around 9am, for a 10:51 flight (notice the much earlier arrival!).  I check in (which was fast b/c my luggage is still in Atlanta.  But once I get through security, I realize that their early morning flight had been cancelled due to weather.  Bad omen.  So I get up to the counter and she says "doesn't look good"  basically any empty seat that might have been on the later flights was full of people from the cancelled flight.  So I waited through the first flight - no luck.  Then the second flight approached and it didn't look good.  But the desk lady said if 2 people didn't show up, I might get on.  Well some lady mozied on up (literally) about 1 minute before they shut the gate.  Then they gave the next seat to someone ahead of me and shut the gate.  8 minutes later this Asian guy comes HURTLING toward the gate "stop! wait! prease! wait!" lol and the gate guy is like "I'm sorry sir, we've already close the gate and the plane is full, we'll accommodate you on another flight."  So the asian man moped over to a chair rather defeatedly.
I stayed around for a few minutes to see what the next couple days of flights looked like and then waited for my mom to pick me up.

The End.