Well, here I sit in the Houston Airport, awaiting to return to Guatemala for my third trip. If any of you remember my last journey, the mere fact that I have made it this far is a great improvement from what happened last time on the way down.
Last time, my parents and I arrived at the airport with all my gear ready to head off to my second Guatemalan adventure. This enthusiasm was only to be greeted by a cantankerous Continental check-in lady who curtly informed me that my connecting flight to Dallas was cancelled due to thunder storms and that there was no way in or out. Naturally, I was quite dismayed but anticipated her reassurance that they would figure out other routes to my final destination. However, I have learned time and time again with airlines to NEVER expect even the most basic of customer service. She just stared blankly expecting me to just turn around and go home as if nothing ever happened. To spare the gruesome details, I will just say that I did get another flight which went all the way to Miami, where I spent the night in a sketchy motel and almost got shanked walking this shady street to a Subway, and left for Guatemala the next morning.
But that was 2009. This is Guatemala Trip 2011 and so far things are going much more smoothly. I mean I should be thankful that I am still around considering I scheduled this trip two days after Judgment Day was supposed to happen! Silly me.
The past three days were spent feverishly packing, desperately shoving every scrub shirt, nasal cannula, and glucose strip that I could muster into my bags. While I am so grateful for all the donations I received from people, never before have I had to mash so much stuff into such little space. You know you are getting to be a good packer when you no longer see two checked bags, a carry-on, and a personal item as four individual pieces, but rather as one cohesive organism in which all parts must share the burden as a whole. By the end, I had manhandled over 150 pounds of stuff into two “knee-closed” suitcases, an obese swim bag, and a ridiculously heavy 29 pound “personal” item. However, the true cherry atop this Ghetto Packing Cake was my layering of clothing and items on my person, most notably the rain jacket stuffed with 12 protein bars and 8 Cliff bars. I looked like the Michelin Man and a Beverly Hillbilly all rolled into one and needless to say, TSA didn’t know what hit ‘em. I think I single-handedly held up the entire Sea-Tac airport as I had to perform luggage disimpaction at security, only to be irradiated as I had to “assume the position” in the back-scatter machine.
After waving goodbye to Mom and Dad at least 7 times, I was off to the gate. The flight to Houston was pleasant for the most part, as I spent the flight next to this lovely elderly couple who apparently were REALLY living up their retirement. They were just returning from a cruise to Alaska, and planning to go to Costa Rica soon after another cruise around the Mediterranean. Unfortunately, they were probably going to cancel their trip to China, but this would give them more time on their sailboat with their toy poodle.
While the flight was pleasant, the pilot made up for it by conducting one of the most frightening landings I have ever experienced, in which the tires squealed as we lurched from side to side while this girl in the back screamed.
We finally disembarked, I bid adieu to my new AARP comrades, and began my four and a half hour layover in Houston. After consuming a mediocre chicken wrap, I successfully spilled grease on the crotch of my pants, providing the lovely notion to the terminal that I had voided on myself. Since there was essentially no shame left in my game, and I did not want to suit up to lug all my stuff to the bathroom, I decided to do what any other self-respecting person would have done. I took my Nalgene and poured some of the water onto my crotch to help wash out the grease so it would not stain. I can see the horror on my mother’s face right now. I can’t wait until 20 years from now when I am done with medical school and in awkward situations like this I can say to gawking observers, “Don’t worry, I’m a doctor.”
Within the same vein of disconcerting things future doctors do, Saturday night I decided to do one last crazy thing with my appearance before I start medical school and have to look professional the rest of my life. With the help of a soon-to-be Gene Juarez graduate who shall remain nameless, I decided to take a page from my college book and once again personally test the old adage to see if blondes really do have more fun. As you can see from the picture, we still didn’t quite get me all the way to Thor quality locks, but it definitely looks a lot better than my previous Bozo the Clown rendition.
While Dad and Mom were expectedly aghast when I pulled off my hat to reveal the glorious new do, my mane apparently was not too jarring to deter this friendly Nepali man named Bishwa who just sat down next to me and asked how to set up his new iPad. While leading him through a crash course in downloading iTunes onto his ancient Dell computer, he randomly asked me if I was a Christian. I said yes, and lo and behold, he told me he was a pastor from Nepal who was traveling around for conferences in the States. It’s always so awesome to me how God’s people are spread throughout the world and we all have that common ground to share with one another. And hey, now if I ever want to go climb Mt. Everest, I’ll have a place to crash!
Well, I will soon be boarding my flight into Guatemala City. I would post this to my blog now, but unfortunately Houston is not as generous with their free Wifi as SeaTac is. Thus, I will post this when I am settled in Guatemala so you will know that I got in safe and sound.
Thank you all so much for your support. I greatly appreciate those who have been praying for me and for this trip. Please continue praying especially for safety since there was an issue with a drug cartel group in northern Guatemala the week before I left. While this incident did not occur in an area where we do clinics, it is still important that we remain vigilant. God bless and I look forward to sharing exciting stories with you all in the future!
No comments:
Post a Comment