Saturday, December 16, 2006

Day 139: aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Sooo...I got out of Greenland, on time and as planned. More on that later. Spent the night with the cousin in Iceland, etc etc etc. After going from Iceland to Boston, I was supposed to catch a flight to get me into Halifax. Well. My flight from Iceland was delayed, making me blatantly miss my flight in Boston. After hauling my luggage about a mile around the Boston airport, I found a ticket agent who told me that Icelandair (who manned the late flight) wasn't responsible for my connection, which is through a different airline. What I don't get: they told me "you should have booked your connection through Icelandair" and I was like "Uhh...Icelandair doesn't go to Halifax." "Doesn't matter." What?

Anyhoo, so, tired and broken I went to Air Canada and seriously lost the ability to speak English.

"ICELAND...LATE...NO CONNECTION"

They very kindly decided not to charge me for an entirely new ticket. However, the next flight isn't until tomorrow morning, about...eh, 14 hours from now. Close to tears (I'm turning into a big baby), they then told me that the flight was overbooked. I must have looked seriously destroyed because apparently they pulled some "well you were supposed to be going earlier so you have right of way" business and I got a ticket.

Sooo...I'm sitting in the Boston airport right now, at...midnight? I've been here since 7pm. Will continue to be here, a sketchy squatter in the abandoned children's playroom (the best-lit area in this accursed airport) until 8am tomorrow. My funders (the Watson) will take away everything I own if I enter the USA, with the exception of being allowed to pass through airports if they make a necessary and logical connection to another country. So I can't leave the airport, like a normal person, to find a hotel.

One of the particular adventures of traveling alone is manhandling a massive amount of luggage solo...which at the moment, since I cannot check in my luggage until 3 hours before the flight, means that I have to carry absolutely everything with me everywhere I go...eating, bathroom... for these many hours.

I had to call my Canadian friend on a payphone and spent about 10 minutes trying to remember which one was the quarter. In my purse I currently have American, Canadian, English, Danish, Icelandic, Norwegian, and Chinese currency. I forget what country I'm in every five minutes.

I...really need to sleep.

Less whining, more stories, and final Greenlandic photos to be coming from Canada.

This makes me feel better:

5 comments:

Michael said...

Hey, just a random note from another watson out there. I am really enjoying checking out your photos! I can sympathise with the travel tiredness.... mine is mainly from long long bus rides.
happy belated hannukah,
mike

Anonymous said...

Hanukkah?

There's no way a girl *that* tall and *that* red-headed is Jewish.

One of my best friends *is* *that* tall and *that* red-headed and Jewish, but he's a boy. His sister is *almost* that tall and also red-headed and is Jewish.

Anonymous said...

Have fun in Canada; I should hope you're there by now, and I hope it's a good relaxing time!

Anonymous said...

Hope you have a nice time with Madamme Sediments in Halifax. Take a power nap, have fun and I hope you post some photos soon!

ramon

Anonymous said...

Laurel, An opportunity directly related to your project. Brief description immediately follows, link for full information at the bottom. Love, Aunt Marilyn

International Polar Year, 2007

Program Solicitation
07-536
Replaces Document(s):
NSF 06-534
National Science Foundation

Office of Polar Programs

Directorate for Biological Sciences

Directorate for Education & Human Resources

Directorate for Social Behavioral & Economic Sciences

Office of International Science and Engineering



Full Proposal Deadline(s) (due by 5 p.m. proposer's local time):

March 16, 2007

September 14, 2007

Second deadline is only for the "Humans in the Polar Regions" subtopic of Human and Biotic Systems in Polar Regions

http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2007/nsf07536/nsf07536.htm