So, some of you may know, but I recently had to take a trip to L.A. to submit my application to gain a Finnish Residence Permit. That sounds exciting right? I thought so too when I first got on the plane to go, but the whole thing kinda went downhill from there. First, Im not very good with flying (good thing I get too spend like 2 days getting on and off airplanes to get to Finland huh?), so I was already feeling slightly sick when I got in at 6 am. Luckily, my Aunt from San Marcos was there so I spent a few hours with her and my younger cousin catching up and doing some shopping. This seemed to dull down my nausea, so my excitement for the trip was back for the time being. After saying goodbye to my Aunt and cousin I met up with a group of seven other Exchangers going to Finland as well, and we were shuttled to the Finnish Consulate (or a small room in a big ol' bank). Once we arrived, we went through the process of having our paperwork checked and having our fingerprints scanned for our permits. We all had a good time getting to know one another and discussing our future exchanges.
When the "interviews" were complete we got back on the shuttle bus and headed back to the airport. This is where things get ugly. Remember how I wasn't feeling well before? Well that feeling came back ten fold in the form of car sickness. So when we reached the airport, the airlines caught wind that I wasn't feeling well, and before they knew that it was only car sickness, they put me on a no-fly list. Yep, I got kicked off my flight. So there I was, stranded, freaked out, and kinda pissed off that I had no way of getting home and no where to stay over night. My travel agent Mele stayed with me, and we eventually came up with the plan that I would call my Aunt and ask her if she would drive back to L.A. (a two hour trip on the freeway) and pick me up so I could stay with her. Aunt Jane being the Saint she is instantly got in her car and came to get me.
While she was driving I set it up with the airline that I would stay in California until the following Thursday (7 days) and then fly back home to Fairbanks. So this dramatic event ended up becoming a fantastic California vacation with my family that I haven't seen for two or three years! And on top of it all I got my Finnish Residence Permit, which was the last document I needed to get me into Finland. In the end it all worked out for the best!
“Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect.”
― Margaret Mitchell
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