Well I thought going home would be easier than our trip here to Africa. I thought I would give it one more try and see if my missing luggage had ever made it to Uganda. In the missing bag were 60 pair of flip flops, 2 cases of dental floss, and 200 tooth brushes. Upon arrival to the airport there was a line out the door to check in. I told Andy to take my passport and check us in along with the others of the group while I checked the “lost luggage” desk where I spent approx. 2 hours upon arrival 2 weeks ago to have them give me a slip of paper and make an entry into a spiral notebook (how high tech).
I was told I needed a pass to enter the arrival portion of the airport to visit the “lost luggage” desk. I had to go to a special desk to get “the pass”. As I made my way to an area of the airport that was ummmmm lets just say “SCARY”, the airport lost power and it was 9 pm which means IT WAS DARK! Ok, I have made it 2 weeks in New York City and some very scary areas of Africa, but now just before boarding a plane to a to Starbucks I’m going to meet my maker in an alley of the airport getting a pass for a lost piece of luggage. Luckily the power came back up and I approached the desk and the lady wanted my passport before she would even talk to me about a pass. I explained my passport was in the airport with my son checking us in for a mercy flight to Starbucks. I was able to talk her into allowing me to use my Arizona Drivers license to get the coveted pass. I again had to make an entry into a high tech spiral notebook. I then went down to arrivals and had to walk past a sign that said STOP NO ENTRY. Needless to say it looked like the way so I did. The only obstacle that stood in my way to getting to the Lost Luggage forever in Uganda desk was a man wearing a tattered polo shirt sitting in a lawn chair with a Boston Red Sox cap. As I passed him he yelled “WHERE ARE YOU GOING”? To the “KEEP MY LUGGAGE FOREVER DESK” I replied. He said I needed a pass. I proudly showed him my pass. I then approached the desk to find over 30 people with lost luggage that just got off a flight from who knows where. It would be literally over 2 hours before it was my turn so at this point I tried to do the right thing and bring this bag here and give these things to the people who needed it but I was about to miss my flight to a Venti Latte and I had to go.
I went up to retrieve my license, sign out, and get to the gate. I signed out and upon entering the airport ticket counter I was stopped by security because I had no luggage. I told them I had luggage which was being held hostage downstairs and wish I had luggage, but they would not help me. They then dispatched an airline rep to check the missing bag for me. I then made my way to the ticket counter and met up with Andy who was now just approaching the ticket counter. What timing! The entire group we were with made it through with no problem. As we however told them our names and presented our ID’s there was typing, typing, typing, and more typing, typing. She then said I don’t see you on this flight. WHAT THE? She then called over Suzy, and Tom, and Frieda and there was more typing, typing, typing. If I had to rent a plane I was getting out of Uganda tonight. They then hit the magic key and found us. We would be making it out. I then was notified that they found the bag. I then went downstairs to get the bag at arrivals. I went with the church rep who I was giving the bag to so she could distribute the items to the people. Upon arrival downstairs I saw that Uganda customs was now interested in the bag. WHAT THE? I could see them through the glass window open the bag take out the flip flops and tooth brushes. They put them all back and the airline rep came out and advised me that Customs wanted me to take the bag and it contents back to the US. WHAT THE? She said customs think you brought these items to Uganda to resell. Ok I fly 10, 800 miles and spent $150 just to get this bag here and I was going to sell 50 pair of flip flops and 200 tooth brushes to make a killer profit in Uganda? Oh by the way the bag I brought was a brand new black suit case and the bag that the stuff was in was a tattered green broken suit case and approx 10 pairs of flip flops and 50 tooth brushes were missing. I took the suitcase said ok and then went up to departures with the church rep. Upstairs I handed her the suitcase and said thanks and please leave the airport now with the stuff. I felt like a drug dealer. I then went through security and finally made it to the gate. As I sat there I again felt like drug dealer and thought what if customs saw me give the bag away and they are going to arrest me right off the plane. How many years would they give me in a Uganda prison. I thought of Midnight Cowboy and thought what would I say if a fellow prisoner asked me why I was in the slammer, the rock, the big house? Would I say I smuggled flip flops in or make up a taller tale to make myself look tough. I struggled with this and could hardly wait till I was on the plane and they shut the door.
We finally boarded the plane and they finally shut the door. After shutting the door they made an announcement that before take off they would be coming through the cabin and spraying the cabin for bugs and not to be alarmed. They then spray this heavy spray to kill any mosquitoes in the plane so they don’t get into the country the plane is going. WHAT THE? Anyway we were “wheels up” (that’s airplane talk) right on time and I was now only 23 hours of flying time from a Starbucks.
8 hours and 5 minutes later we touched down in Brussels Belgium. I always wanted to have a waffle in Belgium. We then learned our flight to Brussels was delayed to New York. So delayed that we would then miss our connection to Chicago. We then waited in a very long line to rebook another flight from New York to Chicago. We then boarded the next 8 hour flight to New York. Upon arrival to New York JFK we had to shuttle over to LaGuardia to catch the only other flight to Chicago. This is no easy thing to do with 8 people and luggage. We then made it to LaGuardia only to find out the flight to Chicago was delayed and possibly going to be canceled due to weather. This would mean we were stuck in New York again but this time we would be on our own. We boarded the plane and finally we were headed to Chicago. My flight in Chicago was delayed 1 hour (of course) and finally said goodbye to the group as they were headed home. I still had another 3 hour flight to Arizona. That last 3 hours seemed like forever. I landed at Sky Harbor and found Maureen and the puppies waiting for me. IT WAS GOOD TO BE HOME. Maureen had no idea that just 23 hours earlier I was very close to being imprisoned for years of hard labor in a Ugandan prison. I told her of my close call and asked her if she would have “waited for me” on the outside while I was in prison. Being the good wife she is, she said yes, but deep down I knew she was thinking “PARTY”. I let her think her thoughts privately and I just had to let it go. It was then I knew Africa had changed us both forever.
I was told I needed a pass to enter the arrival portion of the airport to visit the “lost luggage” desk. I had to go to a special desk to get “the pass”. As I made my way to an area of the airport that was ummmmm lets just say “SCARY”, the airport lost power and it was 9 pm which means IT WAS DARK! Ok, I have made it 2 weeks in New York City and some very scary areas of Africa, but now just before boarding a plane to a to Starbucks I’m going to meet my maker in an alley of the airport getting a pass for a lost piece of luggage. Luckily the power came back up and I approached the desk and the lady wanted my passport before she would even talk to me about a pass. I explained my passport was in the airport with my son checking us in for a mercy flight to Starbucks. I was able to talk her into allowing me to use my Arizona Drivers license to get the coveted pass. I again had to make an entry into a high tech spiral notebook. I then went down to arrivals and had to walk past a sign that said STOP NO ENTRY. Needless to say it looked like the way so I did. The only obstacle that stood in my way to getting to the Lost Luggage forever in Uganda desk was a man wearing a tattered polo shirt sitting in a lawn chair with a Boston Red Sox cap. As I passed him he yelled “WHERE ARE YOU GOING”? To the “KEEP MY LUGGAGE FOREVER DESK” I replied. He said I needed a pass. I proudly showed him my pass. I then approached the desk to find over 30 people with lost luggage that just got off a flight from who knows where. It would be literally over 2 hours before it was my turn so at this point I tried to do the right thing and bring this bag here and give these things to the people who needed it but I was about to miss my flight to a Venti Latte and I had to go.
I went up to retrieve my license, sign out, and get to the gate. I signed out and upon entering the airport ticket counter I was stopped by security because I had no luggage. I told them I had luggage which was being held hostage downstairs and wish I had luggage, but they would not help me. They then dispatched an airline rep to check the missing bag for me. I then made my way to the ticket counter and met up with Andy who was now just approaching the ticket counter. What timing! The entire group we were with made it through with no problem. As we however told them our names and presented our ID’s there was typing, typing, typing, and more typing, typing. She then said I don’t see you on this flight. WHAT THE? She then called over Suzy, and Tom, and Frieda and there was more typing, typing, typing. If I had to rent a plane I was getting out of Uganda tonight. They then hit the magic key and found us. We would be making it out. I then was notified that they found the bag. I then went downstairs to get the bag at arrivals. I went with the church rep who I was giving the bag to so she could distribute the items to the people. Upon arrival downstairs I saw that Uganda customs was now interested in the bag. WHAT THE? I could see them through the glass window open the bag take out the flip flops and tooth brushes. They put them all back and the airline rep came out and advised me that Customs wanted me to take the bag and it contents back to the US. WHAT THE? She said customs think you brought these items to Uganda to resell. Ok I fly 10, 800 miles and spent $150 just to get this bag here and I was going to sell 50 pair of flip flops and 200 tooth brushes to make a killer profit in Uganda? Oh by the way the bag I brought was a brand new black suit case and the bag that the stuff was in was a tattered green broken suit case and approx 10 pairs of flip flops and 50 tooth brushes were missing. I took the suitcase said ok and then went up to departures with the church rep. Upstairs I handed her the suitcase and said thanks and please leave the airport now with the stuff. I felt like a drug dealer. I then went through security and finally made it to the gate. As I sat there I again felt like drug dealer and thought what if customs saw me give the bag away and they are going to arrest me right off the plane. How many years would they give me in a Uganda prison. I thought of Midnight Cowboy and thought what would I say if a fellow prisoner asked me why I was in the slammer, the rock, the big house? Would I say I smuggled flip flops in or make up a taller tale to make myself look tough. I struggled with this and could hardly wait till I was on the plane and they shut the door.
We finally boarded the plane and they finally shut the door. After shutting the door they made an announcement that before take off they would be coming through the cabin and spraying the cabin for bugs and not to be alarmed. They then spray this heavy spray to kill any mosquitoes in the plane so they don’t get into the country the plane is going. WHAT THE? Anyway we were “wheels up” (that’s airplane talk) right on time and I was now only 23 hours of flying time from a Starbucks.
8 hours and 5 minutes later we touched down in Brussels Belgium. I always wanted to have a waffle in Belgium. We then learned our flight to Brussels was delayed to New York. So delayed that we would then miss our connection to Chicago. We then waited in a very long line to rebook another flight from New York to Chicago. We then boarded the next 8 hour flight to New York. Upon arrival to New York JFK we had to shuttle over to LaGuardia to catch the only other flight to Chicago. This is no easy thing to do with 8 people and luggage. We then made it to LaGuardia only to find out the flight to Chicago was delayed and possibly going to be canceled due to weather. This would mean we were stuck in New York again but this time we would be on our own. We boarded the plane and finally we were headed to Chicago. My flight in Chicago was delayed 1 hour (of course) and finally said goodbye to the group as they were headed home. I still had another 3 hour flight to Arizona. That last 3 hours seemed like forever. I landed at Sky Harbor and found Maureen and the puppies waiting for me. IT WAS GOOD TO BE HOME. Maureen had no idea that just 23 hours earlier I was very close to being imprisoned for years of hard labor in a Ugandan prison. I told her of my close call and asked her if she would have “waited for me” on the outside while I was in prison. Being the good wife she is, she said yes, but deep down I knew she was thinking “PARTY”. I let her think her thoughts privately and I just had to let it go. It was then I knew Africa had changed us both forever.
1 comment:
welcome home, safe and sound. you see the cubbies are still in 1st place .... yesterday in the albany paper they had a big pic of the bartman , he still lives in the chi area wow what guts lol
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