All By Myself...

Pretty Sun/ Park

All by myself

Don't wanna be
All by myself
Anymore
All by myself
Don't wanna live
All by myself
Anymore

All by myself...the song has never held such meaning for me as it does now. Fiasco is not even the right word to qualify the past 48 hours of my life. After two days of travel, I finally made it to Edinburgh in one piece and miraculously with my luggage! First let me say one thing. NEVER fly Delta. Delta ruins lives. It is evil. EVIL. With that said, my journey back was an epic adventure to say the least. I felt like Odysseus minus the whole coming home from war, having a dedicated wife unraveling a tapestry, and facing a Cyclops. Okay, so I really didn't feel like Odysseus at all, other than the fact that Homer wrote about his EPIC tale, something I could relate to. My original flight was scheduled for Saturday, January 10th at 10 p.m. And because I didn't have Athena clearing the path for my metaphorical journey to Edinburgh, snow was predicted for the NY area. Talk about rotten timing. I called Delta and after having been on hold for an hour I was booked on a 7:20 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany and then from there i'd be a skip beat away from Edinburgh. Lies. Nothing but lies.

I did not even get to have my final home cooked meal before I left home. No more cuisine by chef George for six whole months! Once at the airport, I waited. I only had two hours (less than actually) from when we were supposed to land until my connector flight. We were on the runway for roughly four hours. Boarding took forever (there was no plane!) When we finally were on the plane we sat at the gate for another hour. We had to wait to get de-iced. What made it worst were the two devil children in front of me (adorable Aryan German children, until the screeching began...). They were wailing without any consolation. Dripping noses peeked at me over the seat, eyes filled with waterfalls and mouths unable to close. It was horrible. After we waited three hours to get de-iced, we had to wait for the runway. It was just awful. And we were expected to arrive two hours late. Oy!

Landing in Germany was just ridiculous. We got there at 11:55...exactly when the other plane took off. Honestly, Athena, why did you abandon me?! I got a ticket (after rushing) at the Delta kiosk, saying i'd be on the next flight to Edi, which was 10 hours away! Uck. What was I to do? Obviously, go to town. I met another Asian-American girl in line, Stephanie from South Carolina. We hung out all day together. But this was a Sunday. Virtually everything is closed in Frankfurt on a Sunday. Starbucks was the only open shop. It was blistering cold, and I wandered around a bit downtown. Asking for directions from random Germans who in return had no idea what I was saying. But I was such a tourist, taking a photo of nearly anything I ran across. Finally, it was time to head to the airport.

Stephanie and I hung around the airport for the next three hours, eating dinner and such. When I went to the final boarding gate (there were like six different check ins! Annoying) We both checked in, Stephanie two seconds ahead of me (two seconds i'd later regret). The woman took our tickets and checked us in, without seats. We were on stand by. Flash forward. It came down to this. Stephanie, me, this guy and a girl named Gabby were the only ones left. We were all on standby, sweating. When the board flashed only three more available seats. Right then, I knew it. I was out. My name was last on the board. The woman came up to us and told us that we could decide amongst ourselves and we only had two minutes. We were going to draw straws. I stupidly joked how this was like Survivor, and how I wanted to kick them off the island. They all had been trying to get to Edi on Friday (long story short, some volunteered to get off the over-booked flight to Edi, and one person missed it entirely) So, Gabby (majorly dislike her) said we'll just go by the order on the board. She sacraficed me without a second thought. And gave me a look, not even an apologetic one, one filled with gloating glee. Stephanie was about ready to sacrafice herself when the guy behind the desk already printed her name. I was left. I started tearing up. Stephanie gave me a hug and said I would be fine. The guy pat my shoulder and said, "I'm sorry it's you. Good luck." while Gabby smirked at me and did not say a thing. Bitch. They boarded as I broke down at the gate. I'd like to say I was mature about the situation and did not cry. But that'd be an outrageous lie. I panicked. Stuck overnight in a country that I didn't know how to say anything in except, "ja ja" or "danke". I was sobbing uncontrollably as the German workers looked desperate to help. They tried everything to get me on the plane, suggesting i'd take the place of the stretcher. A woman asked if I minded sitting in a bin, and I ate the idea up. Unfortuantely, it was not so. My cell phone was dying, and I just did not know what to do. It was terrifying. I stopped crying. Delta could not even be reached because they closed up at 10. The kind woman brought me to the hotel and advised me how to complain effectively. At the counter at the Sheraton I told the sympathetic receptionist of my woes. I told her how I was stranded, alone. As soon as she checked me in, she slipped me a slip of paper across the counter. In a thick German accent she whispered, "Don't tell my boss." I looked down at the slip, it was a voucher for a free drink at the Hotel bar. She smiled and told me, "Feel better!" But instead of drinking a mojito or anything on the rocks, I went up to sleep. I was wiped out. Completely sapped of all my energy.

I complained, but was insulted, and got meal vouchers. But Delta, be warned, this will not be the last time you hear from me! You will succumb to my wrath! Bwahahaaa. I will get you! I got onto the flight (missing my first class of the semester) but I slept blissfully the entire ride to Edinburgh. I finally arrived. A chapter of life luckily closed. Oh Athena, how come you had Odysseus' back and just neglected mine? At least i'm here now, and that is something I cannot complain about. Talk about a new start for the semester. Wild. And Delta, you won't even know what hit you. Watch out, I am, after all, Marilynn's daughter. My wrath will be great and mighty. BWAHAHA!

Me at a Frankfurt street corner.

An Opera house that was destroyed during WWII, restored.

The Old City Gates
A Church in Downtown

German McDonalds!
German Garbage!
Burger Bar. Yum.
Asian Unity!
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