Journey to Poland log.3
Day 0(log3): Amsterdam Airport
The airport did not look big from above. Then again, everything from above seems small.
A leech had attached itself when I left my house. Sleep-deprived, excited, and the anticipation to reach my final destination is leeching the life out of me. I am nervous. My mind and body are reacting asynchronously. The sluggish 'Free-WiFi' did manage to bring down some of my mental stress, temporary. I couldn't stand how much I was spoiled by the fast internet. Out of frustration, I set aside all the devices from connecting to the WiFi. I don't need to connect to anything. Compared to Logan airport, and this WiFi is S...L...O...W. Even our McDonald's WiFi is faster than this! Besides, I have everything printed and photocopied. And, for backup, I took screenshots with my iPhone. I knew that if my phone had died, I had my universal/international charger ready. I also brought my iPad for ‘On the Go’ typing and backup for my phone. If that died on me, I had my laptop. Got to love the iCloud! I hope it never turns into a uRage(a keyboard company that makes keyboard). Could not function without an influence. <--Metaphysical component in there.
If everything was taken away, (which I had a lot to take from), I am screwed!
Swiftly, I walked through the center of the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. Apparently, someone had planned it long before I got there, to have everything and everyone go through the center. A scenario best described would be to catch a train, on a work day, at the MBTA redline stop, in Downtown Crossing, Boston. Jammed with people, guaranteed to bump into something or someone.
I was the borderline Raymond Babbitt (Rain Man), semi-hipster who didn't quite make it to a rock star group repeating my agenda while speed walking passed everyone saying, "Sorry!" Slightly dazed and rushed look on my face, my backpack and carry on fitted me into the traveler on an airport group. While repeating, out loud in my head(hopefully) my precise and straightforward plan. Leave the plane, reach the entrance, sit down, wait for the boarding call, and then board the airplane. I am in a foreign territory. I cannot afford any mishaps, literally. Anything can and will go wrong in the blink of an eye. KRAKOVIA! Here I come!
I managed to reach the gate with the monitor sign, in twenty minutes. The terminal was probably the end, I had a 360-degree view. It was odd that there weren't any passengers or the airplane in sight. I ignored it entirely. It's a foreign place. They probably have different ways of doing things. I double checked my plane ticket, made quick eye contact with the airport staff who looked at me and then sat down. She smiled, that's a good sign. I must be on the right terminal. Like a fool, I waited till the last minute. Maybe there was a delay of some sort, but the odds of people not being here...that’s strange! Whatever the case, I waited, and...nothing. I thought the plane was moved to a different location. It’s definitely time to board! Where is everyone? Where is my plane?
Me: Excuse me! I am supposed to board this plane to go to Krakow. I don't see anyone.
Staff #1: uh....the plane had left 30 minutes ago. Were you not here when they made the call?
(I am livid!)
Me: No. My plane just landed, I rushed to get here, and I have been for the last 15 minutes. It doesn't make sense why it would leave.
Staff #1: Go to the center of the airport and explain your situation to the staff with yellow jackets.
When she told me to walk back to the center, which was 20 minutes of walking, I couldn't get myself to be angry with her. She was helpful and polite. Complaining was not going to solve my predicament, so...I did what I was told. My mom would be so proud of me. If it was a race to see who has a backpack and a carry on from where I was to the center, I knew I would have won. Once I got there, I saw a line filled with people. I was tensed but realized that I was not stuck in Boston. Before it was my turn to speak to a representative, I had my ticket, passport and my story ready. KRAkovia...here i come!~
Me: Hello! Can you please help? I am supposed to be in Krakow in an hour. My plane had taken off 30 minutes before it was supposed to. I don’t know how to get there now.
Staff #2: Sure. Let me see what I can do. I am sorry you are in this position. (After some finagling with the computer…) There are two options that you can take. 1) I have a bunch of connecting flights that will get you there in that time, but there is a chance of you missing one of those flights. The other option, you can wait here for the next plane.
Me: How long is the next flight? I don’t want to take the chance of missing any more trips.
Staff #2: So three flights go to Krakow each day. You have to wait for 5 hours for the next one.
Me: I guess I have no choice so…
Staff #2: Ok. I will print you a transfer ticket.
With my limited option, I took the ticket did what I was told. Feeling helpless, I contacted everyone with the slow internet and let them know my situation. Spotty internet at this point is better than no internet. I have five hours to kill now. I can freely look around the Schiphol airport. Like all the other airports, it is filled with last minute high priced gift items. It is for the people who forgot to get a gift, or who realized that they have extra space to carry something of Amsterdam in their over packed luggage and not pay a fine. I got bored of walking and looking at things. I saw a Starbucks which was my type of place to sit down. I felt a little part of my USA was in Amsterdam. The location of Starbucks couldn't be better. Close to the monitors that displayed all the departure times, gates, planes. It was a no-brainer moment, and I did not hesitate to walk over.
Thinking I would be able to use my Starbucks app cafe code, I entered the line. Met a group of German travelers who were speaking in German. I asked them where they were traveling to and they responded. Like myself, they were curious about me as I was about them. They were quite friendly and was open to talking even with their minimal language barrier. Eventually, they had got their copy and rushed to their terminal next to Starbucks.
Inside Starbucks, a group of people got up and took their belongings with them. While waiting for the baristas to complete my order, I managed to grab a seat close to the charging station. I dropped off my stuff and headed to pick up my order. A girl sat by the chair next to mine. Her name is Lonnie. After asking the formality questions, I felt like I had known her from somewhere. She grew up in the Netherlands and had moved around a bunch of times. She had traveled as a Marketing Agent throughout Europe and was heading home. Though time flew by so quickly and I don't quite remember how or when, but we started to have deep and thoughtful questions that two strangers would not.
The wait time for my flight seemed much much shorter for some reason. It wasn't long before I had to head to my gate. This time, I knew that I had to be there an hour early. I gave myself extra time to leave NO MORE room for error. When I got to the gate, people were waiting and headed to Poland. I knew I was in the right place. Not soon after, the pilot and crew boarded the plane and boarding call started. I let a huge sigh of relief. The leech had fallen off.I am going to
