5:00 am:
I lie awake in bed listening to the the ticking clock, finally the long night is behind me. I haven’t slept much this week, nervous anticipation I’m sure, as well as wondering if the little children and their father will manage without us for a month.
Someone within us was up and reorganising our bag at 1:00 am, they didn’t go back to bed until they found our favourite hat. Max’s hat. Max is one of our System Protectors and often wears a particular black hat when he is close or fronting. I, Unpretending, wear Max’s hat when I need to feel brave. Today lasts two days, as we’ll be flying back in time into the Northern Hemisphere, that’s long and I’ll need my brave on.
Max’s hat, modelled by Pookie Bear. Photo by Unpretending Spontaneous.
6:45 am:
You seriously can’t make this stuff up! I’ve been on the phone for an hour and a half, having checked my flight status and discovering messages from my airline saying my flight from Sydney is delayed, so much so that the connecting flight will be missed and I’m supposed to wait in the airport for 10 hours over night. This interruption to our carefully laid out plans have put my Internal System in disarray, as our missed connecting flight means our hotel reservations are useless. I’m not sure what they are doing but I’ve insisted the airline does something to compensate. I’m not accustomed to flying and am unaware of the protocols involved.
Even if the airline can’t sort it out I’m sure I’ll be fine. Somewhere deep inside me I have a calm trust. I’m waiting for the second airline representative to call me back, the first promptly disconnected the call when she heard the problem. I’ve trying to trust the customer service is good and they are telling me the truth and they are working this out.
It’s times like these when I can rely on Sensible, who calls herself Georgina, she is our Professional Person in our System and is better than many others inside when dealing with strange occurrences such as this one. Georgina remains calm, there is cognitive thinking and she knows how to talk to people.
7:15 am:
After 2 hours on the phone my flight has been sorted. Can you actually believe it?! And after all the drama nothing has changed. I even have the same seat. Haha! They didn’t know was that they were dealing with Unpretending Spontaneous!
I am thankful for the person who was awake and sorting our luggage at 1 am because everything was ready to go. However having to be on the phone for so long meant we were not able to spend that precious time with our little children before we left. Once off the phone we had to rush out of the house, drive in peak hour traffic to make the coach that’ll take us to Sydney International Airport. It was an uneventful drive and we make it to the coach departure bay with less than 10 minutes to spare. I gave the little kids massive hugs and was given this beautiful picture from the nine year old who drew it as we drove. Oh my heart.
Photo by Unpretending Spontaneous
8:30 am:
On the coach, I’m able to relax for we are on our way to America. I’m trying not to think of my growling stomach due to not eating while on the phone and not having the time to get something on the way. The trip is three and a half hours, I’ll get something to eat at the airport.
9:00 am:
I want to show you something iconic. When I was a kid, this lake (photos below), Lake George was filled to the brim, then as a teenager it dried up completely so farmers could even graze their sheep in the fenced paddocks. Now 20 or so years later it has once again filled to the brim.
Lake George April, 2023. Photo by Unpretending Spontaneous
The Lake itself brings good feelings to my insides as I remember passing it on the way to my grandparents house in the Northern Beaches of Sydney. This was our annual weekly holiday destination, which we routinely went the day after Christmas for most of my childhood. My grandparents place was filled with lots of food, playful cousins, cartoon watching on the TV, and most importantly relative safety from the unfortunate trauma at back at home.
There are many myths about Lake George, from UFO sightings, ghosts apparitions and mysterious drownings to rumours of lakes across the world being full when Lake George is empty and vice versa. Of course all these myths prove themselves folly, however they do make for fantastic stories around a campfire at night,
“Dark History - Although only discovered by Europeans in 1820 by Governor Macquarie, who named the lake for his then King, there is evidence Aboriginal people were in the region 60,000 years beforehand. They called the lake Weereewa, meaning place of bad waters or a place of conflict—perhaps an ominous name.” Christine Alfred.
For the full article go to: https://hercanberra.com.au/author/christine-aldred/
11:30 am:
I arrive at the International airport in good spirits only to discover those people on the phone lied to me. The flight is actually delayed. I was dismayed by the lie told to me over the phone and almost cried at the fact that the time had been completely wasted. Now it was up to me to get in-person assistance to solve my travel issues. I remain calm and I know I’ll get through this
1:00 pm:
Finally my bag has been checked. This sorting out has taken forever, and I’ve had to advocate for myself as if the delay was some fault of my own. The airline has informed me that they will put me up in a hotel overnight once I reach my connecting destination and they will put me on another flight the next morning. Although no documentation can be given, I must trust their word for it, says the kind lady helping me.
The new connecting flight however was for 6 am the morning after arriving. “Excuse me?” I plea politely, “That means I must be back at the airport eight hours later, at 4am? Jet lagged? Can I please have a later flight?”
The ground crew member helping me cannot change the connecting flight just issued to me, but leaves me at the ticketing counter, where I wait with other customers from the same airline who’s payments for heavyweight luggage haven’t been received. I sigh heavily and worry about this airline. After waiting, I’m finally at the front of the line where the lady at the counter immediately changes my flight and gives me a waiver receipt for my checked luggage. My connecting flight would now be at 11:40 am day after my arrival, so I will be able to be rested in some hotel I’ll find out about when I arrive.
4:00 pm
Although it’s been a long day I’ve enjoyed lovely conversations with home bound Americans and have discovered that delayed flights are ‘a thing’ and something to be expected. Some people just accepted the delays while others asked for support, I’m glad I’ve asked for support. The people who asked got a $15 food voucher, mine was used to buy a lentil and cos-cos salad.
I like how people talk to each other at airports, maybe because there are often long waits or maybe I’m just very nosey and ask all sorts of questions that end up with people telling me all about their lives. For example, the lady sitting beside me lives in Saint Louis and came to Australia for her sons wedding. She is trying hard to get along with his new wife, cultural and generational differences I believe. She was a doctor before retirement and currently looks after her 90 year old mother. She’s shown me pictures of a glamorous fairy tale style wedding, with gowns and suits designed and made by her seamstress new daughter inlaw. The outfits of the wedding party and guests are reminiscent of having just stepped out of the Disney Cinderella movie Ever After. The costumes in the wedding photo can be compared that of the movie, (see below image), or of a similar era however much more extravagant and elegant.
6:00 pm:
We are finally boarding with only a three hour delay. My brain has gone to sleep and I’m feeling tired and desperate just to be on board and in the air for the next 16 hours. Hopefully the flight will be reasonable and I’ll have a place to stay at the other end.
See you in 28 days Australia. Bon Voyage.
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