An American in Paris

I may or may not have had some freak outs in the last 24 hours. The first one was when I realized my flight to leave the US was at 7:50. Not 9:50 like I had thought it was. I was flying to Paris, connecting to Amsterdam and then I would go to Accra, Ghana from there. A lot of traveling in one day! But I made it to JFK almost 3 hours early and ready to go! And it turns out I might as well have thought it was at 9:50 because we were delayed. I kept telling the attendants that I was worried about my connecting flights but they first told me they didn't know when we would board so there was nothing to do but go to the bar and have a drink (ok they didn't tell me that but that is what I did). Then they said I would be fine since we boarded at 10:30. But the plane didn't take off until mid-night. So I would definitely miss my connecting flight. And there was nothing I could do about it. So I slept. And by the way, AirFrance planes are extremely nice! Even though I pretty much slept upright, I had a tv to myself, a 3 course meal and plenty of room! I've been flying United and American Airlines for the holidays home and let me tell you, they can learn a thing or two from AirFrance. Anyway, when I landed in Paris, the people at AirFrance were extremely nice and I got a hotel voucher and a meal voucher. They definitely took care of me. The only bad thing is that I booked a hotel in Accra for the first night and it was non-refundable. So I lost $250. Super bummer. But I have a roof over my head, meals paid for, free wifi and I will get to Accra tomorrow! I may miss the welcome dinner or arrive fashionably late, depending on the time. 

This is all the airline tickets currently in my possession. Only 2 are valid. 

As I was hit with my unfortunate travel luck, I kept thinking in the back of my mind, 'how would a person with a disability handle this?' Living in New York City has taught me how to use my resources and fend for myself so I was fine. But what about someone without legs? There were elevators and escalators in the airport, but I had to go around the entire terminal to get out. I also thought about some of the children I work with (who are diagnosed with Autism) and rely on reidigity and schedules. Whould they be alright with spending the night in a strange room with a tv that only played shows in French? What about someone who is blind? I was able to follow signs and ask for help, but without those signs I would probably still be in that airport. And they were written in English as well as French so that helped me a lot. I'm a pretty patient person and can usually take things as they come, but for a person with disabilities this journey could possibly not end well. 

Being in a foreign country and traveling can be overwhelming but I'm already learning new things! Like to not book non-refundable hotels and that a smile and a thank you really can get you far. I was hoping to be in Ghana by now, but I will be there tomorrow! 

Janelle