It contains the majority of my stuff.
The airline lost it.
I now have it back.
Yep. My luggage was lost. Well, not technically lost - they knew where it was - but I didn’t have it, so it was lost to me.
How did this happen, you might ask?
My flight from DTW to AMS was delayed for roughly two hours. My original flight schedule included a two hour and forty minute layover in AMS. If you do the math, you’ll realize I had forty minutes of layover time in Amsterdam. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Yeah well it was. Forty minutes from the time the plane landed, not from the time I stepped off the plane. My layover consisted of me getting stuck in a long line of passengers struggling to exit the plane, a fast walk across half of an airport, a stressful passport and security check, and getting to my next gate as the last couple passengers were getting on.
I know you’re thinking that I should stop complaining because after all I did make my plane. Here’s where things get tricky though: my luggage was not in quite the hurry I was. It did not make the 8:35am flight to Athens.
So here I am, fresh off the plane in a new country, watching the luggage carousel (is that really what it’s called or did I make that up?) spin around and around, poised to grab my suitcase and make a speedy exit. Watching the conveyor belt spin until there were no bags. Watching until the conveyor belt screeched to a halt with no suitcase in my hand.
A quick trip to the booth that deals in luggage tracking confirmed that indeed my bag did not make it to Athens. It was still in Amsterdam. I was assured my luggage would be here by the weekend, and luckily I had thought to pack a bag of travel sized toiletries and some extra clothes in my carry on. However, after two hours of sleep in the past 24 hours (I can’t sleep on planes very well) and the stress of being in a new country with a completely different language, the promise of luggage by the weekend did little to stop the tears I felt pricking at my eyes. Yes, I am one of those unfortunate people who sometimes cries in stressful situations - but I refused to cry in the airport. I took a deep breath, and told myself it would all be okay, that everything would work out even if I never saw my luggage again.
And here it is, Saturday evening, and I have my luggage back in my possession. My suitcase has never looked any better.
Traveling, especially internationally, can be so stressful. I started asking myself if I had made the right decision deciding to come study abroad for a whole three months, if I was ready for this commitment, if I could handle it. After asking myself these questions three or four times, I had to yell at myself (in my head) to stop it. Negativity does nothing but make the situation more stressful. After a couple deep breaths, I put a smile on my face and continued on my way.
I successfully made it to my apartment in outer Athens, and I’m having an absolutely fantastic time. Yesterday we had a lovely dinner at a nearby restaurant (I had lamb and it was delicious!) and a walking tour of the center of Athens today. And the sunset this evening - absolutely phenomenal.
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