Standby Stress

If you read my last blog post, you are fully aware of the loops and bounds I went through before I was able to figure out my plan for this next year and finally settle in in Ireland, the place that had been waiting for me all along. Well, I left out one part: my plane ticket was standby.

I was wonderfully and incredibly blessed by a generous friend from work who is engaged to an American Airlines pilot. She and I were discussing taking a trip to Spain for vacation this summer (since flying comes at quite a low cost for her) but when our schedules didn't match up for us to both go at the same time, she still offered to let me use a buddy pass. Can I just say I have amazing friends?? Anyways, I went on ahead of her and am still hoping she'll be able to come visit me in Spain this summer so we can have a few days to do some touristy things :)

What I quickly found, however, is that along with the blessing of a cheap tickets comes an endless amount of anxiety and quite a bit of extra work. Fortunately again, I have a wonderful friend who was patient and helped me the whole way through. It was not, however, without its difficulties and definitely not without its stresses. I chose the day I wanted to fly and had my friend sign me up for a flight. The day before the flight came, I packed, cleaned my room before I left it for a year, and went to bed hoping to get on a flight the next day. One problem: I was signed up for an overbooked flight. Originally, the flight I had chosen from Phoenix to Chicago had 20-something empty seats available and the flight from Chicago to Dublin had almost 30. As I was packing, things still looked great. In a matter of two hours, all the flights from Phoenix to Chicago filled up and became overbooked by several people with standby lists of up to 30, my place being at the very end of that. What happened? Good ol' tornadoes in Dallas threw off the flight schedules for several days and damaged quite a few American Airlines planes. On top of that, Chicago had such bad weather that some of the morning flights were completely cancelled... meaning all those people were re-booked onto later flights (my flight) with much higher priority than me.

I faced a dilemma of whether or not to even go to the airport and try to get on a flight that day. I ended up going and waiting in line to check my bags, but the ticket agents looked at me like I was crazy when I told them I was trying to get on a flight that day. They told me to come back in two or three days. Did I mention that there is only one flight a day out of Chicago to Dublin? Not getting to Chicago for several days meant potentially several more days after that, waiting in Chicago to try to get on the flight to Dublin each day, possibly postponing my trip up to a week.

Flying standby definitely teaches you a lot about patience... and gives you lots of opportunities to practice not stressing out. It was a little overwhelming carrying two 60 pound bags through the airport with me, juggling in my mind whether or not I should send them ahead of me to Chicago not knowing if I will even be there to meet them, and trying to mentally prepare myself for a possible overnight flight and a complete life transition, or instead another night at home in my bed with my family. The mental disparity of facing a long-term move and not knowing when it is going to start was killing me. I didn't even know if I should say goodbye to my mom when she dropped me off at the airport because chances seemed pretty likely that I'd be back home in the evening... but who knew for sure?

After missing my flight the first day, I decided to go to bed and check again in the morning for the following day's flights. When I got up, we had all expected it to be overbooked and a repeat of the previous day, but it actually looked pretty good! I decided to give it a chance and headed to the airport with my mom to see how things looked there. After checking my bags, I said my "see ya later" to my mom and went to go wait at the gate. I didn't have to wait very long before I found out they could get me on the flight! I was thrilled! That meant I would be able to be in Chicago... which would at least mean I could try to get on a flight to Dublin, although every flight that I didn't make would be another full day of missing out on Ireland. That also left the risk of me getting stuck in Chicago for an indefinite period of time, with nowhere to stay and only a few pairs of clothes packed with me. I went for it anyways.

When I arrived in Chicago, I contacted an acquaintance of mine from college and was able to make arrangements to stay with her if I was unable the Dublin flight, and then I would just wait till the following day to try to make the next one. I went up to the gate for the flight to Dublin and waited and waited as the entire list of passengers boarded the flight. My name was number six on the standby list, and they said the flight was entirely full. After everyone had boarded, they still hadn't cleared my name yet. They said they had a few things to figure out first. I thought there was no way... but yet I was still hoping. Talk about anxiousness! When it seemed like there wasn't even time left for me to board the flight, they told me that some of the passengers scheduled for that flight were going to miss it because of delays on the first leg of their trip. That meant I could get on! It was quite a whirlwind and happened very quickly, but all of a sudden I found myself sitting in the back of a plane on the way to Ireland! I guess it maybe should have been a goodbye when my mom dropped me off. ;-)

So now I'm here, having arrived right on time with everything having gone perfectly and smoothly. I can't say I didn't have reason to worry, because I think I actually did. But I am so thankful that it all worked out so well and without all the possible complications that could have occurred! In the end it ended up definitely being worth it flying standby, although that is all thanks to all the hard work my friend put into it, helping me check flights and make difficult decisions about them. It is because of her and her fiance's help and generosity that my trip was even possible, and I will gladly take the stress that comes with standby to finally be able to be here. :)

Back in Europe...AGAIN?!

Well... the time has come for me to start up my blog again! I'm back in Europe and am having lots of fun adventures to tell you about! Before I start with the stories however, let me tell you how I ended up back here once again.

Some of my co-workers at the Keg, people I love very much!

When I was still in Italy, my plan was to come back home, get a full time job (like a big girl!) and join the real world. That didn't exactly happen. I went back to working as a hostess at The Keg Steakhouse and Bar and was completely unsuccessful in all my attempts to find a regular 9-5 job. Settling back into life in Dallas again was a little bit difficult. I was happy to be home and to be able to spend time with my friends and family again, but I kept thinking about the incredible life experiences I was missing out on abroad. I still had some lifelong goals that I wanted to accomplish that can be done only by means of traveling, so I started looking into traveling once again.

Me and Tabitha in Ecuador

One of the goals I have is to learn to speak Spanish fluently, so I was considering South or Central America. At the same time, I felt very burdened over the spiritual emptiness I discovered in Europe and wanted to do something to create an awareness for the need there. I spent many long hours researching opportunities online and looking for the right place to help. I even took a trip to Ecuador to visit a missionary friend there and observe her day to day life to see if it would be something God had called me to do. Although I found such a huge need for the gospel in Europe, I kept leaning towards South America because it was a new place (I've gotten to know Europe pretty well by now), had a greater need in regards to poverty, and would ensure that I learned Spanish well. However, during my trip to Ecuador, I realized that South America is not where I am called to go. That drastically changed my plans! Talking to my missionary friend Tabitha really opened my eyes to how God can use me anywhere I go and showed me that doing ministry somewhere God doesn't call you to be is not the best place for you to be! My actual desire had been to go au pair again, because I love the experience living in another culture and becoming part of a family and being stretched and grown from the work involved. Unfortunately, I had pushed that thought out of my head because I thought I had to be a missionary or be in ministry in order to be doing what God really wanted me to do. Boy was I wrong! And I am so thankful for friends that helped me figure out the truth about God and the wonderful plan He has for my life.

I guess that's why all my other plans fell through. For months, I spent hours upon hours looking for different opportunities and applying to them online. I had been talking to dozens of missions organizations, but none of them had open positions and nothing worked out. I even signed up for an eleven month missions trip around the world called The World Race and obtained a spot on a team that was already full, but ended up dropping out after still not feeling like it was the right place for me to be. Fortunately, after my trip to Ecuador I was at least able to cross South America off the list of options. While in Ecuador I had figured out my heart was still really drawn to Europe and I was quite passionate about the countries and the people there. I began brainstorming about what possible opportunities there might be in Europe for me to share the love of Christ with people. Reflecting on my time in Italy, I remembered conversations that I had with friends who were so hungry for more - for deeper things in life - and I relived the shock that there were virtually no places for young people my age in Italy to hear more about Christ, to ask questions, and to grow. I became convinced that I wanted to work in some sort of University ministry somewhere in Europe, working with college students and bringing to them what is not readily available. I looked at more missions organizations and was met with even more closed doors. The only positions I found were support-based salary positions, and there is no way I know enough people to raise a full salary for a year.

I also started searching for au pair positions for the summer, hoping to do au pair for the summer and continue on to ministry or work with University students in the Fall and possibly Spring. After about a month of searching and planning, I finally found a family in Bilbao, Spain that wanted me to come for the summer. It wasn't the location in Spain I was hoping for, but the family seemed perfect and everything felt right. Well, I have definitely learned that feelings aren't everything. Sadly, the family had a last minute change of plans and no longer needed an au pair for the summer. I was back to square one.

Mijas, Spain, location of G42

I continued to look for au pair positions and ministry positions, but I honestly had no clue where I was going to end up. I talked to as many people as possible and tried to make connections so that I could hear about more opportunities in Europe. One of my friends introduced me via facebook to one of her friends who sent me a few links to programs in Spain, one of the countries I was most interested in (I still didn't want to let go of my goal of speaking Spanish fluently!). While I was checking out the links, I found an incredible program that immediately captured my attention. It was called G42, a leadership academy in the south of Spain that launches you into the dream and vision that God has for your future. True, it wasn't exactly the University ministry I had been looking for, but G42 peaked my certainly interest, so I applied and asked God that if He didn't want me to go, then to close the door by having my acceptance denied.


Needless to say I was accepted, and now I am planning to spend six months in Spain from July to December 2011, something I'm quite excited about! That still left me a month or so before I would leave to start the G42 program, so I continued looking for an au pair position for just the month of June. Let me just tell you - that is not an easy thing to find. Hours were spent (again) looking and looking in Spain for an au pair job that would help me acclimate to the Spanish culture, lifestyle, and language before moving there permanently for six months, but every single door closed. One day I simply gave up. Spain was not working, even France was unsuccessful. No family felt right in either place, and I was running out of time. I had to think of other options. On top of my long term plans, I had been hoping to visit Ireland, the country that was currently number one on my list of places to go. In a lightbulb moment, I realized I might as well try to find an au pair job there, since it was for such a short period of time anyways.

And guess what? I found one :)

My bedroom in Ireland

And now I'm here in my Irish family's house, wonderfully welcomed by such a kind family and town, sitting on my bed with the sun streaming through the windows and peaking out over the green rolling hills and amidst the fluffy, cotton ball clouds. Just over the nearest mountain, I'm sure the blue harbor of Schull is shimmering in the sunshine. The chicken in the backyard is clucking, the expecting cat is laying lazily on the chair, and tiny white seeds are floating through the wind outside my window. What a beautiful country... I am so blessed to have ended up here of all places!

Our house!

I am very much looking forward to spending the next month here with the wonderful Connell family - Amanda (the mother), Meg (the 17 year old daughter), and Sharon (Meg's 17 year old friend who lives with them). Amanda works in another town as a college professor several nights of the week and is not able to be home for a few days at a time, so she had me come to help look after her daughter and be there so the kids aren't on their own all the time. They are such a great family, and I am really excited about the time we have to spend together. I know the time may be short, but I am determined to make the most of it!

Sharon, Amanda, and Meg last year

Kids Do the Darndest Things!

We all know that kids say and do the funniest things sometimes. While I was babysitting a three and a six year old, I saw plenty of these occasions. The following pictures are only a few of the many moments that made me laugh and think to myself, "Kids certainly do do the darndest things!!"

We have our drama queen... Maria Vittoria... ready to put on a show anytime there's an audience ;-)

And our dinosaur-crazed Cesare who would much rather have a picture taken of his T-Rex than himself:

And of course, the most silent you will ever find five kids under the age of six: mesmirized by Toy Story 3. Doesn't even matter if it's in a language they don't even speak!

 

Never forget the kids who conk out during their naps:

 

Or the typical craze for stickers...

whether they're on your face:

 

Someone else's face:

Or an even better exhibition:

Don't forget the days of dress-up:

Especially dressing up your pets:

 Or dressing up and multi-tasking:

 

And the frequent funny faces:

And sometimes scary faces!

But then there are the days when it soon has to come to an end:

 But kids always find a way around that :)

They will stay true to their friends till the end:

 After all, they are "best friends" :)