Everything happens for a reason
Trip Start
Jun 05, 2009
1
30
Trip End
Jul 28, 2009
Bucharest, Romania
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
There was a problem getting myself from Pitesti to the airport because it is a long way. There was no one that was able to drive me early morning to the airport in the capitol city of Romania. Most of the trainees were leaving on consecutive days of the week. The only person who was willing to drive already promised Olya, my roommate, to drive her to the train station one day after I am supposed to leave. A facilitator from Germany, Magda, was leaving a day before me and Marius (the person who was driving) promised Magda and Olya already. There was a problem. I was left in the middle and no one was really helping me get to where I want to be, so the AIESEC chapter decided that I should go a day before my flight with Magda (so that Marius can drive only two times and not three) and I would stay with the National Committee in Bucharest. That was the plan...
One of the members from AIESEC Pitesti, Madalina, told me that she told Marius that he will pick me up at 8:00AM at my dorms, then he will swing by her apartment and pick up her, Magda, and another friend. The plan was that we get to the airport by 11AM for her 12PM flight. With the mentality of some of the Romanians and some reason to back the lateness, Marius was 45 minutes late to pick me up from the dorms. He brought his small car instead of the bigger car, so we had to go to his house and change cars. That was the beginning....
9:00 AM, I am waiting at the bottom of his apartment building with my two big luggage and eating cereal out of a bad for the last time. He finally came down with his keys for his other car, but his trunk was full of crap, so we had to move it to the smaller car.
9:25 AM, Madalina, Magda, and Ira (the other friend who joined us) were waiting downstairs of Madalina's apartment and was wondering why Marius was so late. You should have seen their faces.
9:30 AM, Marius got a call from someone and we were driving in the opposite direction from the freeway. Magda is German and they usually do things very punctual. She was getting worried that she might not make it to the airport on time, I mean who wouldn't? The call to Marius was about me. Someone wanted to give me a gift before I left, so we went to the center of the city to pick up the gift.
9:40 AM, We thought that we finally can go to the highway, but Marius' car decided to have no gas.
9:45 AM, Pumped some gas, Marius didn't know where to go. We had a GPS. Let's say we called her Gina. Gina was a bitch.
10:00 AM, on the way to Bucharest. Gina kept talking and talking and talking when all we had to do at that time was go straight on the road.
11:00 AM, Arrived in Bucharest. Lost in Bucharest. Gina is a liar. She kept telling us the wrong direction and telling us to make a u-turn and she would often mistaken her words and tell us to turn leeeefRight. In Romanian, of course.
11:20 AM, Stressed. Magda was starting to freak out, but she was calm from the outside because we still had time. We were almost to the airport. We were asking taxis, people on the street and Gina where to go...
11:45 AM OTP AIRPORT!!! We arrived with only 15 minutes for Magda to catch her plane. We were very happy that she made it to the airport before her flight time at 12. Marius dropped the three girls in the front and we parked. I was hungry, so I grabbed something to eat. While Marius and I were waiting for Madalina and Ira to come back out, Marius got a call from Madalina...
"Magda missed her plane and the next flight to Germany costs 350 Euro."
You should have seen Marius' face. He was thinking that it is his fault and we both stared at each other chuckling at this situation. It was not a funny matter.
"Why are we chuckling, it's not funny, Why?" We both said that while we chuckled. I think we were chuckling because of what happened. The whole fuss in the morning and thinking that we made it on-time but we didn't. It was so extreme that we just had to enjoy one last laugh before the rest of the day. Haha
The three girls came to meet us at the cafe in the airport and we used the computer to see if there was another flight for cheap. Magda was, again, stressed but calm from the outside. I thought she was really strong. If it was for me, I would have been crying and thinking I would have no way out and I would never see my mommy again! I would have been a drama queen, oh yes I would. I admired Magda being strong and calm.
Magda sat next to me and I told her it was all going to resolve.
"Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." My momma never told me that, but I told her that because I truly believe that. She chuckled and agreed.
"But I got the really bad kind of chocolate today."
"Yes, your chocolate was a stale one. I'm sorry. It will be fine, don't worry."
I told her the story when I missed my plane by ten seconds while sitting in front of this big podium in the boarding area, I made her feel a little bit better.
1:00 PM, We found a solution for Magda. She would have to buy a plane ticket for 460 Lei in another airport about ten minutes away from OTP. (1 USD = 3 RON)
Gina is a bitch.
We got lost going to the other airport when it was on the same street, same side of the street and less than ten minutes away.
1:30 PM, Marius and I, again, dropped the girls in the front of the airport and tried to find parking in this small and narrow airport. We found a parking outside of the small airport and parked there. Marius stayed in the car and I went to get the girls to tell them where we parked because none of our phones worked.
When I walked to the front of the airport I saw them waiting for us. "Hmmm?? That was a fast run to get some plane tickets." I thought.
"I don't know where my wallet is. I must have left it somewhere or someone stole it. I can't buy my ticket if I don't have my passport and money." Magda was calm but you can see the sadness in her eyes. She looked like she was asking herself, "Why me?"
I showed Magda where the car is so we can check the car and her luggage if her wallet is there. Nope. She said that she thinks she left it at the other airport while she was checking in.
Magda walked back to the front of the small airport to get the other two girls.
While Marius and I were waiting, we were thinking about how horrible and unlucky her day was going. I didn't know what to do to help her, so we just sat there and waited.
There was an international Restaurant in front of where we parked. There were no customers but it was really nice. All of a sudden, the chef of this restaurant came out to talk to us. We looked stressed and he was concerned and we told him what happened and just stated talking. He told us he was a pastry chef and I told him I knew someone who is pastry chef in California. He looked like he was willing to know more about me and my friend. He offered me some of his desserts and pastries. I said okay, but I also told him that we were in a hurry to fix Magda's problem. Marius and I waited for him and he brought out two dishes of ice cream. I was very elegant and garnished with fresh fruits and berries topped with a mint leaf. We hesitantly sat down to eat it and he then offered me to a tour of his restaurant. We went to the back and front of the house and he showed me the kitchen, the balcony, and his pastry kitchen where I met his wife. She was baking a cake and everything was so clean. He gave me his card to send him the pictures I took. He said that he is a well-known chef in Bucharest. I just got a contact for my career. =)
The three girls came back and he saw that Magda was having a really bad day because we told him the story, so he went to the kitchen again and brought ice cream for her. This chef is kind and so nice.
Everything happens for a reason. If Magda didn't miss her flight we wouldn't have gotten free ice cream, right?
Shit happens. We went back to the car and went back to the other airport. We dropped the three girls off again and Marius didn't want to park at the parking lot again because we dint have money to pay. There are round-a-bouts in front of the airport and what we did was drive around the round-a-bouts. It was really funny. Marius is a really fun, kind person and we were trying not to think of what was happening because we couldn't do anything about it. We drove around it for 4 times and then stopped somewhere and got in trouble by the police and found another round-a-bout, drove around that one several times. We eventually had to park because I was getting nauseous and carsick. We didn't know how long they will take until they can find Magda's wallet.
We waited in front and they came out with smiled on their faces. THEY FOUND THE WALLET!!!
"See. Everything happens for reason. If you didn't miss your flight and you didn't lose your wallet and found it again, you wouldn't have felt this great sensation of relief and happiness." I smiled at her and we laughed together. I tried to be optimistic.
Now we are off to the other airport again to buy her cheaper ticket. We didn't get lost and Gina was turned off.
Marius and I parked at the same placed and waited. We were singing to music and I had nothing to do, so I cleaned my backpack. I forgot I had Belgium chocolate from my roommate and it was all melted. I love melted chocolate, so we dipped out fingers and ate some melted, warm Belgium chocolate. MMMMM. We started playing because it was getting boring waiting for them. Marius put chocolate on his lips and started puckering them and we put on our teeth and said some jokes. It was so fun.
Magda finally resolved everything, bought her ticket and relieved. Now....we had to bring me to the AIESEC office...
4:00 PM, Gina knew we called her a bitch because it took us 2 hours to find this damn AIESEC office. She was telling us left and right in Romanian and her voice was starting to get really annoying. We wanted to kill her and throw her out the window. We were all stuck in a car and all jumbled up with emotions and tired of driving around and around.
6:00 PM, We have never been so happy to arrive somewhere. We sat in the car for so long that we forgot why we were even going to the office. We didn't seem to care anymore. It was horrible and a long day.
I had the chance to talk to the MC and stay a night with them, picked their AIESEC brains and asked them for ideas about the project I'm going to start when I go back home. They are really cool and the apartment wasn't too shabby.
I was leaving the next morning to my next destination...SCOTLAND. The seemed that the MC was only letting me stay there for the night. They didn't offer to help me get to the airport or offer to drive me, so it was my own responsibility to get to the airport myself. With only 20 Lei in my wallet. I asked them about train times and where to go.
"It's REALLY easy, you won't miss it. You just have to catch the 6:15 train, but before you go on the train you have to take the Metro station to the train. It's easy..."
HA! Easy peasy. I wrote everything down. I was worried that I wouldn't have enough money, that I would miss my plane and then stay in Romania...forever. It all seemed logical, I go to the metro station, transfer to the train and then get off in front of the airport.
NO. I went to Romania over packed. I had two suitcases full and weighed almost 50 pounds each.
5:00 AM, I walked down the apartment to the Metro station and walked down those stairs...one...bag...at a time. I picked up one bad and walked down, went back up the stairs and walked back down with my other luggage. All at once, I was making sure that no one runs away with my other luggage. I broke out a sweat at 5 am.
Fortunately, there was a nice man who helped me carry one bag and shooed away some stray dogs while walking to the Metro station. I went on the train and I knew which stop I had to get off, but the problem was that I had no idea which station I was at. The stations in Romania is very unorganized and different signs everywhere all in the same place and all in Romanian. It was hard to tell which one was indicating the station name. The guy who helped me with my bag counted on his fingers that I had to get off at the 4 stop.
OK.
I made sure, so when I got on, I asked someone who spoke English and he wasn't sure. I just relied on that guy and counted 4 stops. 1...2...3...4.
"Scuze? Gara de Nord?"
"Da!!" The guy told me to get out. My luggage were so heavy and the door was about to close and my bag got stuck because the stubborn door was holding it and wouldn't open back up for my poor poor luggage. You can see the guy in the train pushing with all his might and I was on the outside pulling it by the handle. Phew, with our teamwork I got out and I took a deep breath.
It was the wrong station. I ran out of the Metro station with my big bags, went up the stairs again, one bag at a time, to find out I had to go further North on the Metro, so I went back down to catch the next rail. One bag at a time. It was getting later and there were more people using the Metro now, they were passing me by and watching me as they passes by. I asked a guy if he spoke English and he said yes. I was asking questions and talking to him.
He didn't speak English at all.
Then, the nicest man I have ever met overheard and saw my hand gestures of a plane when I was explaining to the guy who "spoke English". He said that it would be easier to take the Express bus instead of the train and it would be cheaper.
He called somebody to ask which bus I should take, but I had no idea where to go.
"Nu Intelegi." I told him thanks and that I didn't understand when he was explaining in Romanian.
He made a hand gesture and I read the context of the language that he was going to bring me there. He helped me carry my bag, asked around for the bus and he paid 2 tickets for the bus. One for me and one for him. He didn't even ask for money back. He saw a woman police wearing the airport uniform and she offered to bring me.
The nicest guy I ever met brought two tickets and gave them to me. There was a guy on the bust who bought the wrong ticket and was asking the police what to do. I gave him my extra ticket and he gave me money for it.
I didn't spend any money going to the airport and I used that money to buy some coffee and croissant before I got on the plane. Now I am on the plane to Scotland. A little nervous because I don't know where I'm staying after the first two nights, but also excited to hear all these accents again and I finally can communicate and read some signs.
If Magda didn't miss her flight and lost her wallet, we wouldn't have met the nice chef who gave us free ice cream, and a new contact for me. If Gina wasn't the annoying bitch that she was the five of us wouldn't have had so much fun yelling and cursing at her in Romanian. If my bags weren't so darn heavy, I wouldn't feel my arms getting a little buffer. If I never got off the wrong stop at the Metro, I wouldn't have met the kind man who influenced me to be more kind like him. If I took the train instead and paid 20 Lei, I wouldn't have had breakfast. If all of this didn't happen. I wouldn't have had such a great experience and memory. I would re-live that again if I could.
I truly believe that everything does happen for a reason. The reason might not be seen at the moment, but in one way or another something else comes along and you then see that if that didn't happen then this better experience wouldn't have happened. Things tend to just fall into place if you just let it.
