Je suis arrivée!

Bonjour!  Je veux que j'écrit en francais, mais ce n'est pas un bonne idee.  Ah, oui.  (You would not believe how much I've been saying that.  It's one of the embarrassing things about being a foreign student.  You can say "yes" and "thank you" with the best of them, but it gets so old!)   

I kept a log of my travels yesterday, so I'll go ahead and post that, and perhaps write more later tonight when I have more time.  I'll warn you now: it's extremely long!

1:00pm: *deep breath* Wow. I’m actually on the plane, flying to Canada. I should be arriving in Montreal shortly, a little behind schedule. Air Force One and Two took off just a few minutes before my flight was scheduled to depart, so they ordered all aircraft to wait for the two planes to clear the airspace before taking off. At least I can say that I’ve seen Air Force One in person!  

3:35pm: Ok, another deep breath. I’ve been rushing through the airport in Montreal for a solid hour and a half, hoping that I wasn’t going to miss my flight, and also hoping that if I did make it, that my luggage would make it, too. When I debarked in Montreal, I walked through endless corridors following the “Arrivals” signs until I finally reached a wide open space with signs for “Connections,” “Final Destination,” and “Diplomats.” Since I'm obviously not a diplomat (yet), I tried to find the lines for “Connections,” but I found that they were all closed.  So I wandered timidly through the “Final Destination” lines to talk to one of the customs agents.  He checked me in and directed me to baggage claim. I was wondering why I would need to claim my baggage, since I thought it would automatically transfer to my connecting flight to Quebec City. I dismissed it as a “Canadian” thing and turned my attention to wrestling with my luggage. I had to pack two suitcases, since the baggage weight limit is 50 lb. apiece. My aunt helped me check them in at Dulles, and I didn’t think I would have to handle them again until I had my host to help me. Fortunately, the airport provided luggage carts, so I loaded one up and started following the “Connections” signs again. They took me through a Customs check, where I handed in the declaration form I filled out and signed on the flight. (I wasn’t carrying any tobacco, liquor, or more than $10,000 (I wish), and I’m not planning on making a visit to a farm in Canada within the next two weeks, so I was good to go.)

I began to wonder a little bit when I discovered that all of the “Connections” desks were closed, and I had to follow everyone to the “Departures” level to drop off my bags and find my gate. When the elevator doors opened on the “Departures” level, I was found myself in a bustling crowd of people, all carting ungodly amounts of luggage. I tried to find the check-in desk for Air Canada, and I succeeded in finding a long line that looked like it led to the right area. I overheard a businessman behind me talking on his cell phone, venting his frustration over the fact that all of the baggage carousels and conveyor belts had broken down. Apparently, the reason the lines were so long was that everyone was being forced to pick-up and drop-off their luggage personally. I stayed in that line for a few minutes, grateful that my flight was scheduled to leave an hour and a half after my arrival in Montreal - thank goodness for long layovers. I felt even more relieved when I noticed on the overhead screen that it had been delayed another 30 minutes. I still wasn’t sure I was in the right line, though, so I turned around and asked the gentleman if I was in the Air Canada check-in line. He said that it was for passengers who had already checked in and needed to drop off their luggage, and he directed me to another area. I found a self-check-in machine and spent a few minutes trying to make it scan and accept my boarding pass. It finally recognized my passport, and I discovered that I was already checked-in, and I needed to find the baggage drop-off for Air Canada. (I was actually in the drop-off line for some Swiss airline the first time.) I saw several signs in front of me for Air Canada drop-off, and I joined the throng of waiting people. As I stood there munching on some nut clusters (being very glad I packed them, seeing as my lunch time was being spent transferring my own luggage), I noticed signs on the other side of the building that said “Drop-Off.” It looked like I was in the wrong line, and I was getting more and more confused and worried. I decided to hop out of that line and switch to the other line. It was much shorter, but when I got up to the desk, the woman said, “Oh, you already have your luggage tagged? You need to be in that line with everyone else.” And, much to my chagrine, she pointed to the line I’d just left. I briefly succumbed to a bit of frustration; I mean, could it be that difficult to make the signs say what they really mean? But there wasn’t much time to be frustrated, and after all, they were trying as hard as they could to help thousands of people in situations like mine, or even worse.

In fact, I wasn’t nearly as frustrated as I was scared at that point. I was just as likely to hear someone speak to me in French as in English, and my phone service was on roaming status. I didn’t know how I would contact my host family if I missed my flight. Fortunately, I didn’t have to worry about that for very long, because the belt system was partially functional by that point, and the airport personnel started sending people from my line over to a domestic baggage drop-off station. I was one of the first to be waved over, and it only took a few minutes to send my luggage on its way to the plane. I thought the worst was over, but then I found myself caught in the middle of another crowd of frustrated people at the entrance to the security checks. I finally made my way to the actual line for my gate area, which was a lot shorter than it looked because it was hidden behind another massive wall of people and luggage. There was another girl about my age who was also travelling alone in line behind me. I found it amusing that she was asking me questions about the checking process, since this was my first airport experience outside of the States. Their security checkpoints are much tighter than the ones in the U.S., and several people in front of me were being wanded and patted down. Fortunately, I remembered not to pack any liquids or gels in my carry-ons, and I decided not to wear denim or jewelry today, so I didn’t have any problems. I had to walk for what seemed like forever to get to my gate at the very end of Terminal A, and I was much relieved to find out that my flight had been delayed once again, giving me another half an hour to spare.  

4:30pm: Well, I settled down to wait and struck up a conversation with a young man sitting next to me. At first, I thought he was speaking another language, but it turned out I could actually understand him; he was just Australian. We were thrilled to discover that we were both going to study at Laval, and we were both waiting on the same flight. He doesn’t have much background in the French language, but he works for a bank outside of Melbourne and has travelled all over the world. He thought the FLE program would be an interesting summer experience. His only fear was that all of the other students would be younger than he is, since he’s in his early 30s. I think he’ll fit in quite well, though. I enjoyed talking with him for about half an hour, and then he was able to get an earlier flight. Perhaps we’ll see each other on campus sometime during our stay. It’s nice to have an acquaintance already – and one who speaks English, at that!

4:45pm: I have to say, I am loving this experience so far. Most of the airport staff are bilingual, and all of the announcements are made first in French, and then in English. It’s interesting if you pay close attention. Ah, they just announced that my flight has been delayed again, and it won’t be leaving until 5:30 – a full two hours after it was supposed to depart. Oh. And now it’s at a different gate. Woohoo, off I go again!

8:00pm: Alright, I’m in the phase now where I’m saying, “What in the world were you thinking when you signed up for this? Or WERE YOU THINKING?!!” *sigh* OK, I can handle this; just one step at a time.

11:00pm: A hot bath and a few strawberries later…I think I’ve calmed myself down now. The initial shock of arriving late in a foreign country to meet a woman I’ll be living with for over a month who speaks a different language and finding out that my luggage didn’t make the flight with me and worrying about whether or not I have my registration papers for the university…it hit me hard. But, I’m alright. It’s all in God’s hands, and as Mom said in her Facebook message to me, “Don’t be afraid…you’re supposed to do this.” (Funny, she didn’t even know what I’d been through today when she said that. Talk about divine encouragement.) I have one of my suitcases, which means that I have some clothes, few personal items, and no camera cables! So, until I get those, I won’t be able to upload any pictures. It’s not like I’ve had time to take many yet, anyway, though. There aren’t a lot of photo opportunities in the airport, especially when you’re frantically trying to make sure you catch your flight. Anyway, I’m extremely exhausted now, so I’m going to get some sleep and write about my experiences in more detail tomorrow.

Today...I woke up to the most lovely breeze and the sound of birds outside my window.  My room is so cute and comfortable.  (Ali, you would love it -- it's blue!)  My host mom prepared some fruit and coffee, and I am happy to say that their coffee is quite strong and extremely delicious.  I met her daughter, Elizabeth, and we all spent some time conversing in broken French and English about the "activitees organisees" that I will have the chance to participate in after classes.  It sounds like I will be quite busy.  An Air Canada employee arrived a little while ago with my second piece of luggage, so it looks like I'm all set.  God is so gracious...

Anyway, I'm going to go attempt to converse a little more and see what everyone is up to.  Au plaisir!