Stories Along the Way

Originally written February 2020

I left my accommodation early this morning because I wanted plenty of time to get to Schiphol Airport, check in, find my gate and then have breakfast while waiting for my flight to London.

And I actually arrived early.

Without getting lost.

I was very proud of myself.

What I hadn’t realised was how enormous Schiphol Airport was.

My gate was D24, and from the check-in counter it took me almost 50 minutes of walking just to get there.

At that point I didn’t even want to think about the poor people travelling from gates beginning with F.

So breakfast was out.

By the time I reached my gate, we were supposed to be boarding, and I didn’t want to rush food and end up upsetting my stomach.

Naturally, after making the responsible decision not to eat because I might miss the flight…

the flight was delayed.

So I missed breakfast anyway, developed a tummy ache and became thoroughly miserable.

By the time I landed at Gatwick, I was exhausted and absolutely not in the mood for another session of asking strangers for directions and discovering creative new ways of getting lost.

So I surrendered.

I took a taxi to my accommodation.

Then I surrendered some more.

I had booked myself into a female dormitory, but when I arrived I asked whether I could upgrade to a private room.

Yes, I blew the budget.

But at that point I didn’t care.

I just wanted a room of my own for two days where I could shut the door and recover from travelling.

Then my friend Ruth, whom I knew from the Philippines, came to see me.

And she took me somewhere very important:

a Filipino restaurant.

I hadn’t eaten rice for four days.

Four days!

I think I was beginning to suffer withdrawal symptoms.

After getting my rice fix, I felt human again.

So Ruth and I decided to make the most of the evening and went for a walk around Kensington.

In the dark.

Because apparently we were hoping Prince William and Kate might casually appear walking their dogs.

They didn’t.

But after the day I’d had, I was just happy to have eaten rice.

Priorities.