Delayed, Delayed, Delayed

January 29, 2009
10:12 AM EST
Flight 1769 is still "ON TIME" so I make my way over to the gate to sit, relax and wait. I enjoy this time of quiet and forced rest. I get to talk to my sister, eat some lunch and just be still.



12:15 PM EST
A minute earlier I was starting to get antsy. I checked my cell and saw that there was just one minute until we were supposed to board. Without looking outside to see that the plane was still not there, I blindly thought, "Okay... just a couple of more minutes and we'll get going."

At 12:15 PM the lady at the counter gets on the PA and announces that the aircraft was delayed in their departure and therefore late coming to us. Our flight would now be 50 minutes delayed. The new arrival time in Detroit - 3:17 PM.

WHAT?! Flight 71 to MNL leaves at 3:30 PM. So, I joined the line of passengers with connecting flights in line to see what could be done.

I was advised that we wouldn't really know what could be done until we were in the air. MAYBE they'll be able to hold the flight.

Hmmm... if not, that could mean an overnight stay in Detroit and who knows when we'd be able to fly out.

We finally depart PHL and I wait to hear what can be done about our connection.
Sometime during our flight the flight attendant came on the PA - "Those passengers connecting to Flight 71 for Manila, they WILL HOLD the flight for you. Flight 71 will depart from Gate A-36."

Woo-hoo!!! Myself, and the 4 other Flight 71 passengers on the plane I'm sure, all breathed a collective sigh of relief.

When we landed we all moved as quickly as we could up to the tram and over to Gate A-36 where a plane full of passengers were patiently waiting for us.

We all got on board and were told to prepare for departure.
10 minutes later the pilot got on and told us there was a delay -still waiting for our baggage.
This "prepare for departure" / "wait there's a delay" pattern continued for about two hours until we finally pushed off from the gate and got in place for de-icing.

6:24 PM - plane is de-iced and we're finally preparing to take off.







6:50 PM - to the sound of applause, the plane is in the air. We are finally on our way!!









January 30, 2009
7:36 AM EST
After a long, but smooth flight, we land at Nagoya airport in Japan.








8:44 AM EST
The cabin emptied out quickly and the passengers all lined up to go through security. Once through we all flooded the gate area and the nearby bathrooms.

I walked past the crowd and found an empty bathroom a few gates down. Ah... so nice. I was able to brush my teeth, freshen up a little, and change into a short-sleeve shirt. I could already start to feel how hot it would be in Manila.

I found a "WiFi Area" and tried to get on. But, it didn't work. Again, some forced rest time :)

We waited in the airport for until we were finally called to board. While waiting wasn't that fun, it felt GREAT to get out of the plane and stretch for a while.

January 30, 2009
10:51 AM EST
We take off for the last time. It was rainy at the airport and we hit the roughest air travel yet. The plane was bouncing around for quite a while before things calmed down again.

The flight from NGO to MNL was "quick" in comparison to the previous leg. A meal, a showing of Wall-E, an episode of Psych and soon we descended out of the pitch black dark sky for our first view of Manila.

2:24 PM EST
I had my first look out over Manila. The city was all lights as we flew over. As I've thought in the past about what that moment would be like, I imagined that I would have a lot of deep thoughts and strong emotions. After all, this where I'll be living for at least the next couple of years.

However, when that moment finally came and I looked out the window there were just two things that came to mind...
1 - Oh, okay... here we are...
2 - Yay! I can't wait to get out of here.

Nothing really beyond that. I was just so glad that after all that travel we were finally here!

January 30, 2009
2:28 PM EST
OR
January 31, 2009
3:28 AM (Manila time)

We make touchdown. Welcome to Manila!

When I was getting somewhat antsy in Philadelphia I was getting a little anxious thinking about my connecting flight. (And that was BEFORE I knew our flight was delayed.) I was also starting to think about the fact that I was really doing this. I was MOVING to Manila -- not a trip, not a visit -- I was moving! I asked God...Please help me to know you are with me, help me to remember that I'm not alone and help me to believe that everything will be okay.

All throughout the trip were reminders. I was reminded that I really shouldn't WORRY!!! And, God reminded me of His ability to work and of His goodness even in the midst of not so pleasant experiences. The trip wasn't exactly without its complications or hassles, but everything really was okay. A good start on this journey...