"Aironic"

I went on a solo trip overseas.

It was incredible, unforgettable and life-changing. Except perhaps, for when I was returning home…

Enter Edinburg International Airport.

Long story short, the date for my flight was marked a month later than the day I was there. The day was correct, but the month was wrong. It took a total of 52 hours to figure it all out and get me on a plane back home. It was terrible at first; a solid 2 of those 52 hours were spent crying and freaking out in the beginning. Then, later, I settled down and decided to use my newfound abundance of time to do whatever I wanted. I was even able to make myself laugh for a second when I thought about myself being Tom Hanks’ character in The Terminal.

I was stuck in another country and I had no extra money. (I literally had $100 in my pocket and that was it). I had saved for the trip, prepaid for everything and planned my two weeks out to the dollar. That’s me. A gypsy vagabond. I had dutifully checked, re-checked and thrice-checked that all my information was correct; that all of my one way tickets to Niagara Falls, Ireland and Scotland, and back to the states were correct…

Oh, how the human mind can see something multiple times and STILL get it wrong. (Insert slap-in-the-face emoji here).

So, after I was done freaking out, hunched against the wall near the check-in area—where I assume basically everyone could see—they told me I would have to just wait. They had to see if they could get me on another plane to America.

I walked around aimlessly for a while until I found a Starbucks (of course). I grabbed a table in a corner of the store and stationed myself there for what I knew was going to be a long wait…

The second day came. I woke up after sleeping across three cushioned chairs in the baggage claim area using my clothes as a pillow and a blanket. Starbucks closed, so I couldn't stay there, but when they opened the next morning, I went right back. I bought myself a chai. I needed something comforting, regardless of my funds, because the more I woke up, the more my situation was knocking in my brain (at this point, I still didn’t know what was going to happen, or how/if/when I was going to get back home). I had to occupy myself to stay sane.

I was left to my own devices of course, because it wasn’t as if I could just go buy stuff or eat a nice meal in a restaurant. I had to save every penny I could for as long as I could.

I decided to listen to music for a while, and the song “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette came on. I remember chuckling and thinking to myself, “how fitting.” It was so fitting in fact, I decided to get out a pen and some paper and do something I hadn’t done in years that I love; change the lyrics of a song to fit the melody, but tell a different story. In this case, MY story. Just a little quirk I have.

I used my personal experience. Describing how I felt and what was happening. It took hours to complete and I went back and forth working on it, doing other things to occupy myself, finally finishing it while I was on the airplane home.

(If you know the original song well, here is an instrumental you can sing along with. See if you can match the lyrics!…)

Here it is:

“Aironic”

A young woman went on a trip

She planned the whole thing out then had to go back

It’s like right when you arrive and your flight gets delayed

You’re about to take off and the plane just stops

And isn’t it aironic, don’t you think?

It’s like a long line at every Starbucks

It’s a baby behind you on a 10 hour flight

When you’re trying to board, but your pass won’t scan

And who would have thought, it figures

She had seven tickets, each one was one way

She packed her suitcase and kissed her husband goodbye

She waited all of June to take that flight

And when her ticket got denied she thought, well isn’t this nice?

And isn’t it aironic, don’t you think?

It’s like a long line at every Starbucks

It’s a baby behind you on a 10 hour flight

When you’re trying to board, but your pass won’t scan

And who would have thought, it figures

And airports have a funny way of making you feel like absolutely everything is okay and you’re actually going to leave

And airports have a funny way of charging you fees that cost more than what your whole ticket cost in the first place

50 hours, spent in baggage claim

Credit card maxed out and all you have is cash

It’s like all the tea in the world when all you need is espresso

It’s like finally getting back home, but your bags aren’t there…hmmm

And isn’t it aironic, don’t you think?

—A little too aironic, yeah I really do think

It’s like a long line at every Starbucks

It’s a baby behind you on a 10 hour flight

When you’re trying to board, but your pass won’t scan

And who would have thought, it figures

And airports have a funny way of sneaking up on you

And airports have a funny, funny way of helping you out, and getting you home…

*THANK GOODNESS in my case, my bags DID make home with me, but it was such a perfect fit with the rest of the story, I had to embellish it into my version*

I realized that things will always work themselves out, in ways you usually least suspect. But now I can be thankful for the time and the experience, because if anything, at least it makes for one great story!

Hope you enjoyed! And here are a few pictures from the trip: