When Emily did not call when I knew she should have landed in Madrid, it got me thinking on how out of my control her travel situation is. I am used to instant communication. Being a technology savvy mom - I text. She and I are not in constant communication by any stretch, but we *could* be.
Her cell phone does not work in Spain. Her laptop was tucked away in her backpack, and I knew that it was not going to come out along the way. And so...hmmmm...I just had to wait.
She finally did call. It had taken a while to get her luggage, and then to figure out where Iberia airlines is in the Madrid terminal, having flown in on US Air and needing to recheck her luggage for the next leg. It all took time, and then she had to conquer her first ever pay phone calling card call. All those numbers and codes!
She hung up minutes later, very tired, but needing to stay awake one more hour to ensure not missing her flight to Seville. She'd call upon arrival.
I wondered why she did not call during the afternoon yesterday. By evening I was fretting a bit. By this morning I was considering calling her university. And then she called. She had had a 10 hour lay over in Madrid. I didn't quite follow why...I was too relieved to just hear her voice. She told me that in the airport she had met another American girl and they seem to have become friends. That girl is also in Seville for the semester, and as it turns out is staying in the apartment across the street from Emily. Amazing.
She is on the 7th floor of a rather "dingy" place. There is no phone, no internet and no hot water. What?!? She said that the shower is literally a smallish tub with a hand held sprayer with which to rinse with tepid water. This actually makes me smile (don't tell Emily) because Emily takes the longest steamiest showers that you can imagine. (God does indeed have a sense of humor!) But she said she LOVES the old city, the windy cobblestone streets, and the adventure that lays before her.
Thank you Lord for bringing her safely to Seville. Thank you for phone cards. And thank you for the long hot shower that is available in the next room whenever I want it. Amen.
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You know, it's wasn't too awfully long ago when we, in the US, didn't have cellphones. We had to wait for folks to get to their destinations too. It's HARD to not know how folks are---I sympathize with you (not that I know first-hand how it feels to have a child that far away), but as a mom....if I were you, my nails would be short and stubby with fretting. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad she's fine and I hope and pray that you find a way to communicate a bit more frequently and easily. Also will pray for God's angels to surround her while she's there. Hey, do you have a countdown for when she returns!??!?