So here’s a funny story. I am in Paramaribo, Suriname. It is the morning of June 28th, the day that I have marked on my calendar for months. Everything is in order. I wake up on time (2am), am picked up by the airport shuttle on time (2:45am), am dropped off at the airport on time (4am), and I am able to find the correct check-in counter (not that difficult, there’s a grand total of three). I hand my flight itinerary and my passport to the agent, both relieved and pained to be there. He looks at the itinerary for a long time, and I sense that my very on-time morning is not so on-time anymore. The agent looks up at me and says, “Miss Gamble, this is your ticket?”
“Yes, of course”
“Do you realize, Miss Gamble, that you have a ticket for the 29th?”
“Yes.”
“And it appears your flight is not leaving today?”
“Why is that, I do not understand…?”
[announces to surrounding agents] “This woman does not like Suriname and would like to leave our country early.”
“Excuse me, I really do not seem to understand.”
[announces to surrounding passengers] “Maybe she just prefers your company instead of ours”
“Please explain, I have no idea what you are trying to say”
“Well, Miss Gamble…[points to ticket] you have ticket for July 29th, and … today is the 28th.”
–silence–
“Do you understand Miss Gamble?”
–silence–
So. This woman decides to pay the $50 fee to change her ticket… praying to God almighty that she’ll be able to find some Bahá’ís in Trinidad, as she now has a full self-imposed 26-hour layover. By God’s grace, she was able to do just that, and spent an absolutely delightful day with a member of the Continental Board of Counselors and his wife, both of whom are beautiful souls. What a treat. Who knew that missing your flight (on the other end of it)… could be so much fun?
… Oh yikes! Hahahah!
Well, it’s good to see you made it back safely. My roommate had some immigration problems herself, and Philip got stuck in Jamaica (he also had loads of fun). Leaving the Guianas is always fun.
I really enjoyed following your experiences. I’m floored at what you were able to do. That last picture with all of you on the island just hit me as how much you were able to accomplish with them. It’s wonderful. No doubt your enthusiasm and your love made a great impression on them. You’ve probably inspired the whole group for many months … and that’s what they needed! I thank you again for doing this service this year …!
Cheers!