Travel Journal: At Schipol writing about flight...

August 20th, 2006 (I think?)

Okay so I'm sitting at Schipol now and--wow! Did a lot happen since "2 hours into flight!" As dinner was served we started hitting bad turbulence. I'm talking--BAD! I mean, looks like a very shakey video image when you open your eyes bad! And of course this was all happening at the same time all of the aromas of dinner (chicken or lasagna) were being served. I twas a bit hungry and doing my best to eat the dinner. It wouldn't have tasted so bad if I wasn't already so nauseas from the turbulence.

As if things weren't bad enough, just after my neighbor poors his beer we hit a HUGE gap of air. I can see this all in slow motion. It was one of those moments. Trays are airborn...people's arms holding cups are flying backwards...everybody's rears have become airborn. Everything was in mid-air for that tiny moment. As the moment drew to a close I hear everybody screaming like we're on a roller coaster.

Then a first (and hopefully only) moment in life occurred. My neighbor's newly poured beer ejects itself out of his cup and proceeds to pour itself onto my head, shoulders, chest, legs, and folded blanket. BEER! STINKY BEER! [Now I don't have anything personally against beer but I don't want to smell it all over me when I'm already about to puke.] Remember, I'm already about to toss my cookies before this happened!

Luckily (???) most of the beer landed on the folded blanket on my lap. At this point my neighbor must have seen how green I was. He was so apologetic. He could tell the smell of my food was about to do me in (I wonder if me covering it up was a clue?) and offered to take my tray on his tray--very nice of him. So this is when I started praying! Pleased God, help me to NOT throw up! I kind of needed to pee and the turbulence was better, so I made my first pit stop.

After "going" I decided to stand for a few minutes. By this time the lights were being turned off and everybody was getting settled. I went back to my seat still green. I took another Bonine (motion sickness) even though you're only supposed to take one every 24 hours. I started praying to keep my mind off of the dinner that was trying to make a return appearance! I asked the Lord to heal me of this bothersome condition--motion sickness--making a list to Him of all the ways that I could serve him better if I just didn't get motion sick! =-)

I fell asleep and you know what? When I woke up my stomach was completely settled. Praise God!!! By this time they were bringing breakfast around and I felt hungry after no dinner. Yogurt and fruit cup never tasted so good!!! Although when I opened my yogurt it exploded all over the place--squirting me and my beer-drinking but kind neighbor! We had a laugh about me "getting him back" after the beer incident. =-)

The landing seemed to take forever but I didn't get sick at all! Boy am I praying this was a long-term healing! LOL! So here I sit in my beer-smelling and blueberry yogurt-stained shirt, on a hard chair in Schipol Airport. What wonderful adventures might lie ahead?!

[Note from me: In fact, I never again got motion sick during the rest of my flights to or from Ghana, or in the car the many hours we were traveling within Ghana. Yes, I took my Bonine, but I have a feeling there was more to it than that.]

[Second note from me: On the way home I would have happily traded in my pee-soaked shoes and B.O. covered body for the beer-smelling yogurt-stained outfit I wore on the way over to Ghana. It's all about perspective people!]

Next update...On the plane to Accra!