I am thankfully safe and sound back home in good old Indiana, but what a trip home it was! I am not a great traveler; I hate flying, everything about it - from standing in the line to get my boarding pass, to taking my shoes off while going through security, to being overcharged for every food item available, to the crummy food that is served in-flight, to just everything about flying! So I was not looking forward to my Quito-to-Panama City, Panama City-to-Newark, Newark-to-O'hare flight schedule....three flights in one day is wayyyy too many.
My flight to Panama City is on time, we land on time, and I am at my gate. I sneak a little nap in, and am feeling relatively positive about the day, even though it was going to be alot of flights, I was still just so happy to be going home. We board our flight to Newark on time, and we take off. I'm noticing how brand-new the plane is, and thinking to myself "Good, we took off okay, I feel safe" right at the same moment we start hearing a "Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!" coming from the left side of the plane, jerking the plane a bit with each noise and emitting a glowing yellow light. I panic slightly, and start thinking really am I not going to make it home?! This thumping noise continues for about a good minute until the captain shuts down the left engine - we had sucked up a bird into our engine during take off, and I'm not just talking some dinky little pigeon...we had sucked up a huge vulture bird (the airport was constructed near the old land fill of Panama City, which they have now built multi-million dollar homes and condo buildings on top off, thus displacing all the vultures to live in the trees surrounding the airport).
So, the staff informs us we have been cleared for an emergency landing back in Panama City, where we fly to and land with the one working engine. We had all the weight of the plane (fuel, passengers, etc) and due to the amount of friction while using the brakes to land, the brakes melted into the wheels and fused them into a locked position. Thus we could not get towed to the gate, but had to wait for stairs and buses to take us off the runway. After being brought up to a gate where the staff began to give us more information, we had to proceed downstairs, pick up our luggage, proceed through customs, and then stand in a very, very long line. I just happened to be near the end, within the last 10 people of the end of the line. I was in that line for 6 hours...and the only redeeming thing of all of this was that they gave me a night at the Marriott Hotel, with free dinner and breakfast, and it was SO NICE! The room was so clean, the shower was so hot, the food was great...I was so relaxed!
The next day, I returned to the Panama City airport, and we made it safely out of the bird danger zone. Finally getting to Chicago was such a relief, and finally being back home has been a wonderful weight off my shoulders. Just being back to life where things go correctly and where daily life isn't a struggle to get things done and where I don't stand out like a sore thumb, it makes me such a happier person.
So, I thank God for landing our plane safely, while at the same time giving me a little jolt and reminder that life's end is unpredictable - we are never promised tomorrow before it comes, so we must recognize the beauty and privilege of today! Thank you, dear Lord Jesus Christ for getting me home!
My flight to Panama City is on time, we land on time, and I am at my gate. I sneak a little nap in, and am feeling relatively positive about the day, even though it was going to be alot of flights, I was still just so happy to be going home. We board our flight to Newark on time, and we take off. I'm noticing how brand-new the plane is, and thinking to myself "Good, we took off okay, I feel safe" right at the same moment we start hearing a "Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!" coming from the left side of the plane, jerking the plane a bit with each noise and emitting a glowing yellow light. I panic slightly, and start thinking really am I not going to make it home?! This thumping noise continues for about a good minute until the captain shuts down the left engine - we had sucked up a bird into our engine during take off, and I'm not just talking some dinky little pigeon...we had sucked up a huge vulture bird (the airport was constructed near the old land fill of Panama City, which they have now built multi-million dollar homes and condo buildings on top off, thus displacing all the vultures to live in the trees surrounding the airport).
So, the staff informs us we have been cleared for an emergency landing back in Panama City, where we fly to and land with the one working engine. We had all the weight of the plane (fuel, passengers, etc) and due to the amount of friction while using the brakes to land, the brakes melted into the wheels and fused them into a locked position. Thus we could not get towed to the gate, but had to wait for stairs and buses to take us off the runway. After being brought up to a gate where the staff began to give us more information, we had to proceed downstairs, pick up our luggage, proceed through customs, and then stand in a very, very long line. I just happened to be near the end, within the last 10 people of the end of the line. I was in that line for 6 hours...and the only redeeming thing of all of this was that they gave me a night at the Marriott Hotel, with free dinner and breakfast, and it was SO NICE! The room was so clean, the shower was so hot, the food was great...I was so relaxed!
The next day, I returned to the Panama City airport, and we made it safely out of the bird danger zone. Finally getting to Chicago was such a relief, and finally being back home has been a wonderful weight off my shoulders. Just being back to life where things go correctly and where daily life isn't a struggle to get things done and where I don't stand out like a sore thumb, it makes me such a happier person.
So, I thank God for landing our plane safely, while at the same time giving me a little jolt and reminder that life's end is unpredictable - we are never promised tomorrow before it comes, so we must recognize the beauty and privilege of today! Thank you, dear Lord Jesus Christ for getting me home!
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