Am here yes

From Green Sunny Bangalore





to White Sunny Minnesota





all in 24 hours. Oh wait, it's 36 hours. 10pm connecting flight from Chicago got cancelled and I spent the night in Terminal 3 of Chicago O Hare Airport. I could have gone to a hotel. But instead I stayed back.

It was not out of any sense of adventure or anything. It was more to do with the 5 handbags that I was carrying. Not to forget my tiny little toddler. Everytime I ritualisticly lifted my bags and offered my hand to start walking, she would wring her hands and threaten to start crying. That meant I had to lift her too ! I guess that is a typical toddler behaviour. She could have thought I might run away. But thats the reason I totally did not want to move an inch.

Stayed at my terminal. Chatted up with the cleaning staff. Played hide & seek with my toddler in between her naps. At 11pm got an ouster scare. Announcement system blared that "Orange security level ... no one allowed inside the airport after midnight". At 12 pm caught the remaining part of the announcement that " ... except ticketed passengers, cleaning staff, ...". At 3am, got interviewd by a cameramen. They featured that clip in next morning news. Something about bad-weather-cancelled-flights-affected-people. My luck I got to see it just when I stepped infront of a TV in Minneapolis St Paul Intl Airport.

But there is one major leason I learnt here. I totally honestly swear that I will never ever overpack. I did have underweight checkin bags and within limits handbags. But I did not take into account that, trolleys wont be available at many stretches. Throughout the journey, my left arm bicep kept wispering to me, "I O Dex ! I O Dex !". And second thing I swear is that I will buy luggage or bags with wheels. No matter how small one. Wheels are the only useful invention ever !

Not to forget Airline food. No matter how established the airline, no matter you buy a separate child ticket - they will never carry baby food or give the adult food tray for child. Children just dont count for them. That's one of the cost cutting they have done. Not just me I saw other mothers carry meals for their kids, apart from snacks. And a friend of mine was denied even milk for her infant. No point in being snotty and psuedo-elitist, like we did to Deccan. Atleast they sell food. Some of these premier airlines don't even do that.

It's almost a month since I am here. Internet connection came late. Then my laptop crashed. I'ts warmer now and snow has melted away. But I am definitely not forget my lessons in a hurry.