My Fulbright adventure started off as fun as you could imagine…. Although I was fully packed two days prior to departure, I still ended up pulling an all-nighter before I left. Old habits die hard? Of course it didn’t help that it was Day Light Savings’ annual Spring Forward. Either way, there were many little details that I left for the last minute that took far longer than they should’ve.. and for some odd reason I wasn’t allowed to print my boarding pass at home. I was convinced they had flagged me since I only had a one way ticket to Panama. My flight was through United Airlines, which was the cheapest option at the time AND got me to Panama by early afternoon. It seemed like the best option so I wouldn’t inconvenience the Department Head of the University who was picking me up. But although the price was right…it came with a catch.
My flight was scheduled to depart from Baltimore at 6AM, and the check-in booths opened at 4AM. Sure enough, the McWilliams Clan (including Prescott) arrived just about on time to get me through, only to find that I was still denied access to my boarding pass. Are. You. Kidding. Me.
They weren’t joking. I was definitely flagged. Official Fulbright documents at the ready, we had to wait for someone from the airline to come over and help… Finally we got the attention of an attendant nearby, explained the situation, but found out that I would not be allowed to board the plane without a return ticket. What the what?
I was already cutting it close time-wise – after waiting in line, and waiting for the airline attendant to get to us – I only had 50 minutes until my flight was ready for take off! Perhaps I’m getting more emotional at my ripe age of 22, or perhaps it was sleep depravation…who’s to say? But as the musical prophet Chris Martin proclaimed – every teardrop came like a waterfall.
In a perfect world, I would’ve booked my return ticket already; however, my desired return (dec 18) was too far in advance for me to book a return flight. Even so, apparently United risks getting fined over $10,000 if they let me fly to the country without proof of a return ticket… Sounds a bit fishy, but I didn’t have much time for speculation. At least the tears played well in my favor. The airline attendant got a lot nicer after that, made sure I got the least expensive, fully-refundable ticket, and even gave my mom a Guest Pass to walk with me to the gate. No expedite through security though, but thankfully the plane knew I was coming and were waiting for me. Of course the security line was absurdly long for 5:45 in the morning; it went down a hallway towards the restrooms. What are all you people doing here?! Aren’t you supposed to be in bed?
power-walking through the airport #standard
Regardless, it all worked out. I got some exercise in via power-walking towards the gate, plus I got to kiss my mom goodbye before getting on the plane. Sure enough, they were waiting for me, but thankfully I still had room for my carryon! In case you’re wondering, customs didn’t give one flying *uck about proof of a return ticket. They thought it was great that I was a student teacher and put me in the system for 180 days (the maximum stay for a tourist visa). 0 issues… Thanks United. Turns out Duncan and Kaley both flew American Airlines with one-way tickets and didn’t run into any issues. According to the Embassy it just depends on the airline.
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At least I had some wonderful views on the way down! I lucked out on my seating choice.
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The views and information presented in this blog are my own and do not represent the Fulbright Program or the US Department of State.
Nestled at the foot of the Andes mountains on the western edge of the country, Mérida is a small town of 204,879 inhabitants sitting at an altitude of 1,600 meters (5,249 ft) – just about the same as Denver, Colorado, the mile high city. On the edge of town rises the country’s highest summit, the Pico Bolívar, with an altitude of 4981 meters (16,338 ft). As you can see in the photo, the city itself is set on a very flat plain of the valley. Since it’s in the interior of the country at a high altitude, the area is subject to some temperature variance over the course of the day. Between night and day a difference of more than 10 ºC (18 ºF) can be seen, and the difference could get as large as 20 ºC (36 ºF). However, since Venezuela is situated in an inter-tropical zone, there is very little temperature variance over the course of the year. On average, it will probably be around 75 ºF in July, and 75 ºF in January. The hottest it could get is around 86 ºF during the day, and the coldest is 50 ºF at night. Seems just about perfect to me. Home of two major universities, University of Los Andes and the Archdiocese of Mérida, the town is also known as a tourist center. Tourism has replaced agriculture as the principal source of income in the city, from its parks, museums, plazas, and various outdoor activities in the mountains. The city has also begun to develop in the field of technology, thanks to work from University scholars. Mérida now stands out at the national level for its low cost of living and its high (relative to the cost of living) per capita income of $4,381. Mérida actually has one of the lowest poverty indexes in Venezuela.
¿Qué xopa Panamá? 