Hotlanta

I accidentally lied when I said the next time I posted I'd be on another continent. There were mechanical problems of some sort; mechanical problems that delayed my flight by almost two hours, therefore making a misconnect to my transfer in Paris. At first, I was terrified when I read the message. I stood in front of the self check-in monitor, thinking this was a bad omen, that maybe i was never meant to go to Morocco to learn Arabic, that I am doomed to an eternity of speaking this language like a 3-year-old. The woman behind the check-in counter could see the dismay on my face, and if I didn't believe in such thing as a fairy godmother before today, I do now. Like magic, she was not only able to reschedule my flight, but she got me meal vouchers for lunch, two dinners, and two breakfasts; a hotel voucher for the night I am currently spending in Atlanta; and, and, AND six and half hours in Paris. Originally, I would have had only an hour and a half, but now, thanks to the faultiness of Delta Airlines, I have enough time to have a very brief (but very exciting) sojourn in Paris. It's a little unfortunate I'll be losing a day from my trip, but c'est la vie, n'est-ce pas?

So now I'm sitting in a Red Roof Inn in Atlanta, sipping hotel coffee and half-watching the UltraFine Silver special on QVC, which I'm a little embarrassed to admit. I actually probably shouldn't admit that, since my latest goals in life have been to use less energy and to be classier, both of which I strongly agree home shopping is the complete antithesis. Hmmm....maybe you should pretend I didn't just advertise my lack of class and wastefulness. Instead, I'll advert your attention to my new itinerary:

• 3:40pm: leave Atlanta airport, arrive in Paris 6:15am on 12/31
• 6:16am-11am: steal a poodle, drink coffee, eat a crepe, feed the birds in Paris
• 12:30pm: leave airport, arrive in Rabat 2:30pm
• 3:10pm: leave Rabat airport, take train to Fez, arrive in Fez around 6:30pm
• Find Ben (Meg's bf) at le Centre Americain
  
• Figure out a way to celebrate New Year's Eve

I'm almost hoping to get stuck in France. But really, I'm just happy to have made it safely to Atlanta. It was a bumpy ride for the first half hour, lots of turbulence. So much, I actually grabbed the knee of the young man sitting next to me at one point, and then had to pretend I was asleep for the rest of the flight to avoid any further awkwardness. Let's keep our fingers crossed for a smoother sailing tomorrow.

B'salama,
Danielle