Our flight was cancelled due to some extreme cold weather along with a lot of snow and some logistics that went on at the airport; but we did get a rebooked flight for tonight.
What I thought would be good to discuss is how one adapts to the unpredictable. I've found myself in this type of situation a few times - two winters back my 5 hr flight to Seattle from Toronto turned into a 36 hr adventure. From these multitude of events, I've learned quite a few lessons.
1 - bring snacks. You don't know what will happen in an airport. Either you will have to rush from one area to another, or you will be waiting for hours in one spot. No matter what, the last thing you want to do when you're stressed is spend 4 dollars on a bag of peanuts.
2 - keep smiling. Life is rough, and it never really gets easier. So what's the point on being sad. It's unfortunate that you didn't get to fly, but would you rather have risked the chance and end up crashing?
3 - it is not the airport's fault! - Do you think they would purposely ruin a whole plane load of people's days just for kicks? They don't want to deal with the fallout from this situation, but they have to do what is the safest thing for everyone.
4 - if you're with friends, keep everyone laughing - if one person starts to sulk you all will sulk, and it will be a sulking fest! Get everyone laughing, because then, no matter what, at least you had an adventure with friends.
5 - finally, if the weather is bad on your way to the airport, plan for a place to stay for the night and how to rearrange your schedule if you have to arrive at your destination a day or two late. It's best to have backup plans, and backups to your backup plans. Travelling is stressful, but when things fall apart and you have no backup plans, life becomes stressful.
As for the research part of my trip, and what should be the focus of this blog, there is not much to say. We haven't started anything yet. Some of our scheduled interviews are probably going to get rearranged, and we'll have to double our efforts to make up for lost time, but we can do it. After sitting with the team for 7+ hours last night, and getting to know them a lot better, I have to say I'm confidant that we can do this.
Hopefully everything works out today with no further delays!
Wish us luck! Au revoir à tous!
~Sid
"Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air." - John Quincy Adams
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