Why I am Afraid of Airports.

Apparently, "normal" people are often afraid of flying in airplanes. I have never had a problem being in an airplane. All you have to do is sit relatively still and bring plenty of entertainment for yourself. No big deal. Unlike most people, I am in fact afraid of the airport itself.

Whenever I tell people that, they think I am completely ridiculous, but I'm not really sure why it's so absurd. I guarantee that nobody that thinks this about me has ever been in an airplane crash or a terrorist attempt or anything of that sort. But lots of people experience awful things in airports. How many times have you been running to make a connecting flight? Or scrambling around to find the boarding pass that you TOTALLY JUST HAD?! It happens to me way too often. I realized today that I haven't even been in a plane in two and a half years. And yet, the fears come creeping back up when I have to get on the flight.

Today I had a flight from Portland, ME to JFK where I am currently waiting to board a flight for Amman, Jordan. I'm really excited about this trip, but about six hours ago I felt like I wasn't going to be able to go on it. See, when I went to sign in and check my luggage, the woman at the counter (though very nice about it) told me that I need a visa for entry to Jordan and that I couldn't go through the checkpoint without visa. *CUE PANIC ATTACK* I didn't take any steps to getting a visa for myself, so I was desperately clinging to the hope that there was a group visa and I was covered by it.

About one hour and several phone calls my mother, good ole Pastor Paul, and finally the trip leader who had just touched down from her connecting flight and received my voicemail later, I learned that we pay for the visas when we arrive in Jordan, and not before. Well thanks, desk lady. I appreciate you putting added distress in my life. It's been real fun, but I think it's time to part ways now so that I can go through those big, metal-detecting gates and be on my merry way. I hope we never meet again.

On a side note, shout out to my mother who tried really hard to keep me calm even though she was totally bummed and upset too and was probably going Google crazy trying to figure out my situation and assured me that if I didn't make it out of the country I could at least go down to Mississippi to pick up my sister! Hurray!