Expecting A Bad Letter? #2 Within the same week...

Sheesh! What a day (trip)!!! I moved past my 'ugly' experience commuting in only the work a LONG, TIRING trip! My signin on the 24th was at 9:15 am. I worked MIA-SDQ (sat for 2 hours), worked SDQ-SJU (although no service was scheduled... it is tough work boarding, customs forms, answering questions, etc), sat another 2 hours (but got in about a hour nap) before working SJU-PHL.

Explored late Philly on a Sat. night w/ the FO and 2 of my coworkers... before watching a late movie in my room before falling asleep from exhaustion. Had a wonderful relaxing layover the following day: working out, doing some shopping at Trader Joe's (my usual hummus, whole grain tortilla chips, dried fruit bars, wheat sourdough bread, pumpkin seeds, sun flower seeds, shampoo, Aussie black licorice, Emergency packets, spinach, Grape jelly, Dark chocolate w/ almonds, Dark Chocolate w/ hazelnuts) I so miss being able to shop there regularly!

After I got back to the hotel I met the crew for dinner at Monks Belgian Cafe www.monkscafe.com 264 South 16th Street Philadelphia, PA 19102-3358 (215) 545-7005

(I usually have Pho, but since almost the entire crew was there I chose to go w/ them. Plus Jay (my local Tico friend, K not really since he only vacations there at his home in Quepos for a few weeks/months) was the Captain for this trip. We had a nice dinner and then after wards we had to check out this chocolatier place that Carlos kept raving about.

Naked Chocolate Cafe

www.nakedchocolatecafe.com - 1317 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA (215) 735-7310‎

It was really good, like drinking a chocolate bar. I enjoyed the bittersweet after I had the sipping chocolate but it tasted too much of Milk chocolate and they were great to switch it for me. I was hoping it would have been like Chocolate-Cho from Paris, but just wasn't the same so Paris still has the hold on me for their special drink. Anyway, the following morning our 6 am pickup came too quickly.

We had our last passenger get on the plane and somehow misplaced all of her documents including her passport. After taxing and almost to takeoff, she claimed that she wanted off the a/c so we went back to the gate and had her with her 3 carry on bags removed AND her 3 checked bags removed we were off for SJU. We turned the a/c around as quickly as we could in SJU and flew to MIA only to get stuck on the ramp for about 1 hour until our gate opened. Earlier there had been rain storms that 50 flights had to divert and it just backed up the entire a/p. We lost our 3 hour sit time and only had about 1 1/2 hour before we flew on to GCM for a short layover.

It took me awhile to answer my wakeup call the following morning at 5:15am due to working almost 11 hour flying time and being on duty over 14 hours. We flew GCM-MIA-SKB-MIA and then of course I commuted home to SJO being in a complete daze after being awake since 3 am Mountain standard time... I got a 1 1/2 hr nap on my commuter flight home only to have a man almost knock me over when we landed. I sat on the #5 jumpseat (on the 757) for landing and when the seatbelt sign was turned off I had one tote bag on my shoulder and I was holding my other tote bag in the aisle next to seat 5E waiting to get my roller board from the overhead bin above seat 4B when this older man rushes past me to get to the front. I said excuse me as I'm trying to 'pick' myself and my bags off of seat 5E when he turns around and said 'Oh, do you want to go ahead', and I replied 'that it is ok because you are in more of a hurry than me'. After waiting a few minutes for the ramp stand to pull up (remote parking, gotta love it) he asked for my name as he was getting off.

I'm sure I'm going to get another bad letter, now from this rude old man, but I'm sure it won't include me helping the older lady up the steps of the bus.

The immigration line was SO long, it was all the way into the terminal. While talking w/ J he told me about driving home and seeing that a rock/mud slide had hit an armored truck. After waiting over 15 minutes and telling the employees that I didn't work in, they still let me bypass everyone else when I had gotten into the immigration room. I only had to wait about 5 minutes for my bag before going through customs where the irish looking official was very nice and 'chatty' with me. Made up for last time and the rude man on the flight.

These last 2 posts are my way of 'documenting' for when/if I get that call from my supervisor for a meeting.

Expecting A Bad Letter?

I always just try to mind my own business but this past week while commuting it was almost impossible! While waiting for my flight #1058 SJO-MIA 4/23/10 (a night before my scheduled trip) I had just finished eating my salad, yogurt and was putting my bags together when a man across the isle from me in the terminal asked if I would watch his bags. I asked him where he was going and he motioned over to the ticket counter. I told him he need to keep an eye on his bags as he walked away.

When he returned I told him that he didn't know me from Joe or anyone else around him... and that the announcements are made for a reason, you can't trust people. He stated that he had been a police officer for over 30 years and that he had to trust people. I told him that CR had a serious drug problem and that you can't just 'trust' people. He continued to discuss, then argue with me, then saying it is over, but continued to argue. He suggested that I tell the agents and I said that it was ok, then he became more aggressive and wouldn't just let it drop and asked for my name. I said he didn't need my name and that was when I said I was going to tell the agents. As I walked up to the counter this man followed right behind me.

At the desk I said he could speak first and he said he wanted a supervisor. They got him one on the phone. Mr. Herrara (I heard him say) told his side of the story meanwhile I explained the situation to the agents. After I was finished I said if they needed me for anything to let me know. I was going to the restroom. When I was there I called J and just lost it and started crying. I hate confrontations more than anything. I had a good cry and it took me a good 10 minutes to calm down.

I went back to the gate and barely made the flight along w/ one other passenger. I knew some of the flight crew and told them what happened in the terminal and we found out Mr. Herrara was supposed to have been seated in 12D and instead his 'friend' (male) was in that seat and that Mr. Herrara was in 12F. Mildred (the purser) said this same man kept pointing up our way (I was sitting in 7C)... The rest of the flight went without a hitch until later I found out that this man was pleasant throughout the flight and when leaving the aircraft. Another passenger leaving the a/c kind of 'snapped' 'flipped' at the captain when he was trying to help them... Makes me wonder if it is a full moon????

My main concern was that this guy could have been carrying something (drugs) that when he gets his bags checked and is found w/ something that he says I must have put it there since I was 'watching' his bags... Not going to set myself for anything like that!!!!