Kindness of Strangers

As with any week of the pre-trip planning phase, this past one had its ups and downs.  The difference is, the unpredictability is not ruffling my feathers as much anymore.  On Wednesday Maikael called my office, 15 minutes before I was to teach my first career development class of the semester. 

“Do you have a minute?” he asked.  The tension in his voice was palpable. 
“A minute,” I said, “but I gotta run to my class.” 
“Okay.  Well, maybe I’ll just tell you later.”
I could immediately feel the panic swelling.  This wasn’t going to be good news.
“What is it?” I asked.  “Is something wrong?”
“Yeah.”

Maikael proceeded to tell me that he had received a call from the human resources department of his organization, and they were no longer sure that he would be able to take the trip and remain employed.  This was our biggest fear coming true.  Although we’ve always had the agreement in writing, the possibility of something like this happening at the eleventh hour has always been the proverbial elephant in the room:  we couldn’t ignore it, but no one wanted to acknowledge its existence.  I’m sure I said something hysterical, and then an eerie calm took over.  Perhaps it was just the shock setting in, but we’ve overcome so many set-backs during this planning process that it simply felt like another hurdle to jump over.  As I made my way to the classroom, I heard every theatre director I’ve ever known collectively whisper in my ear, “Leave your baggage at the door.” 

And that’s just what I did for the next six days until this issue was resolved (save for one crying jag on Wednesday night).  After a number of conversations with The Powers That Be, Maikael was able to successfully get our plan back on track today. 

What I’ve come to realize through this experience is that there is no longer such a thing as “a normal week;” each seven-day period offers a novel experience.  This, I imagine, is what it feels like to be a baby; no wonder they cry so much.  The past weeks have been filled with phone calls to the pharmaceutical insurance company with inquiries about the co-pay for anti-malarials (”How do you spell ‘Malarone,’” the customer service specialist asked.).  We’ve called Western Union and PayPay and learned more than we ever wanted to know about foreign currency conversion rates.  We’ve had conversations with attorneys who specialize in international trade law, and I’ve talked with local real estate experts regarding how to rent properties.  We know the ins and outs of human resource minutae, and could tell you a lot about our health insurance plan.  I could give you detailed instructions on how to sign up for a Hostelling International membership, and can recite the different train routes in Portugal.  We know the best deals on international calling cards.  It’s not uncommon for my daily to-do list to have “Grocery shop” on one line, followed by, “Don’t forget to take typhoid pill after dinner!” on the next.  I’ve stopped expecting things to go as planned because, like a snowflake, no two weeks look alike anymore.