Heading Home and Stolen Luggage
May 12
After breakfast we had a bit of time before we had to be in the lobby to leave, so Mary Beth and I went down to the lake. I was able to get a few pictures before we had to head back to the hotel.
We boarded the shuttles around 6:45 am and started the drive back to Guatemala City for the return flight back to the US. The drive was uneventful.
We arrived at the airport and was able to get through ticketing and security without any problems. We didn’t have a lot of time before our flight was boarding, so we made a bee line for the departure gate. It was close to lunch, so we stopped at a small kiosk to buy some food. I picked up the food and walked about 20 feet to some seats near the gate. I put the food down and went to use the restroom. When I got back, Mary Beth asked me where my suitcase was. It was then that I realized my carry-on bag was missing. In a fit of mild panic, I mentally raced through our travels through the airport to see if I could recall the last time I had seen the bag. It took a few minutes, but I was able to piece together what most likely happened. I recalled that I likely had the bag at the kiosk. Most likely, what happened, was that I picked up the food after paying, but left my bag sitting next to the checkout. I was away for only 5-6 minutes, but it was enough time for someone to see a bag sitting by itself and to steal it.
I contacted security, with the aid of one of the team members interpreting for me. They took a picture of my wife’s bag, as it was identical to the missing bag. They checked lost and found and was trying to pull security camera video. But the time came when the airline was about to close the gate, so I boarded the plane without my bag.
At first, I didn’t think that I lost too much. The bag was somewhat empty. Then, I started to think about some of the smaller items in the bag. My car keys, 2 camera batteries, a portable power pack. All told, I expect that it will be $600-700 to replace everything. Ouch. This was definitely a damper on my morale for the day.
Fortunately, the rest of the flight to Atlanta and then to Cincinnati went off without a hitch. My brother was able to pick us up at the airport for the final journey home.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Losing my luggage was frustrating, but it helped for me to keep it in perspective. I think back to the students I met, especially Elmer and Margorie, whose houses I visited. They have so little, but yet have so much joy in life. Compared to all the things that I have, what was lost in the suitcase is minuscule and replaceable. May be in the grand scheme of life, this isn’t that big of deal.
We arrived at the airport and was able to get through ticketing and security without any problems. We didn’t have a lot of time before our flight was boarding, so we made a bee line for the departure gate. It was close to lunch, so we stopped at a small kiosk to buy some food. I picked up the food and walked about 20 feet to some seats near the gate. I put the food down and went to use the restroom. When I got back, Mary Beth asked me where my suitcase was. It was then that I realized my carry-on bag was missing. In a fit of mild panic, I mentally raced through our travels through the airport to see if I could recall the last time I had seen the bag. It took a few minutes, but I was able to piece together what most likely happened. I recalled that I likely had the bag at the kiosk. Most likely, what happened, was that I picked up the food after paying, but left my bag sitting next to the checkout. I was away for only 5-6 minutes, but it was enough time for someone to see a bag sitting by itself and to steal it.
I contacted security, with the aid of one of the team members interpreting for me. They took a picture of my wife’s bag, as it was identical to the missing bag. They checked lost and found and was trying to pull security camera video. But the time came when the airline was about to close the gate, so I boarded the plane without my bag.
At first, I didn’t think that I lost too much. The bag was somewhat empty. Then, I started to think about some of the smaller items in the bag. My car keys, 2 camera batteries, a portable power pack. All told, I expect that it will be $600-700 to replace everything. Ouch. This was definitely a damper on my morale for the day.
Fortunately, the rest of the flight to Atlanta and then to Cincinnati went off without a hitch. My brother was able to pick us up at the airport for the final journey home.
THOUGHTS FOR THE DAY
Losing my luggage was frustrating, but it helped for me to keep it in perspective. I think back to the students I met, especially Elmer and Margorie, whose houses I visited. They have so little, but yet have so much joy in life. Compared to all the things that I have, what was lost in the suitcase is minuscule and replaceable. May be in the grand scheme of life, this isn’t that big of deal.