Being at an airport is one of my favorite things in the world. The anticipation of the adventures that await, the smells, the sight of your fellow travelers, and the excitement they exude for what awaits them on the other side or back have no comparison, in my opinion. One night in March during my senior year in college, however, I went through one of the most stressful situations I’ve ever encountered at an airport. On the same night, I also experienced a miracle.
Coming back home
I was coming back from a ten-day medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic. The nursing department at my university holds this mission trip every year. Although primarily seniors attended it, the mission trip was open to lower classes, but I had never had the opportunity to participate. I couldn’t let my last year of undergrad go without being a part of such a wonderful experience. The way I was able to attend the mission trip is also a miracle, but that’s a story for another day.
As group travelers, we traveled back together to the States on the same flight, landing in Miami; however, the group split in two for the domestic flight back to Texas. The earliest flight was at 7:39 p.m., the second and last for the day at 9:39 p.m. I was on the first one.
Trouble
When I got to the customs officer, he checked my documents and took my biometric scan. Everything was going smoothly until he noticed a critical document missing in physical form from my passport. He asked why it wasn’t there, and I explained. The reason was beyond my control.
The officer told me that even though he understood that, and the document showed in the system, it also had to be in physical form in my passport for him to let me it. Rules were rules, and he couldn’t bypass them. He asked me to wait while he consulted on the best way to proceed.
The back room
When the airport officer came back, he escorted me to a small back room and asked me to wait there.
The energy in the room was tense. Travelers from all over the world were sitting with their carry-ons. Some were fidgeting, others crying, and there was even a girl having a panic attack. I prayed a quick prayer and tried to remain calm.
To be continued…
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