In the very first post on this blog, I made the comment that “for six weeks at the beginning of 2010, I will become radically dependent on other people and the providence of God.” Little did I realize how rapidly I would realize the truth of my prediction.
It’s late and the story is involved so I will just say that without Sharif, Anne, and especially Martine, my prospects for a speedy resolution to my luggage misadventures would be non-existent. It turns out that the delivery company somehow delivered my luggage TO THE WRONG ADDRESS! How they managed to do this when I had been told I needed my baggage claim ticket to get my stuff is beyond me. Thanks to Martine, it looks as though Air France will be paying me 100 € for my trouble as well as reimbursing me for the basic essentials I will be purchasing tomorrow.
It also looks as though I may still have a chance at leaving Paris on Tuesday. However, if my bag is not delivered tomorrow, I owe Anne more than just the meal at the Chinese restaurant. She came with me to the ticket office at the train station to verify that I would be able to cancel the ticket and get a full refund as late as 8:00 tomorrow evening. When I bought the ticket online, there was a disclaimer stating it was non-refundable so I had already written that 49 € off as a loss.
Here in Paris, my “resourcefulness” has amounted to a willingness to shrug, laugh, and hunker down to wait as long as necessary for my bag to be delivered and then adjust my plans accordingly. Thankfully, the people around me are far more resourceful than that.
