Homebody

As the Model UN Coordinator at my school, it is my responsibility to prepare my students to participate in the Model UN Conference, which is held in late February in Stamford CT. Now let me just tell everyone that I don’t actually like travelling all that much. Part of it has to do with the fact that I don’t like to fly. I don’t get sick or feel claustrophobic or anything, I just don’t like flying (especially with six high school students). When it comes down to it, my aversion to travelling comes down to the fact that I don’t like being away from my family. As corny as it may sound, I like being around my wife and kids. I miss them a lot when I am gone. I miss not being around to pick them up after school, helping with homework (I can’t believe I just said that), sitting down to dinner with them, and all the little things like singing songs and reading books before bedtime. Basically, I am a homebody.

Needless to say, I was not really looking forward to the Model UN trip last Sunday, especially with the freezing rain, the snow, and the cold weather Kansas City was experiencing. I was praying that our flight out of Kansas City would get cancelled, but it wasn’t. My six students and I were packed on the plane at 7:30 and it looked like we were all ready for the 7:45 am departure. Then the problems started. After we started to taxi to the runway, we had to stop for de-icing and then were delayed by almost an hour. Although I was frustrated by the delay, I became even more frustrated when it became apparent that we would not make it into Chicago in time to catch our connecting flight to New York. The low visibility in Chicago only compounded the problem. Sure enough, we missed our flight to New York and I spent the next 8 hours trying to get us another flight. I tried to change airlines, I tried to change airports, I even tried to fly us into a different city, all to no avail.

When it became apparent that we were not going to make it to the Model UN Conference, I had to fight to get us a flight back to Kansas City. Luckily, we were able to get seats on the last flight in KC and despite the weather, made it back into town. Once I got all the students packed away with their parents and dug my car out of the ice and snow, I headed for home. The roads were icy and the trip from the airport took over an hour. When I finally got home around 9:30, my boys were waiting for me. The second I walked in the door, they launched themselves into my arms, smothered me with hugs and kisses and told me how worried they were and how happy they were I was home. It was a nice ending to a long, frustrating day and a wasted trip.

My “wasted” trip to Chicago has only strengthened my dislike of travel (and of flying). I didn’t exactly want to go on the trip in the first place and having to fight the weather and the airlines only made things worse. Next year, when I am asked to chaperone the Model UN trip, I think I will decline because I am a homebody.