A friend told me that the news of the Buenos Aires airport being shut down due to an ash cloud had actually made the news in Columbus, Ohio.
Since I am traveling, I am ignorant as to what news makes it back home. I have to admit I am even ignorant of what is going on in Argentina. I rely on the expats I follow through their blogs and on Twitter for my news about Buenos Aires.
I only knew about the ash cloud over Buenos Aires because my roommate Ayngelina had her flight back to Canada canceled and was stuck for two extra nights.
I assumed everything was fine after that first week.
A week later I went to move into my new home, a room I rented from a French expat who would be visiting Paris for several weeks. When I arrived, Anouk was stressed out. She told me that her flight had been canceled, and she could not get a flight out for four more days.
I had no idea why.
The ash cloud of course.
I was completely unaware of the fact that the airport had been closed on and off for several days and many people had been stranded both trying to get out and get back into Buenos Aires. It really was a mess and had been causing massive travel issues all over the world.
Maybe I should start reading a newspaper on a regular basis.
I dropped off my things in the house and left for the day. I tried to push the question of what was going to happen with our living situation out of my mind.
A friend knew that I was moving this day and asked me how it went. I told her the story. She then proceeded to tell me about the terrible situation the ash was causing in Bariloche, a popular tourist destination in the foothills of the Andes.
An environmental emergency had been declared.
There were piles of ash several feet high in the streets. Everything was canceled and many businesses were closed. People had to wear masks when they went outside, but experts were concerned this still was not enough protection.
Electricity was inconsistent because the water-powered generators were affected by the ash. Roofs were collapsing under the weight of the ash. So much ash had seeped into the wool of the sheep in Bariloche (link to National Geographic photo) that they could barely stand and were having trouble finding a food source.
I could not imagine such devastation.
What would I do if something like that happened where I was? Sure, planes were not flying out of Buenos Aires and we had thin layers of ash on things, but this was not a state of emergency.
Getting back to my living situation.
In the grand scheme of things, this was not that big a deal. Luckily, our house is large and has an extra bed in the living room where Anouk could camp out until her flight. This was an easy solution that met both of our needs.
When I got home that first evening, Anouk was concerned about whether or not she would make it to her friend’s wedding in Paris. Then she said something that really resonated with me.
“Oh well. There is nothing I can do about it. At least I’m alive.”
It is so easy to let a bad situation get blown out of proportion.
We start spinning and stressing ourselves out over things we cannot control. I hope I remember this and incorporate it into how I live my life.
A friend told me that the news about the Buenos Aires airport being shut down due to an ash cloud from the eruption of a volcano in Chile had actually made it to Columbus, Ohio. Since I am traveling, I am ignorant as to what news makes it back home. I have to admit I am even ignorant of what is going on in Argentina. I rely on the expats I follow through their blogs and on Twitter for my news about Buenos Aires.
I knew about the eruption and the ash cloud over Buenos Aires because my roommate Ayngelina had her flight back to Canada canceled and was stuck for two extra nights. I assumed everything was just find after that.
A week later I went to move into my new home, a room I rented from a French expat who would be visiting Paris for 6 weeks. When I arrived, Anouk was stressed out. She told me that her flight had been cancelled, and she could not get a flight out for four more days. I had no idea why.
The ash cloud of course.
I was completely unaware of the fact that the airport had been closed on and off for the past week and many people had been stranded both trying to get out and get back into Buenos Aires. It really was a mess and causing massive travel issues all over the world.
I dropped off my things in the house and left for my Spanish class. I tried to push the question of what we was going to happen with our living situation out of my head.
My teacher knew that I was moving this day and asked me how it went. I told her Anouk’s story. My teacher then proceeded to tell me about the terrible situation the ash was causing in Bariloche, a popular tourist destination in the foothills of the Andes.
An environmental emergency had been declared. There were piles of ash several feet high in the streets. Everything was canceled and many businesses were closed. People had to wear masks when they went outside, but experts were concerned this still was not enough protection. Electricity was inconsistent because the water-powered generators were getting clogged with ash. Roofs were collapsing under the weight of the ash. So much ash had seeped into the wool of the sheep in Bariloche that they could not stand and were just lying on the ground, unable to get to a food source.
I could not imagine such devastation. What would I do if something like that happened where I was. Sure, planes were not flying out of Buenos Aires and we had thin layers of ash on things, but this was not a state of emergency.
So getting back to my living situation. In the grand scheme of things, this was not that big of a deal. Luckily, our house is big enough and has an extra bed in the common area, so Anouk camped out there until her flight. Easy solution that met both of our needs.
When I got home from Spanish class that day, Anouk was concerned about whether or not she would make it to her friend’s wedding in Paris. Then she said, “Oh well. There is nothing I can do about the situation. At least I am alive.”
It is so easy to let a bad situation get blown out of proportion. We start spinning and stressing ourselves out over things we cannot control. I hope I remember this and incorporate into how I live my life.
We should not stress over things we cannot control. We deal with situations in the best way we can at the time.
At least we are alive.
You scared me when I read the title. But, thankfully, you are indeed ALIVE. Your friend’s comment is indeed philosophical and very, very true.
You’d think with all the wine and cheese, I’d be in danger of a heart attack at this point
I’m glad you’re okay. And it sounds like you’ll be there a while so hopefully, the weather will change by the time you leave.
I like no-news weekends. And on vacation, the last thing I want to do is listen to news. I figure if the sun’s still shining when I wake up, everything’s ok.
Can wait to read the rest of your adventures,
Marcia
I guess I’m used to the news in the US where everything is negative and/ or sensationalist. I just stopped paying attention and knew that if something big happened, I’d hear about it from people around me.
Oh dear… just be vigilant and stay put. I’m glad you’re OK, the title caught my attention and we worried about you!
Apparently, using the quote as my title was not the best decision. I didn’t mean to worry people.
It’s good to know you are okay! I try to look at situations like that too- oh, well, at least I’m alive tends to bring down the immediate scare factor and drama and make me take a few breaths that everything will be okay.
I just need someone else with me to remind me.
Don’t talk to me about ash clouds, I’ve had my fill of them. There’s a dodgy volcano that keeps blowing its top in Iceland sending an ash cloud south to us. All airports closed argh!!
I remember when that happened the first time. You really don’t fully understand the impacts until you experience it firsthand.
It’s true that this kind of situations can cause problems, but when there’s nothing we can do, the best option is not to over stress about it and start doing something alternative. Of course sometimes it’s easier said than done, especially when it’s something we worry about, but at least we should try..
Good point. And yes, we need to try even though it’s difficult.
Good advice, not stressing about something you can’t influence. Got my share of the temperamental Icelandic volcano last year. Normally, London – Oslo is a 1.5-hour-flight. Instead it turned into a 2-day-adventure w/busses, boats and trains.
It’s good that you look at it as an adventure
Alive is good and beats the alternative! In May, 2010, I hiked Vulcan Picaya and roasted marshmellos over a river of liva. A few days later I flew home from Guate. About 7 days after that Picaya violently erupted and killed three people who were unfortunate to be in the vacinity. The ash cloud closed the airport for another week. I experiened that river of appreciation for being alive.
Incredible story. I didn’t realize you were in Guatemala then.
It is so strange how we rely on word of mouth while abroad. I’m a bona fide newspaper-subscribing, NPR-addicted news junkie at home — and completely out of the loop while out of the country, vacationing or living. That said, I only knew about how bad the ash cloud was from Ayngelina’s tweets!
I’m glad I’m not the only ignorant traveler
My new roommate just got screwed by the ash cloud again on her trip to Iguazu and Salta. She never even made it to Salta because of further cancellations and then just decided to come back to Buenos Aires on the first flight she could get.
Once again… I had no clue until I walked in the door and saw her standing in our kitchen a week earlier than expected.
I couldn’t give a crap what happens in the news, as most of it is negative and doesn’t serve my life in any way. Me paying attention to it and getting depressed about life is not going to solve the world problems. I can do more by just being happy and positive in my own life.
All we really need to worry about in life is if we are breathing.
Great perspective, and pretty much the same reasons I don’t follow the news religiously.
I agree some things can really get blown out of proportion especially when they intrude on our personal plans. I am sure that things will get better and good to know you are taking it well.
I have had such minor impact from the ash cloud, so it’s easy for me. Others have been going through the true test.
My new roommate who was stranded at airports in Argentina this past week just told me how proud she was that she “didn’t flip her shit” about it. I was proud of her too
There’s little to get worked up over in life. If it isn’t life threatening, you can pretty much relax over anything.
It is strange how being back in a fast-paced, modern city has made me less tolerant than I was back when I was living the backpacker life in Central America.
It takes moments like this to remind me that it’s not worth getting worked up over the things that are out of our control.
Ya hoo, Ben! So well said.
The ash cloud really is a pain for a lot of people. However, that is a great perspective to have. In all circumstances, I could learn to be more appreciative of life.
Me too! I think I’ll never stop learning to be more appreciative.
We do seem to get ourselves all worked up over situations that are really out of our control. I love your friends words of wisdom. They really are true and hopefully I’ll remember them to next time life spins out of control.
And the unfortunate thing is that when we get worked up, it usually affects those around us. We lash out at customer service people or just simply stress out our friends or family around us.
I agree….when I find myself getting bent out of proportion over something, I have to remind myself that people all over the world are dealing with much much worse scenarios.
Traveling in Latin America has definitely given me more perspective and made me more appreciative of the life I live, free from many of the worries that others are dealing with.
Dear Steph Should have been here last night about 8:30P.M. Bad storm. We were at the Rec. around 3P.M. and it poured the rain. All the people had to clear the outside pools and were standing out in front waiting for the rain to clear so they could get to their vehicles. Bad thunder and lightening. We assumed we got the nice rain for our Garden, but no not one drop. That is only about two miles away. But it more than made up for it. hail, the size of small marbles, not to bad , but the wind and the rain was scary. No lights until after midnight. We went to bed. Today I went to the bank and there were trees, some big, split in half. Debrie all over the roads. Thank the Lord, that our House and Garage are still standing. Tim and I met Gale, Wayne and Karen (no not your mom) at El Meson. Great food. Wayne and Gale said like So. Amer. food. We will go back again. Love ya Grandma
Wow. It’s like she summed up how you could react to that situation in one sentence. It would do us all good to remember that.
It is always refreshing to meet someone with this type of attitude about life.
That’s definitely a good way to think about it.
I remember when all the planes around Europe were cancelled last year because of the ash cloud. My parents’ holiday to Portugal was cancelled so they just spontaneously went to Turkey instead. I remember there were stories in the newspaper that about 30 schoolchildren were going to miss their exams because they were stuck in Spain on a school trip and couldn’t get home.
But, in the grand scheme of things, it’s definitely good to have that attitude. If you’re still alive and well and healthy, there’s nothing you can complain too much about.
Exactly!
The Ash Cloud situations have been disruptive to travelers this year and last, but your roommates attitude and yours are positive. That’s really all you can do, appreciate that you are safe and well and let go of the rest.