SPEAK
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We hadn't seen each other in 68 days. Two months, one week and one day: an eternity when you're in love and 3,529 miles apart.
I had completed my dream internship abroad in London writing for a travel magazine. My next stop: Stavanger, Norway. I was visiting Ane, a girl who started as a foreign exchange student at my high school and quickly turned into a best friend. Her cozy cottage felt like home, but with a few essential people missing. Cory, the boyfriend, was one of those essentials.
My flight back to the States left at precisely 6:45 a.m. The only problem was I wasn't on it. Ane and I had gone to bed late the night before, strategically sleeping at her friend's house located three minutes from the airport. She assured me her alarm was set, I set mine for 5 a.m. but didn't open my eyes until 6:42 a.m. — three minutes before my flight.
"Oh, no, Ashley, I think we're too late," Ane said.
Her alarm never went off. I must have slept through mine.
At first we didn't move. We both just stared at each other. Then the realization set in. We jumped up, threw on clothes grabbed my bags and started for the door. I wasn't too worried. I was positive the plane would wait for me. I could still make it.
Ane hit the gas pedal and skidded to a halt in front of the airport's "Unloading Only Zone."
It was 6:50 a.m., only five minutes past the scheduled departure. I just had to get inside the airport and I would be fine. This happened all the time, right?
Wrong. I scanned my boarding pass at the "Self Check-In" and the truth sunk in: Flight #254 has already departed, sorry for the inconvenience."
I was sorry, too.
Ane talked to the woman at the service desk. It was all Norwegian to me. Even when they were speaking English I still couldn't understand what was going on. To make things worse, Ane had a plane of her own to catch; she was leaving for China that morning, so she had no choice but to abandon me.
"Very funny. What time will you be here?" he asked
The worst part was telling Cory. It was 2 a.m.
his time when he got the call.
"Cor? I am so sorry. I missed my flight."
I think I could have held it together if my phone and computer hadn't run out of battery. As soon as my connections with the outside world died, my spirit died right along with them. And, of course, I didn't have a Norwegian converter and the only store that sold them in the airport was located just past security. I was able to convince the security guard to let me through without a boarding pass but as soon as I started throwing my 50-pound suitcases onto the conveyer belt he stopped me.
"Sorry miss. Carry-on luggage only."
"Can I just leave it here for a minute?" I pleaded.
"Sorry miss. All unattended luggage will be confiscated."
I'm sure I'm marked in an airport file as "emotionally unstable" because I couldn't stop the tears from coming. A few minutes later the woman at the service desk told me I could fly out at 6:45 a.m. the next day for no charge. I started to sit down when she stopped me.
"Miss, it's only 9 a.m. You aren't waiting here are you?"
That's when it hit me: I had no other place to go. For the first time in my life help wasn't a phone call away. I had never felt so alone. I pushed my hulking luggage into a corner, stared at the wall and realized this was the new reality. Throwing my coat over my head, I cried. The pity party seemed to last for hours but when I checked my watch, the only technology that hadn't failed me, it was only 9:30 a.m. I still had 21 hours and 15 minutes to go and I wasn't going to spend it with my head under my coat.
I picked myself off the floor, grabbed my belongings and went on a food hunt. Already my hopes were getting higher, and not just because I was on the escalator up to the only restaurant in the airport. I'm almost certain the owner of the restaurant was an angel in disguise. He watched my bags while I ran through security, purchased the converter and
Contributed Photo
Missed Connections: Ashley Barforoush on a European excursion to the Musee du Loure in Paris. Little did she know the real adventure would be trying to get home to the States.
came back with about 20 hours to spare. I did everything but sleep; I was terrified of closing my eyes. After all, that's what got me into this mess to begin with.
Seth, Ryan, Summer and Marissa became my companions as I watched episode after episode of the The OC. When I felt my eye lids getting heavy, I loaded my luggage onto a cart and ran a few laps around the airport. I did everything from jumping jacks to crunches on the airport floor to stay awake. Sleep was the enemy. By midnight. I was then desperate enough to pay $20 for 30 minutes of Internet. I blogged: Going on hour 18 in the Norway airport Whoever said you can't go home again must have also missed his flight to America. I tried to get money out of the ATM and accidentally took out 2,000 Kroners. Which converts into $320.
Can you tell I haven't talked to anyone all day? Anyway, I'm going to exchange them back into dollars. Those are my big 2 o'clock plans. At 2:30 I'm going to walk my luggage outside. If I can fit my bags in the stall, I may go to the bathroom at 3. It's going to be a pretty crazy night! Better run, there's only 5 hours until boarding time! New York here I come.
I had never cared less about a city and more about a person. Cory was waiting for me and that thought alone made me smile. Being the first in line to board, I had time to take one last look at the airport: my temporary home. Just because the day hadn't gone according to my plan, it didn't mean my life had veered off course. In 24 hours, I learned a lesson that can't be taught in school: To make the most of a bad situation, sometimes you have to take the coat off your head and rescue yourself.
Though I stayed awake, the rest of my journey to New York was a blur. When I made it safely into my boyfriend's arms, I closed my eyes. I was finally home. JP
// ASHLEY BARFOROUSH
and the Barrel House, 729 New Hampshire St., is packed with students.
A full week has passed since BeeJay "B DOUBLE E" McLoyd shot his music video at the same location for the newest University of Kansas anthem with senior Alan Ginsberg. The Blue Valley North graduate has only been rapping for three years now after freestyleing at
McLoyd wanted to record "Red and Blue" because he thought he could do it better. He said he didn't think other people doing remixes were as serious as him when it came to music.
"I feel like mine is unique because it's somebody else's beat," McLoyd said. "I saw a bunch of remixes and I felt I could do it better than most of the other ones I heard from other colleges."
shot the music video two weeks before it was shot with another videographer, but he decided to wait because he believed in Ginsberg and the way he shoots.
"Alan's my boy," McLoyd said. "We've been meaning to work together for last two, three months."
SEE RAP ON PAGE 2A
Freestyle rapper Beejay "B Double E" McLoyd performs at the Barrel House, 729 New Hampshire St. He performed his hit "Red and Blue."
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
CULTURE
Students remember home through Chinese New Year
Susan Tang, a freshman from Hunan, China, performs a minority traditional dance depicting the stages of womanhood last year. KU students will celebrate the Chinese New Year Saturday afternoon with various performances, calligraphy workshops and food.
Jerrv Wana/FILE PHOTO
BY CHRIS HONG chong@kansan.com
While many students welcomed Wednesday's canceled classes, it was more than just a snow day to Chinese students: It was the beginning of the Chinese New Year.
Although the new year didn't start until Thursday in China, the 14 hour time difference meant col
ebrations began Wednesday morning in Kansas. Wednesday's de facto holiday combined with the preparation for new year celebrations gave many Chinese students a sense of familiarity.
"It's another way to not make us
Maggie Liu, a senior from Jiangsu, China, said celebrating the 15-day holiday made her feel more at home.
Xinjie Tang, a sophomore from Hunan, China, said celebrating together eased the loneliness some students felt while they were away from China. Tang added that without the celebrations, the new year would simply not have its festive atmosphere.
SEE CELEBRATE ON PAGE 2A
miss family as much." Liu said.
GREEK LIFE
IFC board members may step down
BY JONATHAN SHORMAN
jshorman@kansan.com
According to a December report by Associate Vice Provost for Student Success Lori Reesor, members of the council engaged in paddling on Nov. 18. The report said that no new executive board members were paddled by former
Multiple executive board members of the Interfraternity Council (IFC), the governing body for fraternities, said they were willing to subject themselves to a vote to remove themselves from the council, following a hazing incident that occurred in November.
The declarations came at an IFC meeting Thursday evening that served as a forum for fraternity members and others to question council members about the hazing incident, which occurred after a turnover ceremony between the 2010 IFC council to the 2011 IFC council.
SEE HAZING ON PAGE 2A
BASKETBALL|10A
Taylor becomes true guard
Turnovers don't dominate Tyshawn Taylor's game as he focuses on helping the Jayhawks take care of the ball and play good defense.
KARAOKE | 6A
Karaoke provides fun for all
Downtown bars offer Karaoke on weeknights
INDEX
Classifieds ... 9A
Crossword ... 4A
Cryptoquips ... 4A
Opinion ... 5A
Sports ... 10A
Sudoku ... 4A
WEATHER TODAY 3016
Mostly Sunny
4128
SATURDAY
Mostly Cloudy
SUNDAY
37 13
Few Snow Showers
— weather.com
riversity Daily Kanaan
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