My last blog post was about saying goodbye to my students on our final day of school. I ended that chapter thinking about all we had been through together during an unexpected year of online learning. What I didn't know then was that my own summer plans were about to become just as uncertain.
After nearly two months, Kuwait finally reopened its airspace on April 23rd. I was ecstatic. Like many others living here, I had been waiting anxiously for news that flights would resume. The possibility of going home for the summer suddenly felt real again.
On May 3rd, I purchased my ticket with EgyptAir. At the time, only a limited number of airlines were operating, and I hoped EgyptAir would eventually be permitted to resume service. I also chose EgyptAir for one very important reason: Charli. Anyone who knows me knows that Charli and I are a package deal. EgyptAir allows her to travel in cabin with me, which makes a world of difference.
Then came June 1st.
Terminal 1 officially reopened, allowing some foreign and Arab airlines to resume flight schedules. I was ecstatic to open Facebook and see my flight listed on the departure board.
And then June 3rd happened.
Another drone attack caused significant damage to Terminal 1. The airspace closed once more. One person lost his life, and dozens of others were injured. In an instant, so much hope and happiness disappeared. What has stayed with me most is the man who lost his life while on his way home to his family. We were all dreaming of reunions with loved ones, and for one family, that reunion would never happen.
Eventually, the airspace reopened again, but officials announced that repairs to Terminal 1 could take up to a year to complete. With Terminal 1 out of service, many of us hoped that additional airlines would be moved to Terminals 4 and 5.
My flight was scheduled for June 16th.
Like many anxious travelers, I became slightly obsessed with tracking flights. Every day I checked websites to see if my flight was operating. To my surprise, some sites continued to list departure and arrival times, giving me hope that flights were still operating. I even asked ChatGPT how accurate these flight tracking sites were, and it told me they were generally reliable.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be false hope.
When I checked Google, I discovered that many of the flights I had been tracking had actually been canceled. Eventually, I realized I probably should have started with the airline app from the beginning. Better late than never, I guess.
On Saturday, June 13th, I picked up Charli's travel documents so we'd be ready for our flight. The following day, I went to school to sort out my exit permit situation - which is an entirely different story for another day. Thankfully, I received my permit and was finally cleared to travel.
Everything was ready.
My clothes were washed.
Charli's carrier had been cleaned.
All that remained was packing.
While waiting at school to speak with HR, I continued tracking flights. The June 14th flight had been canceled, but the June 15th flight still showed as scheduled. I was thrilled. If the June 15th flight was operating, surely our June 16th flight would too. Right?
About two hours after arriving home, I received the dreaded notification:
Flight canceled.
I was disappointed, of course. But for weeks, I had been telling both myself and my family that I would be okay if I couldn't come home this summer. I told myself I could save money. I told myself I could relax in my own space. Looking back, I think I said those things to protect myself from disappointment. Because the truth is, would I really be okay spending the entire summer in Kuwait? I'm not entirely sure.
For a brief moment, I considered a Plan B: maybe I could travel home and leave Charli behind. But I quickly realized I couldn't do it. Some people may say, "She's just a dog." But to me, she's family. The truth is that neither of us would be okay. She is just as attached to me as I am to her. If she has to stay behind, then I'm staying too.
I considered taking a short trip somewhere else for a week or two - just enough to have some kind of vacation. That felt easier to accept than spending more than a month away from Charli.
So on Monday, June 15th, I informed my family that I would not be coming home this summer. I began thinking about virtual meetups and ways to stay connected from afar.
Then one of my great-nieces sent me a text.
She asked, "When are you coming to Nana's house?"
Nana is my mom. That one tugged at my heart. I had to tell her that we wouldn’t be home this summer. I know she was excited to see Charli - maybe even me - but definitely Charli. Charli was supposed to spend a week with her, her mom, and her sister while I attended my sorority's convention in Nashville.
Then, just a few hours later, while scrolling Facebook, I saw an announcement from Kuwait Aviation: foreign and Arab airlines would partially resume operations through Terminal 4.
I immediately went to EgyptAir's website and saw flights scheduled as early as July 1st.
Maybe there really is hope after all.
So for now, Charli and I wait.
And maybe - just maybe - by my next post, I'll be writing from home in New Jersey.
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