Not a Very Plane Day

It was the day. I was going to Germany for 3 weeks as a part of my school's German American Partnership Program (GAPP). I would finally meet my German partner who couldnt come to America due to an injured leg.

I brought my luggage to school like everyone else, and brought it to my German teacher's room. I had my checked bag and my carry on bag. Sometime during the day a friend said: "You know you can have a 3rd bag, right? I was suprised, could move stuff from my heavier carry on bag to a 3rd bag. Then I'd have much more room.

So, at the end of the day, I headed to the teacher's room to gather luggage, and started moving things from one bag to another. During this encounter, somehow I dropped my passport to the ground without noticing.

We all grouped up, took a picture, and then headed to the bus. I sat next to my friend. We then endeavored on the 2 hour drive to the airport. About halfway through I looked through my school backpack.

"Huh, that's weird. I thought I put my passport here."
"Did you leave it?"
"No, I probably left it in my checked bag in the bus's trunk."

For the next hour we joked about me not going to Germany, and me never meeting my partner. However, I kept thinking optimistically. I was sure it was in my suitcase.

The second we got to the airport I rushed to look in my suitcase. It wasn`t there. so I quickly looked through my bag, and told the two teachers. We dissected the bag, and I thought back to where my passport could have been.

After the teachers dissection of my luggage, the thought of never meeting my partner melding into my thoughts, and calling my mom, I figured I maybe dropped it inside, but the problem was the school was closed for the next 5 days.

My mom ended up going to the school, and had janitors let her in. After about a half an hour of looking through places I thought it might be, she found it in my teacher's room, and rushed to the airport.

2 hours passed of me staring at a clock next to my teacher who was reading a book, and my mom finally arrived. I got the passport, told my mom I was going to spend so much of her money on her, and she carried on to her 2 hour drive home. I then headed through the metal detectors and such, and waited with my friends to be called to the plane.

I learned a very important lesson. Never leave the United States.

Nick Thierfeldt