3 days in the airport...

So after 3 days of hanging out in Incheon airport in South Korea, patiently waiting (though after day 2 that patience began to wear a little thin) for the volcanic ash in Bali to clear away enough to fly, I'm finally on my way!! I can't say the last few days have been all bad, as I've met some interesting people during my airport stay who were also grounded in Korea because of the closures in Bali.

 I chatted with a young woman from Montreal who was beginning a two month back-packing adventure in Southeast Asia before she started the new job waiting for her at home, a bunch of girlfriends planning a surfing vacation in Bali and worried about when they would get their checked-in surfboards back, a couple who decided after the second day to reroute to Bangkok and enjoy their vacation in Thailand instead, and a lovely woman from DC who was attending a public health/family planning Conference in Bali, and had aspirations herself of one day becoming a midwife. So of course we instantly gravitated towards each other! 

When we finally confirmed that all flights were once again cancelled for the day, my new DC friend and I decided to go in search of some food and chat. And as women who are passionate about birth do; we talked about women, birth, the joys and the fears surrounding it, our hope to see our maternity care improve in America, and ways in which we each try to reach the women we work with. 

After a few hours of talking and enjoying some Korean food, she eventually decided to reroute to Jakarta in hopes of visiting a friend and salvaging some part of her trip. We exchanged numbers, and with heartfelt hugs and promises to stay in touch, we parted ways. 

Like with birth, the end result isn't all that matters. There is something so wonderful  and beautiful to be found in the moments in between. There were so many people in the airport that I've come across the last 3 days. So many stories, and so many journeys in the making. Normally, these would have been nameless, faceless people to me as I made a quick transit onto my next destination. But, in a moment of having to wait for the process to happen and no ability of my own to rush things along, I have wonderful memories that will last for a lifetime.