-OR- how to not hate your life until your name is called
In my last post I explained Space A, which was probably boring, but also necessary. Waiting 4 days for a flight doesn't make much sense if you don’t understand the crazy rules and order that is Space A, but here I will tell you how I maintained my sanity (or barely managed to hold onto it, might be a better way of putting it).Space A sounds like such a good idea, and everyone knows someone who’s aunt/cousin/brother/whatever has seen the world using it. And good for that mystery person who makes it seem magical and fantastically easy. There was a moment when I thought that it was magical and fantastically easy too!
Where we live in Germany is nowhere near the air bases that do Space A flights, so the first step was to get to Ramstein. There are several options but I am a fan of the cheapest, and for me that was to take the bus that transports PCSers¹ leaving Germany. It left at midnight the day that I was going to try to fly out. Because it stops at other bases to pick up other people PCSing it took 8 hours. Cody and I have driven to Ramstein in about 4 hours. Google Maps says it take precisely 3hr 43min. But this bus took 8 freaking hours, so I slept.
I arrived and stood in line to get my name on the list and mark myself present. I was in luck because that day there just so happened to be two flights to BWI. I was REALLY in luck because after waiting all day I made it onto that evenings flight. This was the magical moment where I thought “This Space A thing aint so bad after all!” Coming back was the real trial.
As I said, there is no advance schedule of flights for Space A. So I bought the cheapest ticket from Florida to BWI which happened to be on a Saturday. As the 72 hour schedule came available I saw that there would be no flights to Ramstein that day. At that point I was expecting such things. I hadn't planned to stay in a hotel but I treated myself that night to the cheapest one I could find; the Red Roof Inn. I spent the evening sprawled out like a starfish in the king-sized bed watching free HBO.
The next day it was back to the airport to mark myself present for the flight leaving that evening. Roll call wasn’t until 9:30 that night and I had hours to kill. I checked my bags at the USO lounge (thank GOODNESS for the USO, fa’real) and took a train to DC.
I’ve never been to DC. I know most people go on an eighth grade field trip or something, but we were poor at that time and none of my friends were going, so I didn’t press the issue with my mother. As an adult I was stoked to be going on this solo exploration. I walked to the Capitol Building and walked the National Mall. Almost every museum is free so I went into the National Gallery of Art and enjoyed some of my favorite artists. I saw a frickin Degas for goodness sake!! SQUEEE! I went back to the airport with aching feet and ate a cheese burger at the USO and took nap in their sleeping room. (Again, thank goodness for the USO)
That evening I was called at the second roll call. In fact, all the Cat III’s were skipped over because they were all traveling with two or more people and I was the next single traveler on the list. I was the last name called and I rejoiced. I practically danced up to have my papers stamped, but as I waited to have my bag checked I was booted as quickly as I was called. You see, even if you get called, a duty passenger always takes priority. Until the plane is in the air your seat is not secure. I felt so crestfallen. I had come so close to the perfect Space A experience, only to have it snatched away.
It was late and I was tired and disappointed. I found myself a nice piece of floor in the meditation room and slept unwell until the USO opened at 6am. I groggily made my way into the sleeping room and slept comfortable on their lay-flat recliners. And so my life went for the next couple of days; (at the time it felt like an eternity!) kill time all day until roll call. kill time until second roll call, have ear talked off by long-haired Vet with crazy conspiracy theories, find floor and sleep like shit, Sleep like a baby when USO opens, eat, repeat.
My spirits fell a bit more with each passing day and each roll call in which my name went unuttered. By the time the last flight of the week rolled around with 0 tentative available seats I had no confidence that I would make it on. I checked the cost of rental cars and toyed with the idea a driving to Dover Air Base and attempting to Space A out of there. At first roll call 7 seats opened up, and I didn’t make it on. At second roll call, as if by some magic, over 40 seats opened up and I was called! Joy and rapture! After four days I finally made it onto a flight! This time I kept my celebration reflex under control until the wheels were in the air.
While all this was frustrating at times, it wasn’t completely intolerable, and I’d like to think I did some things right. The most important thing is the attitude and expectations you choose to take with you. If you have realistic expectations then you won’t be disappointed when things don’t end up perfect. I knew that I had gotten extremely lucky on my flight out of Germany. I also knew that I could have been waiting much longer than four days for my flight out of the US. If you go in with a positive sense of adventure then you’ll most likely enjoy your Space A experience. If you go in with negative dread and a poor outlook then you’ll probably hate it all. I loved that I got to go see DC! It was a great way to kill time and I got an awesome memory out of it. I also met some really nice people going in both directions! It’s was fun getting to know some fantastic people and a relief having someone to talk to for a while and share stories.
I also think packing light and traveling alone worked to my benefit. When my name was called that first night, it was because I was the next name on the list traveling alone, and there was only one seat left. Granted, it didn’t exactly work out, but it could have! I pack light for cheap-skate reasons: I don’t want to have to pay for a checked bag on a commercial flight. But on Space A flights every pound is accounted for. They weigh all your bags including your purse and carry-on and they ask for your weight also. You could get turned away on a packed flight because you packed too much and too heavy. I travel with one carry-on sized suitcase and a tote bag.
Not only did packing light help me out, but so did packing smart. I brought a neck pillow and a small light weight blanket in my tote bag. This was helpful for those nights I chose to sleep in the airport, and on the plane of course. If you were wondering, neck pillows make great butt pillows when sitting on a hard floor waiting for roll call. I brought my husbands kindle instead of the laptop, which was much less bulky, and I loaded it with several movies, books and the entire season of Cosmos (I love you Neil deGrasse Tyson). I packed tons of snacks and food so I could spend less on eating out, and carried a small water bottle that I could reuse as long as I emptied it before going through security.
I still don’t know if I would travel Space A again, it sure beats spending thousands of dollars to fly overseas, but it really can eat into your time. Either way, I’m glad I did it. It really was an adventure. To cap this off here are some pictures from DC I took with my really crappy camera-phone because I STILL don’t have a new camera. Womp, womp!
¹Permanent Change of Station OR when it’s time for the military to move you somewhere else
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