Frani O’Toole Co-Editor-in-Chief From Costa Rica to Connecticut, George Bush Intercontinental Airport to Reagan National Airport, many Latin students and faculty members found themselves stranded on the final days of winter break. Spanning four continents, those with cancelled or delayed flights scrambled to get home. Some were able to find a return ticket before school’s start last Wednesday, while others were less fortunate. Organized by airport, here are some of the places members of the Latin community were stuck over the holidays:   Queen Alia International Airport, Jordan: A day and a half after she was supposed to leave Jordan, Meredith Lostaglio ’15 finally boarded her flight home to Chicago. Her first flight had been overbooked; as a solution, the airline had moved their flight time forward without informing some of its passengers—Meredith’s family included. After some negotiating, some possible bribery, and a request to fly first to Tel Aviv being denied by Jordanian officials, Meredith and her family finally made it home. Charles de Gaulle Airport, France: Traveling to Boston, England, and Paris, Ms. Baughman had planned a tightly-scheduled vacation—a vacation that was, abruptly, extended by five days. At the airport, Ms. Baughman was informed that her flight had been cancelled. She was then told the only flight available was one that would arrive in Chicago on Thursday. After booking a seat on that airplane, she hopped on an flight to Spain—beginning an impromptu trip to Barcelona. Staying with her daughter—who is on a year-long exchange in Paris—Ms. Baughman spent four days in balmy Mediterranean weather before returning to the arctic welcome of O’Hare. Heathrow Airport, England: Junior Bailey Sherman’s flight home from England had difficulty arranging for a gate and was severely delayed. Chapelco Airport, Argentina: Natalie Braun ’15 had been in Patagonia for the holidays, but was gifted with a little extra time there: after one flight was cancelled, the Brauns had to wait until the next day to make their journey home. Juan Santamaria Airport, Costa Rica: Jacob Silverman ’15 and his family, having first flown from Costa Rica, found themselves stranded in New York City. Deciding to drive home, the Silvermans rented a car and headed back to Chicago. Luis Munoz Marin International Airport, Puerto Rico: Nadja Knox ’14 was stranded for an extra week in Puerto Rico. Maui, Hawaii: Gabrielle Smithson ’15 was stranded in Hawaii for a week. She spent that week not as we did, braving subzero temperatures—she was on the beach. Missing three days of school, she said “it’s pretty awful now, but it has been definitely worth the trouble.” Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, Arizona: Audrey Lee ’15 was first stuck in Phoenix. After getting out of Arizona, she was stranded in St. Louis. Then, after a day of waiting, she returned to Illinois—only to get stuck in Effingham for yet one day more. George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Texas: Zach Schenkman ’15 was not delayed because of weather. He was, however, delayed because there was a lack of flight attendants available for their 10:00 pm flight. After four hours, the attendants arrived and Zach returned to Chicago. Bradley International Airport, Connecticut: Coming back from Florida, Haley Hecktman ’15 was stuck in Connecticut, alone, for two days. Logan Airport, Boston: The Dunns were stuck in Boston for five extra days. Washington International Airport, Washington, D.C.: The Latin attendees of the American History Conference—Ms. Hennessy, Affy Koungoulos ’14, Hedy Gutfreund ’14, Ella Huzenis ’15, and I—had two flights cancelled. Two days after our scheduled return to Chicago, we arrived at O’Hare early Tuesday monring. Read more about the adventures of that weekend in Hedy’s article “Extreme Dissertations: A Weekend at AHA.” *Chiberia, Illinois: The Polar Vortex, while it thwarted those trying to return to Chicago, gave those safely in the city a longing to get away. It was in Chiberia that the majority of Latin students and faculty were stuck, braving sub-subzero temperatures and layers upon layers of snow. Did you get stuck somewhere and aren’t mentioned in this article? Let us know in the comments below!  ]]>