Three colleagues and I were sent to Casablanca for business three weeks ago. The trip lasted four days, so I kept a daily journal.This is the fourth and final day.
How Did I Get
Here???
Another copywriter was supposed to go on this trip. She was
grounded by her doctor after experiencing some vicious inner ear pains. On Saturday
afternoon, I got an SMS informing me I was flying out early Monday morning to
Casablanca.
I scrambled to prepare for the trip. Loads of laundry
waited to be done and a cabin-worthy bag had to be packed. My laptop had to be
fetched from the office.
I had no time to research Morocco, which was obvious after my arrival on
Monday. I handed the money exchange girl some Euros and asked it to be changed
into... into... I paused, realizing I did not even know the local currency.
“Dirham,” she said.
Incidentally, I saw her again at a different booth today,
as we were flying out. She recognized me. We had a laugh.
Business Class
In the chaos of canceled and
rebooked flights over the weekend, the accounting department rushed to get find
an available flight. The only space for me was in business class. That is why I
am here, luxuriating with extra leg room, scribbling in my notebook, eating
from a cheese plate and sipping wine.
Not a bad way to travel. An aside: I was happier during the trip than I appear in the scribble below.
WAIT! Whatever happened
to the lost luggage?
Yesterday Malika and Katie received word that their
luggage was left in Rome and was enroute to Casablanca. It was due to arrive at
midnight, which did nothing dressing for impressing in the business meetings.
The worst part was they were both going to Croatia trip
after the business trip and Katie had packed a huge suitcase for her Casablanca
trip and the Croatia trip. Everything
she needed was out there, somewhere, in the air.
So today, being the day of their departure, with hair
curling and volumizing in the blazing Moroccan heat (remember, no hair product), they
went to the airport for their 6am flight to pick it up and fly back to
Budapest.
That was the plan.