There were enough signs that aligned (or didn’t) that we knew before we admitted we knew: We would not be travelling to Peru as we planned. It was 4am when we first broached the subject and 11am when we made the decision. We’d booked the trip six months earlier and had talked about it for at least six months before that. But the universe just didn’t turn the way we needed it to turn.
We cried, realizing we were giving up on a dream. There will be other dreams, of course, but dreams are the things that grab hold of us and that’s what makes them so hard to let go.
Over the subsequent days, I realized that I was still sad. I woke up in the mornings wishing I were still asleep, not ready to face yet another day here, when everything I had been looking forward to was somewhere else.
We’ve gone out every day and watched spring coming into full force. I’ve cooked some nice things.
My favourite area in Weimar is the forest close to our flat and I brought my journal there one day. It helps me breathe a little more easily.
When life doesn’t go according to plan, it provides us all sorts of opportunities to realign and readjust. This is a chance to look at my own behaviour and actions in the face of a disappointment and behave differently next time. That’s real life, and there will be a great deal more of it that does not go according to plan.
It its own messy way, that’s what makes it beautiful.
By Rebecca Michelle 
Very good advice Rebecca. Just focus on the positive and your near and not so near dreams of your travels. Whenever I plan a Caribbean vacation, I ALWAYS MAKE SURE I HAVE CANCELLATIOM INSURANCE. I LEARNED THAT THE HARD WAY WHEN I BECAME SICK AND TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID THE DAY MY FLIGHT WAS LEAVING FOR CUBA. SINCE IT WAS CHRISTMAS DAY, MY TRAVEL AGENCY WAS CLOSED, AS WELL AS MY HEALTH AND CANCELLATION I HAVE THROUGH THE SCHOOL BOARD. EVEN THE ONLINE CHATS TO GET INFORMATION WAS CLOSED. THE ONLY PERSON THAT GAVE ME ANY INFORMATION TO SEE IF I WAS COVERED FORVTRIP CANCELLATION , WAS THROUGH AIR TRANSAT AIRLINES. I EXPLAINED TO THE REP MY DILEMMA, AND ALL THAT’S HE COULD TELL ME WAS THAT IF I DIDN’T SHOW UP FOR MY FLIGHT THE NEXT DAY, I WOULD MOST LIKELY LOSE ALL MY MONEY .I DECIDED TO GO ANYWAYS, AND I DEEPLY REGRETTED MY DECISION. MY EARS WERE KILLING ME ON TAKE OFF AND LANDING, AND I FELT WORSE. THE NEXT DAY AFTER LANDING IN CUBA I SAW THE NICE DOCTOR AT THE RESORT. I STILL TESTED POSITIVE FOR COVID, SO HE DRAINED MY EARS WHICH WERE FULL OF MUCUS. I SAW HIM AGAIN A FEW DAYS LATER WHEN I FINALLY TESTED NEGATIVE, BUT THE DAMAGE WAS DONE. I FELT VERY LETHARGIC AND CONGESTED, AND MY EARS HURT A BIT. THE DOCTOR GAVE ME ELECTROLYTES TO BOOST MY ENERGY, PLUS HE GAVE ME EARDROPS. I SAW HIM FOR A TOTAL OF 4 DIFFERENT TIMES. I HAD TO PAY ABOUT $215 CANADIAN ON MY CREDIT CARD FOR HIS SERVICES AND THE MEDICATION. IT WAS WORTH EVERY PENNY! THE FIRST FEW DAYS I HAD LOUSY, POURING RAIN AND COOL WEATHER. I ALSO STAYED IN MY ROOM TO REST IN BED, I ONLY WENT OUT TO EAT MY MEALS, AND A FEW TIMES I WAS ABLE TO ORDER ROOM SERVICE AS I DIDN’T FEEL WELL ENOUGH TO LEAVE MY ROOM. THE SECOND HALF OF MY VACATION WAS A LITTLE BIT BETTER. WHEN I CAME HOME I WAS ABLE TO CLAIM THE $215 DOLLARS THAT THE DOCTOR CHARGED. HE GAVE ME A BILL AND MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WRITTEN IN SPANISH, AND I GOT BACK EVERY PENNY. THIS WHOLE ORDEAL TOOK PLACE IN DECEMBER 2023- JANUARY 2024. THE NEXT TIME I WENT AWAY WAS THIS PAST DECEMBER IN 2024 TO THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC. SINCE MY FATHER’S HEALTH WAS TOUCH AND GO AT THAT POINT, I PURCHASED EXTRA CANCELLATION INSURANCE THROUGH MY TRAVEL AGENT FOR AN EXTRA $150. THIS INSURANCE ALLOWED ME TO GET A FULL REFUND BACK IF I HAD TO CANCEL FOR ANY REASON UP TILL 24 HOURS BEFORE MY FLIGHT DEPARTED. THANK GOD I DIDN’T HAVE TO USE IT, BUT IT DEFINITELY GAVE ME PEACE OF MIND. LIKE I SAY TO MY YOUNG STUDENTS, ” NOBODY IS PERFECT, WE ALL LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES. ”
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