I have decided to attempt to start blogging… I have a very low success rate at completing something long term; nevertheless, I have decided to tackle this since I am away from so many people I have met throughout the world. I moved to Egypt with my 1 ½ year old son, husband (Egyptian) and dog, Colossus, at the start of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. I worked as 2nd and 3rd grade international school teacher. After the end of my second contract I decided that it was time to move on (besides I hated the school it was more just memorization than an actual learning atmosphere, but that is neither here nor there). My husband and I decided that it was time for a change (again) so I began applying to jobs around the world. We had no serious destination in mind; our life had already been an adventure. The best two job offers I had been in Beijing, China and Freetown, Sierra Leone. After weighing the positive and negatives we decided our journey would take us to West Africa.
At 9:00pm on August 1, 2012 we packed up the van with 7 check ins (so we thought), 3 carry-ons, 3 personal items and a dog. Our flight wasn’t until 2:30am the following morning but with Cairo traffic it’s hard to determine, so better safe than sorry. I have had continuous emails between myself and the corporate office of Ethiopian Airlines in regards to my dog being too big to go in the cabin with me even though he’s a Chihuahua. Long story short, I had written confirmation that my dog would fly below cabin from Cairo, Egypt to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia then from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Acura, Ghana. In Acura, Ghana I was to be given my dog plane side to ride in the cabin with me the rest of the way. Anything that could have gone wrong with these airlines WENT wrong! I was also emailed that because of the problems that had arisen my dog would fly for free from Cairo to Freetown.
In Cairo I was told that my dog was now allowed to fly in cabin with me, of course I was extremely excited! Only to find out just a few minutes later that it was a mistake and he was going to have to fly below cabin. I tried to explain that when we arrived in Addis Ababa that it was only going to be 12*C and thunderstorms. The manager was not budging. I agreed to it and was advised that I could give him to someone while I was boarding the plane. After getting on the plane I slide the dog crate (which the airlines told me was too big) easily under the seat. I showed the flight attendant and asked if there was any way for me to get my dog back now. The flight attendants were AMAZING! They pleaded and begged until he was delivered to me. The rest of the way (until Acura, Ghana) went fairly smoothly…minus the crazy 3 yr old temper tantrum moments due to lack of sleep.
In Ghana there were more people demanding bribes than I could have ever imagined. They were extremely rude and rough talking people (women included). I showed them the papers for the dog to be in cabin with me and the security told me that she does not care about the papers I have and I needed to pay her money. I offered a few “choice words” and walked away with my dog in hand. Right before boarding the plane we were then told that we needed to pay a $35 USD fee for the dog to go UNDER the plane. I showed them the paperwork from CORPORATE and then told me that the pilot did not like dogs and he refused to fly with the dog on the plane. Another fight broke out. I asked to speak to the Regional Area Manager because I had conformation from him that he dog was able to go on the plane with me. I spoke to him and he told me that the Regional Area Manager of Egypt made the whole story up and he never agreed to anything (I will be writing corporate again demanding my $35 back as well as addressing this issue). I finally gave up Colossus to them and explained that since he was in a soft crate and would get scared and rip it I would be coming after them for many more fees to be reimbursed. I loaded the plane with my son and husband. A minute or two later the Regional Area Manager entered the plane and handed Colossus to me…I am not too sure why the change of heart, but I will take it! We landed in Sierra Leone just a few hours later (total trip time with layovers from Cairo to Freetown 18 hours). Colossus made it to Sierra Leone and on every flight with me.
**Moral of the story: DO NOT FLY ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES!!**
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