Susan E. Greisen

We have opportunities to be kind, be helpful, or pay it forward. Often it is not calculated…just a spontaneous gesture. In my travels this past year I have met many interesting people. This is a story of one lovely woman I met on one my transatlantic flights.

I sat next to a 50 + year-old Kenyan woman. She was very shy and kept to herself as she sat in the middle seat of our 14-hour plane flight across the Atlantic. Her African English accent was strong, but because of my familiarity, we communicated well. After a time I learned her name was Nora, a Baptist Minister heading to Renton, WA to visit another congregation. (Name and place changed to protect privacy)

She had difficulty with the many buttons and levers surrounding her seat. As I assisted with troubleshooting her needs, using the AV touch screen, call button, headphones, light, and adjusting her table, she told me this was her first-ever flight and she was not familiar with the flying protocol.

She and I only got up only once to use the bathroom during our long flight. I gave her a quick tutorial on entering and exiting that teeny tiny toilet closet. I wondered if she could figure out how to get out and not scream when or if the toilet flushed. (Recalling my first-time flush, I thought I was going down the toilet.) She did make it out in one piece.

I won’t forget my first ever-flight from the farm in Nebraska at age 19. I was heading to Africa as a fledgling Peace Corps volunteer. Here was a middle-aged African woman traveling to America for the first time. But there was a BIG difference. On my flight, I was surrounded by my own kind, mostly Peace Corps volunteers on my Pan Am flight heading to Liberia, but Nora was totally alone with a bit of a language barrier. She was far braver than I was back then.

She must have had a going-away party in Kenya as I observed her viewing a video of this event on her cell phone. After a long while she stopped and rested.

When we landed in Seattle, Nora told me her phone was dead and she was unable to contact her Renton Minister, Reverend James, to tell him she landed and where to meet her. I asked for his number and I connected them together from my phone to arrange a pick up location.

SeaTac is a large airport and wandering through the maze is not easy, even for me, especially coming from an international destination. I paired up with my travel friends and together we helped her locate her many bags on the carousel, secure a luggage cart, and then, as we separated, I pointed her towards immigration.

About 45 minutes later, I got a text message from Rev. James that he picked up Nora and they were on their way to Renton. They thanked me for my kindness. Two days later, Nora sent me several photos of the great celebration the congregation gave her. I then realized she was a high profile minister of this faith and honored and celebrated like a Bishop.

There have been many people who have kindly helped guide me through unknown terrain in all my travels, and I am happy to return the favor and Pay It Forward. Do you have one to share? Feel free to leave a comment below.