18/11 – Time travel at its best.

Day 1.
Actual time: 2 pm
Assumed time by Caroline: 2 pm
Event: Caroline has just got in the car at the airport in Rio to get to Cabo Frio.
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "That went well, quickly through passport control and customs and all bags arrived."

Actual time: 4.30 pm
Assumed time by Caroline: 4.30 pm
Event: Caroline arrives in Cabo Frio, checks in at the hotel and starts swapping sim cards around in her phone – Swedish to Brazilian to Danish to Swedish again and finally back to the Brazilian one.
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "Nice to have a whole evening to catch up with things and relax, better start with checking if I’ve got any messages on the sim cards I haven’t used in a while."

Actual time: 6.30 pm
Assumed time by Caroline: 5.30 pm
Event: Caroline walks through the restaurant at the hotel.
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "How weird, people are already eating and the buffet seems to be ready. They said dinner was going to start at 6 pm though…hm…"

Actual time: 8.10 pm
Assumed time by Caroline: 7.10 pm
Event: Caroline decides to go for dinner.
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "Wow, this evening is really long, seems like it never ends, a bit early to go for dinner in Brazil, but why not."

Actual time: 11.45 pm
Assumed time by Caroline: 10.45 pm
Event: Caroline goes to bed.
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "Better go to bed at a decent time, check-in is already at 8 am in the morning so will have to leave at 7.30 am. Alarm clock at 6 am should give me a nice and long morning to have breakfast and pack my bags, no need to do that now."

Day 2.
Actual time: 6.35 am
Assumed time by Caroline: 5.35 am
Event: Caroline is fast asleep. The phone rings and Caroline picks up the phone while checking the time on her phone.
Front desk guy in the phone (in Portuguese): "Bla …….. driver, …..bla bla airport, bla ….. bla 7.30, bla check-in… bla."
What Caroline understands: "Your driver is here waiting for you to go to the airport; you were going to leave at 7.30 for check-in." 
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "&#%€%”&;”#€&#@”#"
Caroline tries to ask (in her best Portuguese): "What time is it now? Is it 7.30?"
Front desk guy: "Yes, yes, 7.30."
Caroline tries again: "Is it really 7.30? Not 5.30?"
Front desk guy again: "Yes, yes."
New assumed time by Caroline: 7.36 am
Caroline to front desk guy: "5 minutes."

Actual time: 6.45 am
Assumed time by Caroline: 7.45 am = 15 min to check-in
Event: Caroline rushes down after have panic packed her bags, including collecting hand washed underwear which had been spread around the room, splashed some water on her face and put whatever clothes was next to the bed on.
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "This is not happening."

Actual time:6.46 am
Assumed time by Caroline: 7.46 am = 14 minutes to check-in
Event: Caroline cannot find her driver.
Caroline asks the front guy: "Was it you who just phoned me?"
Front desk guy: "Yes."
Caroline: "Have you seen my driver?"
Front desk guy: "No, but I think he left."
Thoughts going through Caroline’s head: "%#@#€#/%X! This is really not happening. Especially not the first day at a new working location with new colleagues and extremely especially not with a colleague, who has been counting down to being relieved today for the last 27 days."

Actual time: 6.50 am
Assumed time by Caroline: 7.50 am
Event: Caroline finally manages to get a hold of the driver after having tried about 34 versions of the amazing Brazilian operator/area code mystery set-up.
Caroline to driver: "Hello, I’m so sorry."
Driver: "Good morning."
Caroline: "Have you left? Where are you?"
Driver: "In my room."
Caroline: (quiet) "I totally overslept. I’ve missed the flight now, right? Or can we still make it?"
Driver: "Yes, yes, we have to leave at 7 am, I will be right down."
Caroline: (quiet again) "What time is it now?"
Driver: "Ten to seven."
Caroline: "So it’s not 7.50 am?"
Driver: "No."
Caroline: "Wow, eh, I’ll have time for breakfast then."

What front desk guy actually said on the phone at 6.35: "Your driver just told me that check-in has been moved to 7.30 am, so you will have to leave a bit earlier."

Despite the wake-up shock of my life, I thus made it on time for check-in. Took a deep breath, put a smile on and pretended I was all ready and set to go. Just another normal morning on my way to work – sure, dream on.