I haven’t been able to write about my travels in over three months. For some reason, I’ve found the last leg of my dream trip to be the most challenging to write. So I’m skipping it for now, and going straight to the beginning of my next adventure.

I’d never really wanted to experience winter. I’m a tropical island girl, through and through. To illustrate my preconceived opinions about winter, I quote a particular film about Jamaican bobsledders: You mean winter, as in ICE? You mean winter, as in igloos and Eskimos and penguins and ICE? I’m going to take a hot bath, I’m getting cold just thinking about all this ICE.

2016 had been a year of me breaking through barriers. I was tired of always wanting to be safe, in a comfortable environment that I was used to. And I realized that I was a part of the two-thirds of the global population who have never seen snow. I’d lived in the Philippines – where it is only ever warm and sunny, or warm and rainy – for 28 years, and had been in the UAE – where winter temperatures go down to a balmy 18°C in the daytime and summers go up to a hellish 50°C – for over 3 years at the time. I wanted to experience a season that was completely alien to everything I’d ever known.

I decided that I wanted to see Prague, then try some winter sports on the Swiss Alps, and then visit Rome again in a different light. I felt that familiar rush of adrenaline as I booked my ticket. It may not seem like such a big deal now, but the thought of not even knowing how I was supposed to dress (no shorts, T-shirts and sandals for the backpacker this time!), never mind trekking around in the snow and ice, was daunting but exciting.

A few days before my trip, my dear friend Darby told me that she’d pray for me to experience a beautiful, fresh snowfall. That was so special for me because I’d really only ever specifically prayed for the weather three times in my life – and God was faithful to answer each time. I wondered if He would do it again.

I was completely exhausted when I finally sat down at the airport terminal. I was coming straight from a long day at work and was looking forward to getting some sleep on the plane. Unfortunately, the fog had delayed several arriving flights – including the plane I was supposed to get on for my connecting flight to Zurich. My scheduled layover was only two hours long, so I felt the anxiety starting to build up.

It was a perfect storm, the ideal conditions for me to complain, to feel sorry for myself, to lash out. But there was something much more perfect.

I had just come from a day of work at my church, where the New Year message from Bill (incidentally, Darby’s husband) was based on Psalm 103. One thing stood out to me – that real life change starts from a single attitude: Gratitude.

Bless the Lord, O my soul! the Psalmist says.

I ended up missing my flight to Prague, and all of the next few direct flights were fully booked for the holiday. A very nice Lufthansa employee quickly helped me find and rebook a connecting flight through Warsaw at no extra cost.

I nearly missed that flight, too! As soon as I got off the plane from Zurich, I sprinted all the way to the gate with my backpack bouncing around on my back (not to mention a dramatic leap over a suitcase that was in my path), and I made it just as they were about to close the door to the tarmac. Whew! I was the last passenger. I briefly chatted with the friendly shuttle driver before we stopped at the stairway beside the plane. Running to my seat as the attendants waved directions (and other passengers scowled) I couldn’t help but giggle as I thought of the funny story I was going to be telling about that moment: Did I ever tell you about the time I was in Poland for 20 minutes?

Bedraggled, I finally landed in Prague and thought to myself, Nothing else could possibly go wrong, right?

Nope. Unfortunately, because of the super quick stop in Warsaw, my checked-in suitcase didn’t manage to make it onto the flight. Most of my clothes and all of my supplies were in there. To top it off, I’d forfeited the pre-paid transfer that I’d booked to get to my hostel.

And I just laughed! It was just so comically unfortunate. The woman at customer service must have thought I was nuts.

I made arrangements to have my suitcase delivered to the hostel if and when it was found, caught a taxi, and looked around in wonder at the freezing city of Prague as we drove through it. No snow yet, though the trees and grass were dressed in a layer of frost.

I was grateful to finally step into the warmth of the hostel and (more importantly) WiFi coverage.

No, you can’t control the circumstances that surround you. But you CAN control your attitude towards them. Thankfulness can make all the difference between a miserable situation and a peaceful journey.