Last Monday night I settled sleepily into my seat, slipped off my shoes and pulled out my headphones, ready to pass a long five hours alone on a red-eye flight from the big island of Hawaii back home to Los Angeles. Discouraged by the fact that just watching a movie would cost me close to $10, I started drifting off to sleep, lulled by the gentle gliding of the plane's movement.

I woke with a start nearly an hour later to the pilot's voice crackling over the speaker, informing us that one of the plane's engines had malfunctioned and he was going to have to turn the plane around and fly back to Honolulu where we could safely land. I risked a glance out the window at the pitch black water far below us and my stomach dropped in my chest. I couldn't help letting my mind overflow with worry. What if the plane crashed into the ocean before we made it to the island? It was late at night and there was nothing but a few thin clouds hanging between our plane and the huge expanse of water.

Fast forward and we finally landed on Honolulu after circling around the area for a whole second hour to burn off fuel so we could land safely (who knew that was a thing?) Fast forward another hour and we've been sent to wait in the airport with the news that our flight had been completely cancelled and there were no more flights leaving the airport until the sun comes up.

At this point I was kinda really scared and alone and tired and just wanted to go home but couldn't get ahold of anyone in LA because it was the middle of the night, so some nice moms from Minnesota took me under their wing and helped me get a hotel voucher. Seriously though-- shout out to these ladies-- they saved me from crawling into a corner and turning into a crying ball of fear.

Long story (kinda) short, I got to my motel room to find a giant cockroach crawling across the bed, so that ruled out getting any sleep. So you could catch me camped out by the doorway trying to hold my tired eyes open to watch out for any oncoming bug attacks for a good four hours until I could call the airport, reschedule my flight and get the heck out of there.

So basically the moral of the story is I am never trusting United Airlines ever again.

But actually, I learned a lot of valuable lessons from this stressful and scary experience. First of all, even if you feel utterly alone in a foreign place, there are always kind strangers out there who you can look to for guidance or help. The women from my flight who helped me feel less alone reminded me that there are plenty of kind-hearted people out there

I also learned a lot about myself that night. I realized that I am capable of a lot more than I give myself credit for. I have never been completely comfortable with independence, and clung to the safety of my parents' presence for much longer than I might like to admit in my young life. However, after (semi) successfully spending my first night alone in a motel, having my first phone argument with an airline representative, managing to (almost) catch my first giant cockroach using a plastic cup and somehow making it home unscathed, I can easily say that I'm super proud of myself for making it through this scary night on my own.