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Stranded Euro student at home in Forest Hills

Stranded Euro student at home in Forest Hills
By Anna Gustafson

When Pamela Parker left her London home to visit her family in Forest Hills earlier this month, she had no doubt she would be there for a week as planned.

She was looking forward to seeing relatives and friends and getting to relax for a bit in Queens before she headed back to her busy life in England, where she is going to school for environmental design.

But then came the eruption from Iceland’s volcano with the name — Eyjafjallajokull — that stumped many a news anchor. Parker, 28, was supposed to leave April 15 but, thanks to the plume of volcanic ash that spread over much of Europe and made contact with North America, instead departed from Newark Liberty International Airport nine days later on Friday.

“It’s been an inconvenience, but it’s been nice to extend my vacation a little bit,” said Parker, who grew up in Forest Hills.

When the former Queens resident left for the airport April 15, she made the unexpected discovery when she arrived at Kennedy that her flight on British Airways had been canceled because of the April 14 eruption of the Icelandic volcano. The volcano’s last eruption, which lasted two years according to the Institute of Earth Sciences in Iceland, was from 1821 to 1823.

About 11,000 European and international flights were canceled each day from April 15 until around April 21, according to the Associated Press. Flights to and from major airports, including London Heathrow — the busiest airport in Europe — were grounded. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports became impromptu hotels for grumbling passengers hoping to make it home.

All airports have resumed normal schedules for the most part, though some delays and cancellations still exist.

“British Airways was pretty good about keeping people updated on their Web site, so that was helpful,” Parker said.

Parker kept herself busy during her unexpected time off and was able to spend some time on school and work — alongside her studies she is an employee for a company that does “way-finding,” or helps places like colleges decide how to teach people to navigate campuses.

Many of Parker’s fellow students at Central St. Martins in London found themselves in similar situations because a number had traveled for what was their spring break.

“Classes started this week, so there’s been a little bit of chaos,” Parker said last week.

Learning that she would be able to leave the United States by plane was a relief for the 28-year-old, who said she had originally looked into trips by boat when it was not known how long the volcanic plume would interfere with air travel.

Reach reporter Anna Gustafson by e-mail at agustafson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4574.