Content creator Gertrude Awino Njeri, widely known as Miss Trudy, recently found herself caught in a whirlwind of uncertainty once again, this time detained at a U.S. airport for up to 24 hours.
The incident, which unfolded on April 12 and was shared via a video posted by the travel vlogger, left her feeling devastated and vulnerable, stranded without anywhere to go.
Miss Trudy, who had been in Miami, Florida, for some time, was preparing to return home to Ghana when the unexpected occurred.
Upon reaching the airport, she was informed that she couldn’t travel, setting off a chain of frustrating events. This was the second time such an incident had happened, adding to her dismay.
During the check-in process, Miss Trudy encountered difficulties as she lacked a return ticket to Ghana, explaining that she resides there. Presenting her marriage certificate only raised further doubts, with authorities insisting on verifying its authenticity.
“I’m just so frustrated because so many things have been happening. This is the second time they have prevented me from boarding my flight. I kept waiting when I was checking in because I needed a return ticket to Ghana and told them I didn’t have one because I live in Ghana. I showed them the marriage certificate and they said they must confirm. This is the same thing that happened two days ago so I missed my flight. They frustrated me, they kept me there, all the counters closed then they let me through,” she said.
Expressing her concerns and frustrations, Miss Trudy, who is married to Ghanaian content creator Wode Maya, revealed that she was told her marriage certificate might be fake.
“Now am about to go on the plane and they stopped me. The reason they are saying I need an identity card… The plane left and no one wanted to talk to me. They thought my marriage certificate was fake. It’s like they don’t even know what they are saying because they haven’t done their research…” she said.
Feeling exasperated by the ordeal, Miss Trudy recounted the lack of clarity from airport staff and the resulting missed flights. Despite attempting to reason with officials, she found herself stranded at the airport, with nowhere to turn for assistance.
Forced to spend the night at a reception due to fully booked accommodations, Miss Trudy faced the daunting prospect of another day of uncertainty.
However, her persistence paid off when she returned to the airport the following day, ultimately securing a business-class ticket as compensation for the airline’s error.
“Immediately the train left I kept on asking the lady are you sure you’re doing the right thing? And then she tells me, you should have told me you came from Ghana earlier. But am like you didn’t give me a chance to speak. So after the train leaves is when you realise you made a mistake, ” she said.
