For those of you who wondered, yes, I did finally make it home late Sunday night. I'm writing this on Wednesday because I have been busy getting reacquainted with my family and try to pick up the pieces of life from while I was gone.
Getting home was a bit of an adventure. When I got to the airport on Sunday morning, after a very short night, there was a problem. I had a ticket from Tbilisi to Munich, but it was unclear if I was going to get home from there. After twenty minutes of working with the folks in Tbilisi, they told me I would have to work it out with the United folks in Munich and sent me on my way to the plane.
Although we were all a bit nervous, the plane trip went fine. My experience in Munich was less pleasant, involving several ticketing agents, phone calls, security lines and even a tear or two on my part, a combination of being exceptionally tired and worried about finally getting home. I finally had an aisle seat for the long trip home and began the long wait until our plane would depart. Amanda, Brian, Josh and I were a bit giddy at this point and when we found out the Kindereggs we were going to bring home would bring massive fines akin to bringing crack into the USA, we began gleefully opening them up and finding the toys inside and handing them out to the children gathered at the gate.
Finally, my boarding group was announced. I got into line and began comparing notes with another young woman who was also traveling home from a medical conference to Nebraska. We compared tickets and noted we both had the same seat. I was SURE that a mistake had been made and that I was going to be stuck in Munich as my friends departed. Near tears, I got to the front of the line and presented my ticket, pointing out to the ticket agent that we had the same seat. No problem, she said, I had been upgraded, along with Brian and Josh, to BUSINESS CLASS. (Amanda, in some horrible twist of fate, was still stuck in Economy).
If you have never had the joy of intercontinental travel in business class, you are in for a treat. I have never been treated so well in my life. Plenty of room to stretch out, constant food and drink (all for free), large personal movie/tv screen and even extra room and toiletries in the restroom. It was heaven in the skies, possibly the best flight I have ever been on (and I don't particularly like to fly). My friend Deb had told me about the wonderfulness of business class, but she didn't do it justice. I had real silverware and an actual menu of choices for my food. Hot towels to begin and end the flight and a little bag of toiletries that I could use to make my flight more comfortable. Flight attendants were at my beck and call at any given moment and I was treated like royalty. I'm not sure I can ever fly coach again.
When we landed in Chicago, we spent quite a bit of time in line at customs/immigration, but breezed through customs with no problems. When I went through security to get to my flight to Omaha, I even got into the express line that didn't require removing my computer or shoes. Finally, after all of the stress it took to get to the US, everything was working in my favor. Karma, which earlier that day, seemed to be trying to get some retribution, was on my side.
Karma, however, can also be a fickle friend. My flight to Omaha was delayed several times and finally had to move gates. I got home much later than I had intended, but I did get home. Safe, sound, and with my family ready to greet me.
It is weird to be back home. I sometimes wake in the middle of the night and I have to take a minute to figure out where I am. I want to be up in the middle of the night and nap in the afternoon. We didn't sleep much between Friday morning and Sunday night and I'm suffering from sleep deprivation, but I am so glad to be home, refereeing the children's disagreements and seeing that the dishwasher is finally fixed and the shed installed.
Home is a good place to be!
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