The trip home

Sunday morning I got up at 3:45 am because I just couldn't sleep. I took a shower and repacked my suitcase, taking out a few things that made it too heavy to pass the 50 pound test at the airport. Chris offered to take them in his suitcase. We were a little late leaving for the airport, getting there a little after 5. I waited in the checked-luggage line and Chris checked me in at the selfcheck terminal. I didn't even know they existed. Then we walked to the security line. I just couldn't bear to say goodbye to him and I just hate crying in public. So he left. There was a guy on a cell phone behind me. It was very distracting. I was wondering who he could be calling at 5:30 in the morning. Then we went through the line where you have to take off your shoes and put all your stuff in a basket to be x-rayed. I had no problem going through the 'doorway' since I had taken off my watch. But while trying to collect my shoes and stuff, something went wrong some where and all 4 lines shut down. So we stood there, shoeless, wondering what had happened. After a while, an AllClear was given and I got my shoes back. Some people were upset at the delay, but I still had an hour to wait. Once we boarded, we sat on the tarmac listening to the pilot explain that our destination, the Atlanta airport, had been closed for fog and that we would not take off until the airport opened again. I guess we sat there for half an hour. My seatmate was nervous about take-offs and landings. She admitted that she had small bottles of alcohol with her. She disappeared just before take-off and just before landing. I think she was drinking in the restroom. She talked constantly during the trip, even though with my ears popping I couldnt hear half of what she said. We descended through a very heavy fog layer. Since we started late, we arrived late and many people were rushing off the plane with only minutes to catch a connecting flight. I guess they had really short layovers. I thought I had an hour. But when I got to the E terminal and asked, I was told the plane was boarding already. So I walked to the appropriate gate and got in the first line. I checked with the lady ahead of me as to destination and seating. But then she got out of line after the guy ahead of her said 'Business class'. I stayed in line and the ticket agent told me to go ahead anyway. I was seated on the aisle in the center. Beside me was a Korean woman and her son. There was an entertainment screen on the back of the seat in front of me. I watched several movies during the flight, and played a game of Sudoku. I might played more, but was worried that all the screen tapping might be distracting to the person in front of me. I listened to music but the ear phones they handed out were uncomfortable and the headphones I brought became tight over time. So I had to divide my time between movies and reading a book. I tried sleeping, but the seats weren't comfortable and my butt hurt from sitting so long. I was VERY lucky not to have back problems. We were served a meal an hour from take-off and an hour before landing. There was a snack somewhere in the middle. Luckily they served drinks more often. It was a 14 hour flight and I only went to the restroom twice. Probably I was dehydrated. I was also lucky not to have more ear trouble than I did. How do stewardesses handle it?
Moving on, we were given papers to fill out at the beginning of the trip to be turned in when we got off the plane. One was an H1N1 form where you had to swear you didn't have it and weren't exposed to it. When we handed it in, they took our temperature to make sure. The other form was a customs form and had small spaces for entering everything. One block asked for reason for visit. I couldn't get "too stupid to stay in the U.S. where I belong." in there. "Crazy as a loon" would be a tight fit too. "Masochistic" was the right length but I didn't want to have to explain what that meant. Strangely, I had trouble finding the Immigration area. At JFK airport, we were funneled into it, but in Korea I had to find the signs, which I couldn't, so I had to stop and ask. Since everyone on the plane had to go there, you'd think it would be more clearly marked. But I had no trouble getting through. Then there was the inevitable wait for baggage to appear. Finally I got my suitcase and dragged it through the airport looking for the USO counter. Of course it was the very last one. Several taxi drivers offered me rides, but at expensive prices. The DHL bus was several hours away, so I went for the Capital Hotel bus. That was a 20 minute wait, but much cheaper than a taxi. It got to Seoul in less than an hour, but then making its rounds took a long time. The hotel was not its first stop, but it was the closest one to where we live. I should have gotten taxi from the hotel, but I didn't. I just grabbed my suitcase and dragged it all the way home. It was hot and humid. When I got to our apartment, Michele was about to start supper. I was exhausted so I stripped and laid down for a moment. Michele put on the AC and went to the kitchen. When I woke up it was midnight. I wanted to check my e-mail, but the rest of the apartment was too hot. So I unpacked my suitcase, plugged in my cell phone and went back to sleep.