Party of Five

The best part of summer? Forget the beach.

Read back to my first few posts. Those who know me personally know that we hosted an Italian AFSer back in 2009-10. But really, he's not "the student" we hosted. Mario's a family member, and he came back to visit us this summer for a few weeks.

By far the best thing I could ask for.

Having to say goodbye to someone and not know when you'll see them again is by far one of the hardest things you'll ever do. Last summer's goodbye was hard. This one wasn't any better.

Alcatraz, with the Golden Gate Bridge.

AFS lasts beyond that one year of being abroad. It doesn't end. You go back, visit, and see the people that made such a difference in your life.

Our family vacation included nothing less than...the family. All five of us went out to the San Francisco/Lake Tahoe area for a weeklong summer vacation. We did a lot of fun things, but the best part was just being together. It was the first time in a long time we were finally all together.

Time flew, of course. Everyday was a good day, and I can't really ask much more than that.

We went from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe, stopping through Sacramento to see some of our family. It's the first time I've seen them in...longer than I can remember. Best described as the "ultimate family reunion."

Coming home was an adventure in itself. But hey, I think after the past ten months we've all heard before that a little adventure doesn't kill ya.

Our plane left San Francisco at about 23.50 Sunday. At around 3AM local time, our pilot says we have to make an emergency landing due to a fuel imbalance. So we land in...Cheyene. Cheyene, Wyoming.

In a nuteshell:

We sit there for a bit, and they announce that we have to get off, and we can take our luggage if we want. We then move to what I would call a lobby-sized ice fishing hut, and wait there for....ever. We there regret not grabbing our luggage as we would loose everything in the event of a fire. 'Sigh'

Some idiot set off the door alarm that blasted for....ever as well. I got it on video it was so classic. Anyhow, they announce the plane in unfix-able, and we grabbed our luggage off the plane, waited in the lobby til who knows what hour, and then are told the earliest we'll leave is 3PM. The crew was now on their crew rest... After we moved to the airport lobby and are told we can go 'explore' Cheyene as we wish.

...Yeeeah.

So we sat there forever. It was comical to hear everyone tell their family the same story.

"I'm sitting here in ....Cheyene, Wyoming watching the sun rise. I guess I can check that off my bucket list..."

Skipping over the boring details, we next got a plane to come pick us up and we were out of Cheyene at 11am-ish. We all had to go through security again...with just one line. There was only one metal detector at the airport.

In the sky a bit longer the pilot announces:

"Ehm, so I know you all really don't want to hear this right now, but due to storms the MSP airport is closed. We will be making a landing in Fargo, North Dakota.

Can our locations get any random-er? He's got to be joking.

"Excuse me, but, where are we landing?" isn't usually a question I have to ask.

Everyone was confused as to whether it was a joke or not. But it wasn't, and after sitting on the runway with other planes that had to land, we were finally up in the air to MSP not too much longer.

MSP Airport, and Coffee.

We did actually get home in the end. Almost 24 hours in travel time total. 

Sometime in the AM, much time without sleep.

What was noticed by us Europeans, along with two others, was the fact at how calm everyone was. People were thanking the pilot for landing safe in place of demanding another flight out. Everything was very poorly organized, as we were thinking a bit of complaining would have gotten a plane to come pick us up faster.

We did make it eventually, so that is what counts I guess.

Notes on the trip.

Over 2200 pictures were taken during the 11 day trip, but I tried to pick out the best ones.

Whitewater rafting was definitely the best activity we did- so if you ever get the chance, make sure you go.

I heard much more Chinese than Spanish. (Excluding China Town.)

This scares me.

All you economist should understand this.

I will never look at a tourist city again. You know what to look out for. After living in a tourist city, you'll never look at another one the same. It's weird to describe.

Santa Cruz, CA

AFS doesn't ever leave you. It has it's own way of following you. But it's ok, really. AFS changed my life and spun it in a different direction. It's made me more of who I am, and has expanded our family. I am so thankful to be a part of such an awesome experience. And tomorrow I'll be off to the next 2011-2012 AFS Arrival Orientation... except this time, as a returnee.

What's hard right now is not knowing when we'll all be back together. It's something all you host families understand. Something you think about everyday. And there is no greater wish, than to be together.

I'd do a lot to be back, stuck for hours in that Cheyenne airport. Just to be together.

-mb