December 2, 2015

I awoke long before the alarm was set to go off.  I toddled down to the restroom, cameras aiming down the concrete hallway.  I was up for a bit and sat in bed, sipping coffee, before I opened the heavy light-blocking curtains.  As bad as the transport-aspect has been, this trip was a terrific success.  I saw some friends from my school, I laid to rest the thought that a girl I had so admired in high school was disliked me. I had a successful interview and had spoken with many people about work.  Yes, there will be difficulties, but I can’t not do this.  I saw my Gotti, I saw my childhood friend, Ladina.  I heard from Gio, about the need to make this move.  It was like being on that tall Leap of Faith:  I couldn’t climb all the way up there only to turn around and go back down without trying.

I awoke the kids and it didn’t take us long before we headed down, hearing a super loud American woman explaining about her back problems to the quiet woman at the front desk.  We thanked her and headed off for breakfast at the same restaurant as last night (delicious, by the way.  My kids are going to miss the bread here).  No snooker tourney on TV from across the way (as we have seen the last two days – once in Zurich and then last night here.  The kids’ favorite is Higgins), tennis today, but we focused mainly on food as I was nervous (really, really nervous) about missing the flight.  

We spent the next 4 hours waiting in the airport.  It wasn’t as long as it seems and shorter yet before we were sitting on our own center row.  A mom with two young children sat behind us.  These kids were not happy about flying, or sitting, or their game, or whatever.  But I get it.  I had to fly this flight with a young under-two Ethan once and I must’ve walked 5 miles up and down on that flight.  I enjoyed reading “Atlas Shrugged” and was sad I didn’t have Cliff’s Notes so I could get all the interpretations and underlying themes which would be discussed with someone else who had read the book.  The flight was LONG. Twelve hours flying back, and yet, unlike flying to CH when I watched “Little Miss Sunshine”, I didn’t turn on the tv once.  It felt good not having anything to do. Finally – finally, the plane landed and we were off to the maze of humans that is SFO.  I felt a bit more understanding of the process here, so we raced.  The line for customs didn’t take too long this time – though our agent made sure we matched the pictures on the passports.  I can understand why – the days of floating through countries are forever gone.  I texted Carolene quickly, who was waiting in the cell phone parking lot, and then off to luggage – which surprisingly had made it (I haven’t havd good luck with luggage, but this is a Swiss plane, so….

 

And there she was.  We quickly packed up the car and headed…into a parking lot of traffic.  One hour from SFO to Berkeley, so the usual 2 hour drive was now 3, and I was so tired.  But I drove..and drove..and drove.  The poor kiddos tried to sleep, and might have in snippets here and there.  There was no food at the new house we would be going to, so we stopped off at Safeway to pick up a couple of things (Ethan needed to buy ribbon for his chocolate gifts ) and then, finally, we were in a warm house, packed to the gills with boxes, but they were our boxes.  Sweet Carolene had even left a gift and a card for me with all of our mail.  One hell of a birthday.

Pictures: Moevenpick & John Galt; View from our room; Waiting on the plane; Heading to our terminal; Maggie preparing her feed.  I have the cutest picture of her heading to CH 6 years ago doing the same thing - my how times have changed.