We’re homeward bound today.  But first, I have to teach my classes.  I’ve found 7 different versions of “Carol of the Bells” on YouTube, so we’re going to watch and discuss the different arrangements, as well as talk about some more Christmas traditions.

I get home at 1:30, and Judy almost has everything else completed.  We finish up, close up the apartment, and move all our stuff down to the taxis.  Our stuff won’t fit into one taxi, so we split into two taxis and take off.  We arrive at the airport, load our stuff onto two big luggage carts and move to check-in.  The line is pretty long, but moves quickly.  Because I’m cheap and trying to save money on our luggage, I’ve decided to carry the box (it weighs 31 lbs. and doesn’t have wheels, I’m an idiot), and my briefcase as my carry-on and personal item.  Judy has her purse and a large bag for extra stuff.  We check four large suitcases. 

After checking in, we start the long walk to the gate.  The International terminal is new since our flight to Korea in September.  It’s easy to figure out where to go, but a really long walk to get there.  After a long hike, a train ride, and another long hike, we arrive at the security area.  They are really thorough, as usual.  We are pulling all kinds of cords and stuff out of our bags for examination.  There is another serious hike to the gate.  We’re able to sit for a few minutes, but they were already loading the plane when we arrived, so it doesn’t last long.  I’m not sure if this is normal, but there is another security check after we start down the loading ramp.  Each of our bags were emptied and a guard carefully looked at everything.

We finally get to board the plane and find our seats.  The flight from Beijing to Chicago is 13 hours.   We get a full meal early in the flight.  3 hours later, they came through the cabin with a sandwich snack.  Two hours before we land, they serve us breakfast.  Each seat has it’s own screen and access to lots of recent movies.  We’ve been out of touch on movies since July, so we catch up on our movie-watching.  Neither of us gets too much sleep.

We’re on time when we arrive in Chicago.  I’ve been worried about this leg of the flight because of the chance for weather issues in the windy city.  We first have to go through customs.  The lines are really long, but we enrolled in “Global Entry”, and the work finally pays off.  There is a really short line for us, and several self-serve kiosks.  We are thru the area and out to baggage claim in 5 minutes.  Now we have to get our bags, and re-check them.  They are slow to come out, but eventually arrive.  When we arrive at the check-in desk, there is luggage scattered everywhere.  Someone official scans our bags and tells us to leave them where they are.  There must be over two hundred bags stacked up and jumbled around.  We’re nervous to leave them, but there doesn’t seem to be much of an option, and our layover is long.

Our next gate is in a different terminal, so it’s out to a train and over to our new terminal.  More time is spent working our way through a really long security line.  We were expecting crowds since it was Friday night on the weekend before Christmas.  We weren’t disappointed.  News crews were everywhere discussing the congestion and delays.  When we finally arrive at the gate, we have two hours to sit.  The length of the trip is beginning to wear on both of us, but sleep isn’t coming easily.

The flight out of Chicago departs 45 minutes late.  We deplane at DFW at midnight.  Our luggage finally shows up around 11:40.  Courtney is waiting for us.  I’ve been worried our stuff wouldn’t fit into the Honda, but it does, and there is even room for us to ride along.  We arrive at “The Magnolia Hotel” in downtown Dallas.  Courtney’s apartment complex has a special arrangement with the hotel for visitors.  We end up with a large comfortable room on the 21st floor with a wonderful view of downtown Dallas.  It’s $75 a night, with a big buffet breakfast included.  There are also cookies and milk from 8-10 each evening.  We arrive at our room at 1:30 am Saturday morning.  It’s been 25 hours since we walked out of our Beijing apartment.  We’re tired but excited for the opportunity to be home for two weeks.   We finally finish unpacking and settling in at 4:30 am.

I’m going out of the blog writing business until Thursday, Jan. 2, when we fly back to Beijing.  I hope everyone has a great Christmas season.  I know we’re going to.