We Have Arrived October 8, 2007
Posted by Emily in : Daily Life, Family, Princess Hannah, Thoughts, Trips , trackbackWe made it. We are finally in the “Mother Country”. It took seven flights to get us to Salt Lake City. This definitely puts into perspective how far away Saba is from civilization. We flew straight from Sint Maarten (Netherlands Antilles, Caribbean) to Ontario, California in ONE day. Not my choice. Really. I specifically booked this trip as a two day event, not a one day event. Unfortunately, the stars don’t always line up correctly. Due to airline delays, we were rerouted through Puerto Rico, and all legs of our trip were scheduled on ONE day. I’m not sure what was worse, traveling this distance in one day, or having to stop in Puerto Rico. I have avioded that island like the plague because of its terrible reputation with theft and lost luggage. Well, wouldn’t you know it . . . they lost Hannah’s car seat. This would not pose a problem if I was returning to the Caribbean where they don’t believe in car seats. I could just let her roll around in the back seat like every other local I know. However, I was sure this was going to cause a problem when I landed in California sans car seat. Can’t you just see her having a party in the back seat, waving “hi!” out the back window to the Police Officer with his lights ?
It’s a good thing American Airlines has “loner” car seats! I have a feeling this happens a lot. They loose people’s junk and have to supply them with something comparable. I’m not sure which one of us was more exhausted when we finally arrived into Ontario. Hannah was very busy saying “Hi!” to everyone, and I mean EVERYONE. She said “Hi!” incessantly to everyone around us on every flight. There was no need for toys or snacks, she was entirely too busy saying “hi” and “this” to anyone who even glanced her way. After 80,000 “Hi’s”, she was tired. The little one finally knocked off on the drive to my sister’s house in California. It is exhausting to work a cabin!
Jenn (aka my favorite sister) is a “Marathon Shopper”. I am a “Power Shopper”. You would think that after 10 years in Retail Management that I would love malls. Well, I don’t. I know exactly what I am looking for, and I want to get in and out so I can get on with my life. She, on the other hand, would shop ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT if she could. I am tired just thinking about it. Fortunately, I did get some much needed shopping done. What would have taken Jenn all day to shop for, I accomplished in five or so shorter shopping trips. I didn’t want to deviate too much from my laid back Caribbean lifestyle. There is no need to do everything in one day . . .
It was so fun to spend time with her family. My nephew, Ike, (he looks like a smaller version of my twin brother Brian) is now 14 (I think). He has the lowest second bass voice in the world. Truthfully, I can’t understand half the things he says because his voice is so low, my ears register it as a low hum. While I was visiting, his job was to supervise Hannah on the stairs. You see, we don’t have stairs in our house on Saba. In fact, I don’t think anyone has stairs on the island. The stairs were more fun than any toy, treat, or TV show to her. So, Ike was sentenced to climb up and down the stairs with her for hours at a time. Such a good kid.
I have a confession . . . I experienced some cultural shock returning to the States. The last time I was in the States was almost a year ago. Since then, I have been living on a tiny five square mile island that is polar opposite from California. I wasn’t just overstimulated, I was experiencing “information overload” to say the least. I have grown very accustomed to my simple island life (no dishwasher and all). I was completely overwhelmed when we went to a produce grocery store. I couldn’t believe my eyes. It was like I had never seen produce. Or a grocery store. Or just so many people in one place. How is it possible that I was raised in this wealthy country and my response to this food bounty was as if I was raised in a third world country? I’ll tell you what it is; it is 52 weeks of grocery shopping on Wednesday morning to get what ever produce the boat brings in.
A couple of days is all it took for me to snap back into American culture. I will adjust just fine to the American way of life when the time comes. Lets just hope that it only takes a couple of days for me to revert back to the Caribbean way of life. I will be back there before I know it!
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I love your posts. They always make me laugh (hope that was your intention)
. Anyway, welcome back to the states. Sorry about the lost car seat. But the bright side, at least it wasn’t your cloths! That was nice that AA provides sub car seats. Have a great time on your visit. Can’t wait to read all about it.
Have a GREAT time! I am sure your family is just eating you up! It’s so nice you have been able to see them so often!
I’m sorry they lost Hannah’s car seat. I’ve avoided flights through Puerto Rico for the same reason but I couldn’t help it during this upcoming winter vacation.
Oh and don’t remind me about the abundance of produce and various groceries in the US. I couldn’t find Ranch dressing at the stores today. I imagine they have 20 different brands further divided into fat free, fat reduced, and carb free varieties in the US supermarkets.
I’m glad you’re enjoying your trip, just don’t get too used to it because you’ll be back here in no time.