JUSTO ... Going Home!

Taken from travel journal 30/06/09:

"Develop an interest in life as you see it; the people, things, literature, music-the world is so rich, simply throbbing with rich treasures, beautiful souls and interesting people. Forget yourself." -Henry Miller

I'm going home!! And surprisingly, I couldn't be more excited ... to see my family, to see Nick, to begin LSAT studies and to meet Brittani's new baby, Jack. To see old friends and start a new phase and adventure. What will the next 6 months bring? A new language? A trip to Central America? A new job? This year has already been filled with so much ... many travel adventures, professional learning and growing experiences, new friends and cultures ...

Just hopped on the Madrid to London flight, but just barely. Got to the airport with almost 3 hours to spare after a lovely taxi ride - with the taxi driver telling me how great my Spanish is, how great Madrid and all of Spain (to the South of Madrid) is, how fabulous and unique the clubs and nightlife is (lo mejor del mundo me dice).

However, waited 30 minutes in the Iberia line when it was the wrong line, stood in a crazy long cue, as the Brits say, with British Airways for one hour, then had to unpack my suitcase and decrease my luggage by 4 kilos (for us Americans that's over 8 pounds), leaving many of my things at a lonely table in Barajas. Paid the 27 euros fee for sobreequipaje (overweight luggage) after listening to a Spanish nun behind me comment to her friends that Americans always have too many things (guilty as charged!), rushed to gate S after a crazy Spanish pija skipped everyone in security and my sweat-drenched self ran to catch the 5 minute tram to passport control, where the idiot immigration officer stamped over 5 other of my stamps.

I then went to the wrong S gate (it was 22, I ran to 45), grabbed a carro (trolley) and sprinted, even though I was wearing my cute rosy red flats, over to S22, only to be the second person to board (hey, silver isn't bad for someone who was in LAST place). I slid my red northface backpack that has been with me at every moment of my adventures throughout Europe into the cabin right above seat 17A. A viejo (old man) passing by chuckles to himself and says at the same moment the bag slides into the overheard compartment, "justo."

Justo, indeed!