homecoming
Not just because it brings me back to days of yore, or gives me a bit of a freaky dual personality feeling, but because I actually feel like a stranger in a strange land. The light switches are facing the wrong way, and seem really low. The toilets have too much water and flush funny. My sister was taking crazy turns and ending up on the wrong side of the road... no, wait, that's right. Ack!
The one thing I must say, however, was that shower last night was fucking fantastic!
What a horrid journey. Horrific even. I had to get up at the ungodly hour of 4.45am, after very little sleep, rush about with nausea, then spend hours at the airport saying a very long and drawn out teary goodbye, only to wait at the wrong gate and nearly miss boarding my plane altogether.
Things after that appeared to be looking up, momentarily. I was really worried about my ears, what with my ear ache and the fact that a specialist ear docter warned me years ago that if left untreated, my ear drums could get sucked into the middle of my head while flying. But the first leg of the journey went without a hitch. Until I got off the plane, and realised my jeans had torn and I now had a huge, uncomfortable hole in a very annoying and painful place. Joy.
I then had an hour or two layover. By this time, I had been awake for at least five or six hours and was more than a bit peckish. Thank goodness I had enough foresight to bring some snacks, I thought. I never bring snacks on a plane. I munched on half a bag of rice cakes and a few hobnobs, washed down by half a bottle of water. Little did I know it was the only sustinence I'd get until about 3pm.
It was then time to board plane number two, the one that would be my prison for the next 10 hours or so. It was small and cramped and dated and AWFUL. I had a window seat, alongside one other seat, which was filled by an obnoxious old rich bitch dripping with jewels. There were two kids in front of me and two kids behind me, which meant more turbulence than would otherwise be felt. There was only one TV/movie screen located miles away at the front of the cabin, and the entertainment selection was abyssmal. Not that it mattered much, as my headset was faulty so I couldn't hear it anyway.
No sooner did we take off than my ears started to shriek in pain. I was also getting increasingly dehydrated, and a headache began to set in. I begged the stewardesses for water, but they kept ignoring me and it got to the point where I just wanted to curl up in a ball and cry. But then, that would deplete me of even more water, wouldn't it?
Perhaps it wouldn't have been as bad if we didn't have an extra stop in Shannon, the point of which I still don't understand. Surely, it's not to refuel, as it was only a 30-minute journey from Dublin. We did pick up a few more passengers, but not enough to warrant the hassle of landing and waiting an hour and taking off again. I was aware of the stop before starting the journey, but assumed it would just be a brief thing during which we remained in our seats and took no notice. But of course that wasn't the case. Not only did we have to disembark, but we had to clear customs and immigration and wait an hour while they did a complete security sweep. Then we had to reboard and wait an additional half hour because someone was detained at customs. Grrrr...
So yeah. Unpleasant. By the time I got off that flight, I was weak with hunger, tired, grumpy and dejected, with a massive headache, ear ache, and leg sore. And I think I smelled. I was then greeted by chaos at baggage claim, where 400 frantic Americans fought their way to the baggage carousel in a horrifying display. I stood back and watched for a bit before deciding not to get involved and setting off in search of a toilet. By some remarkable feat, I had managed to avoid all inflight loos, and was now desperate. Of course there were no toilets in baggage reclaim - in fact, as they are remodelling that terminal building, you have to go to a restricted area to pee, and I had to get permission from immigration guards. Ha! Luckily, I must have looked nonthreatening enough to pass.
When I finally emerged, nearly an hour late, my sister and mother were so very relieved to see me. Mainly because they needed the toilet and had been holding off in hope that I would pass through the gates at any moment. So after cursory hugs, they left me standing there alone with my bags as they raced for the nearest bathroom. Then the three of us waited in an enormous elevator queue in order to return to the car, and headed off into the heart of Boston rush hour traffic.
Our first stop was my favourite chain Italian restuarant, and my dad joined us there. When he walked through the door, I was in for a shock. The mild mannered nuclear physicist had grown a big white beard and looked like Santa. Oh. My. God. I'm still in shock. He also had a new car. And after dinner, rushed off for one of "Sister Dot's classes." I'm not entirely sure what that involves, but I'm thinking adult religious education. Apparently, he's also become a member of the state's emergency response committee in case of some big terrorist threat or other emergency. Mr. Upstanding Citizen. Lordy. Next thing you know he'll get elected to the town council or something.
Richard phoned in the middle of dinner. We had arranged that I would call him as soon as I got home, provided it wasn't too late, but apparently he couldn't wait that long. He does worry. Aw, bless.
When we got home, my mother and sister hung out with me a bit as I trawled through some of my old stuff, and began to empty my suitcases (didn't get very far with that). It was strange though. My mother was really mellow. There was no barking of orders or reminder of rules... there were no interrogations about immediate plans. She hadn't even emptied the closet of her clothes, as she figured I wouldn't have brought much stuff. Clearly they view this as a short stay, which is good I guess, but surprising. I was expecting them to pounce on me as soon as I arrived, trying to capture me forever. Could it be that they have finally accepted that I am an adult? Amazing. Really. Truly. We'll see how long it lasts.
After an amazing shower - AMAZING - I turned in for an early night, and woke up before dawn. Ah, the beauties of jet lag. Hopefully I should be back on schedule quickly though. I managed to hold out until 9pm, and got up at 5am. Not too bad, eh? My sister is going to pick me up later and we have a packed agenda, involving practical things - getting a duplicate social security card and a new license - and fun things - cinema and shopping. She's taken the whole week off to chaffeur me around and hang out. Should be fun. Then I have to find a job, pronto, and start making me the money I've pretty much already spent. Blah.
For now, though, I need breakfast. I held off s as not to make noise and wake up the fam, but I hear them stirring upstairs already.
