Sunday, 7:20 PM Central time. As I type, the little screen in front of me shows me we are about to fly over detroit, so close to our old home and our friends in Michigan.
What a special and blessed day it has been. I never expected to use those words about today. To be honest we were dreading the pain of leaving family. This morning, we had four cars full of family help us load our bags at the house, and drive them to the airport.
It was just a gorgeous morning, with a slightly cool fall feel, a crisp sunny morning. That helped. Our family was so helpful, trying to help us get everything rounded up and out the door.
We made the forty five minute drive to the airport. Unfortunately, there was no skycap for Continental airlines. I poked my head inside....the ticket counter was right there, and there was not a single person in line! We carried the bags over (ten bags, and a pack and play). They got them checked and tagged in record time, all the weights were dead on to what my luggage scale said (a big relief there). So quickly, all there was to do was sit and visit with our family until it was time to head through security. To me, it seemed like the emotions were strong, but there was also a peace, not a sense of dismay like I thought there might be. Elise ran around and played with people. Ian was passed around. We spent our last moments visiting, talking and taking pictures. Heather and I knew the time was getting close to leave. We asked our family to gather around to pray. I don't cry a whole lot, but I couldn't hold it back as I prayed. As I began, I remembered something a friend had shared with us over the last couple days.....that God can empathize with how we feel, because he said goodbye to His son long ago for a very long time, and he loves him very very much.
Heather and I said goodbye to each of our family members individually with tears (tears welling up again as I write this).
Then it was time to go through security. We made just a little bit of a spectacle there! There was only one line...we had two strollers, eight carry ons, two children, a laptop to take out, the usual taking off of the shoes, belt, wallet, etc. I think we jammed up the security line for all of fifteen minutes. We definitely got a few glares from people, as if to say "come on people, do you have to take everything on vacation?" I think if they knew we were moving to Indonesia, and living out of our suitcases for a year they would understand!
The first flight went well. We had to split up. I sat with Elise, Heather sat with Ian. Elise had a blast. We read some Dr. Seuss, and then she watched some veggie tales. At one point she exclaimed "this is fun!"
When we got off the plane in the Houston airport, it was the first time for us to figure out how to move around with all of our carryons and two kids. We found a way! I felt a little bit like a pack mule. We moved all the way to the international terminal. Elise hung out with another little girl dressed in a dinosaur costume in the train. We got to our gate, with four hours to spare before the next flight. I sat with Ian facing the window while Heather and Elise went out to find something to eat.
I heard a voice behind me say "Excuse me sir, I think you have too many carry-ons." I was wondering who in the world would say that to you in the airport, I turned around.....IT WAS MY MOM! She is an American Airlines flight attendant and she can fly standby on a whim. She knew our itinerary, and that we had four hours in Houston, so she flew from Phoenix to Houston to come hang out with us all for four hours before we got on the plane. How special! That had to be one of the best surprises of my life, and it just made my day. We had lunch, chatted, and she played with Elise and Ian.
That four hours flew bye, and it was time to get on the plane! Singapore Airlines was incredibly helpful. They helped us carry some of our stuff on, they sort of bent over backwards for us! The flight is also fairly empty, and we have our own two little rows to ourself. What a blessing. So in the time it took to write all of that, now we are over Canada, abeam Toronto. According to my screen in front of me, we are:
Eight hours and six minutes from Moscow.
33001 fefet, 686 mph ground speed, outside air temp negative 41 degrees celsius, we have a tail wind of 121 mph (wow).
Monday labor day..... 3:15 am central time......12:15 pm Moscow....were landing at Moscow in one hour......to deplane with all our stuff.....then turn around and get right back on the same plane.....same seats.
Ian is sleeping like a baby right now. Elise took a 2 hour nap yesterday around five pm......which we realized later was bad because she got up and stayed up until 1 am. So she's only been sleeping for a couple hours now. she just woke up. Hmm....potential for grumpiness today?! Better find an electric socket at the moscow airport to charge her dvd player!
It's kind of strange that our bodies think it's three am.....and it's been light outside for a while. The shortest night of our lives for sure!
The Singapore airlines staff are so friendly. They asked our kids names at the beginning of the flight.....and they've called them by name since. One example of how attentive they are....we left one of Ian's pacifiers on the food tray.......they washed it and returned it in a little cup.
Tuesday, September 6...Noon thirty in Jakarta, midnight Central time. We are here! It is so nice to be done with airplanes, and resting at our hotel in Jakarta. The Moscow thing went reasonably well. It was our first experience being the foreigners! It was a little un-settling. The flight from Moscow to Singapore was a little more of an endurance thing. Elise slept a few hours at the beginning, but never slept again. We wanted her to sleep....because we wanted to sleep! So we took turns sleeping (sort of sleeping). Ian of course did his normal thing. It is as if nothing has happened for him. He's in the same chipper mood.
Our plane arrived in Singapore at five something, and it was a pretty quick turn around to get our stuff and head over to a different terminal. When we got there, our plane for Jakarta was going to board soon.
Now we have heard that Indonesians love little kids. But we had no idea how much. When we walked up to the gate with Ian in his stroller....there were quite a few people people peeking at him, smiling, waving, talking about him. Then all of a sudden a crowd formed around Ian! He really looked like he was enjoying the attention. And people were grabbing his hands, pinching his cheek, popping his pacifier back in his mouth. Ian was doing his little smile and gasp laugh thing and they loved it. Then they started getting their cameras out and took turns getting their pictures taken with him. All this was completely without even asking Heather and I! Of course we didn't mind....we were laughing at the whole thing. That was probably our first "well, that would never happen in America" moment. It was precious! And Ian was like a little rock star.
We got through the one hour and twenty five minute flight from Singapore to Jakarta, with some help from Dora (I think we owe Dora, and Veggie Tales, and some others a big thanks for helping us out on this trip! Elise watched about ten times her normal dose of videos.)
We landed in Jakarta at 8:30. It is a beautiful day in Jakarta. But I hear the temperature year round doesn't really change. So it's like this every day! I am glad to know it doesn't resemble one of those brutal Missouri summer days, but toned down a little bit from that.
We headed to the baggage claim, and quickly hired some of the guys who are itching to carry your bag for a buck (boy they didn't know what they were in for!) Along came our ten big bags....one pack and play...oh and our carry ons that we crammed all the heavy stuff in so our other bags wouldn't exceed the weight limit.
Justin, our MAF representative here in Jakarta, met us outside with a driver he hired.....then we loaded up and headed to where we are now.....a hotel-like guest house for people in situations like us.
I must say the drive from the airport to the guest house was a wild ride! It was everything you would expect after hearing stories of how crazy people drive overseas. There were just as many if not more scooters and motorcycles than cars....and those things weaved in and out of cars, right next to them. It looked incredibly dangerous! Even the cars were doing things that you would never see in the states.
Ian hangin out in his little carseat on the plane.
Elise sleeping on the seat. Unfortunately she didn't do too much of that on the trip!
The enormous Boeing 777 we flew on.
Elise watching her DVD's. She did quite a bit of that on the trip!
Yes that's just our carryons!! Lined up in the hall after our first flight. How in the world did we manage to carry all those?
Like this!
Elise crashed out here at the guest house, sleeping hard after all that traveling.
So what now? We will rest and try to get started acclimating to our new time zone here in Jakarta for the next few days. On Thursday or Friday, we will go with Justin to immigration to sign some paperwork. Friday afternoon we will fly to Semarang, where friends will pick us up and drive us to our house! Then we get to start to settle in for language school.
