Going Home

5:00 came early.  We had set our alarm for 5 am, but just before it went off, we were awakened by the call to prayer from the nearby Mosque...it would be the last time that we would hear that for a while.  It was with great reluctance that we dragged ourselves out of bed, not because we got so little sleep, but that we had reached the end of the journey and had to go back to face the realities of our lives and leave our adventure behind.  We got all of our luggage to the front door and went in to greet the others who were also traveling with us.  Miriam had already left for the Hilton worried that the folks who were going to the airport from there would have some troubles and so she wanted to make sure that they got on their way.  Ebi accompanied us to the airport while Turner and Matthew Larsen stayed behind.  There was little room for them in the van with 6 passengers and many suitcases.  There was no traffic at that hour and we sailed to the airport in no time at all.  Miriam was already there and greeted us while Ebi procured porters to carry our luggage.  We said our goodbyes and started the complex process of going through the myriad of checkpoints to get on the plane... first you have to show passports and your travel info and have the luggage go through screening and again to get your boarding passes, then you must fill out cards telling what you purchased and then have your luggage go through a search by hand.  Fortunately, when they asked us the reason for our visit and we told them for the  wedding of Tariye Isoun and Demola Gbadegesin, they whisked us through without another  thought...it's pretty cool to be so well connected... then through   customs and immigration without any problems.  We did see Miriam briefly because she ended up having to pay someone money to get the van   from being towed or something.  My hope is that they let her off the hook.  The driver was just staying around for her.  We bumped in to many wedding goers heading home in all directions and got another charge out of how far this family has made connections and relationships...pretty cool.

The flights home were rough...the seats seemed smaller, the people not as happy to let you recline, and not as easy to rest.  Maybe it was our reluctance to head home, but it wasn't nearly as fun as going.  In London, we went through the same routine with going through the carry on bags and  then we meandered around the shops and caught a bite to eat and got on the computers and tried to catch up on email, blogging and facebook without much enthusiasm.  The flight to Boston was even worse and we were really tired at this point.  By the time we arrived, we had been going for 22 hours, but the flights were smooth and blessedly uneventful.  Customs was a breeze and Libby came to pick us up.  She was glad to see her Matthew and we brought her to her house before going to Matthew's apartment.  Upon arrival, we unloaded the basics and then John asked if we had seen his camera bag...@#*&#...somehow in our excitement about getting in to the car, we had forgotten it...so many pictures, John's passport was in there too...we were all feeling the frustration.  So back into the car the boys went and back to the terminal...it was now 12:30 am or so.  Melinda called the airport and could only leave a message on an answering machine.  She called Libby in the hope that we had left the bag at her apartment, but no such luck.  It would have been a huge disappointment and the only blemish to the trip, but upon arrival at the terminal, it was there, right where John had set it next to the bench where we sat waiting for Libby to arrive!  There are a few miracles in life you see.  Sleep came easily that night.

Melinda, John and Matthew

Tomorrow...the trip back to Maine and re-entry.