We Have Arrived!!!

After very little sleep, the alarm sounded at 2 am alerting us that we needed to get up and at’em!!  Leaving for the airport no later than 3:30am and needed to reshuffle the bags a little.. Desperately working to keep the weight under 50 lbs each.  We  had already exceeded the maximum free checked bags and would have to pay for one bag… was it really worth that $150 charge! Yes… I was way too stressed out trying to reorganize!

We made it to the airport and got everything checked in… made it through security and settled back to wait for the Starbuck’s to open for that first shot of caffeine to jolt my brain into action.  Up to that point I had been working on auto pilot hoping that I did not miss anything important.  Ah.. the wonderful smell of that first morning cup of java!!!

Despite the late departure due to mechanical issues followed by a deicing… we were off.  Arrived in Chicago with an hour to spare before the 14 ½ flight to Shanghai.  The radar took me straight to the first Starbuck’s in O’Hare for my second cup of brew.  As I sipped my coffee, I called the kids… talked and texted everyone…more than one time… getting that last message before the phone would go off for the next year…..  Changed the voice mail greeting to remind my callers that I would not be answering for the next 12 months and to use email to communicate with me.  I squeezed the last seconds of phone time before the flight attendant announced it was time to shut off electronic devices for take off.

WE ARE HERE!!!!  What on earth were we thinking!!! First stop is to make our way through the ‘Foreigners’ line to check our passport and entry visa’s. Then pick up the 7 checked bags and head to the customs line… hoping they do not decide we look like a random check candidate… which we were not. Then through the corridor of signs .... searching for the one that has our name on it.. Michael looking left and I am searching to the right.  After about 100 signs we finally saw it…..Mr and Mrs Michael Darilek…yea!!!! Our name and our ride!

After the ride to the hotel and in the room, we both were exhausted… physically and emotionally!  Although it was only around 7pm… we crashed.  By 1:30am we were wide eyed… getting used to the time difference is the first big challenge.  So we were up and on our computers!  Letting our family know we made it to Shanghai safely and would Skype later in the morning. 

We cannot get the keys to our apartment until Wednesday so we will most likely be in the hotel at least a week.  Although our household shipment will not leave the US until we get Michael’s work visa, and then spend some time in customs, we plan to move into the apartment.  In the bags we brought with us, I have bed linens and towels.  We will need to purchase a couple of pillows, but we will be able to sleep and shower… what more could you ask for?  I need to start feeling like we have a home here and not living out of suitcases!  We will have to eat out, but at least we can relax and not be so cramped in a hotel room.  We need to find what our new normal will be.  It will make this transition so much better.  The next week or so will be setting up our new home.

I think we have looked at each other at least a dozen times and asked if we are really living this or is it a dream……  I will let you know if I wake up in Oz!