Catch-up posting- still about Japan

On Monday, Terri and I met with Sumio for lunch. Sumio is Terri's friend living in her area. She is tutoring her children in English and wanted some ideas on how to help them from a professional teacher- me. I shared some things I have learned, and some ideas that popped into my head given her situation. I thought that perhaps a good way to teach her children to make the sounds of English, she could use the materials we use to teach deaf children to speak. It shows them how to form the sounds. I liked her. She is intelligent and pretty and interesting to talk to. She very generously used her van to carry me and my luggage to the bus stop for the airport. (Saved me having to catch a taxi to catch a bus to catch a plane.) Domo arigato.

The airport at Narita was great. Check in went smoothly. When I asked a porter where immigration was, instead of telling me (even though his English was quite good) he took me there. I like that. Waiting at the gate, I saw to teenage girls doing... well... teenage girl stuff. One of them left some trash on her seat, and I started to say something to her about throwing it away and being responsible. Sorry, it's the teacher in me coming out. I didn't say anything; I simply picked up the trash and threw it away thinking, "Please, I hope they don't sit near me!" About 2 minutes after taking my seat, guess who joins me? ...oh yeah- both of them, right beside me, for a 14 hour flight. I was definitely glad I wasn't my sometimes snarky self. Turns out my old guy prejudice was way off- they were both very nice. They were a pair of 16 year olds from Vancouver traveling alone in Japan. One was even sketching, like me, on the plane. Of course it doesn't take long for a middle-aged guy to run out of things to talk to with teenage girls, so I read my book and listened to music; they went to sleep.

Now San Francisco is where the fun began. We got off the plane, and merged with another flight from Asia landing at the gate next to ours. Immigration went very smoothly. I had a little over an hour to connect to my Houston flight. No problem. At the baggage carousel we waited for our bags... and waited... and waited... and- oh you get the idea. 50 minutes later my bags finally emerge ahead of most of the others. By now there are a lot of anxious people in the room, from two planes! I get waved past customs straight to baggage re-check. but I'm too late. The luggage for my flight has already gone for loading, so they won't let me on the plane. I have to rebook- along with 2 planeloads of other people. Massive pandemonium. Two airport employees actually got into a fight! At first they want me to wait for 10 hours for the next direct flight. Not happening. Then they say they can put on a flight through Chicago to Houston, "only adding a few hours to my flight time." Finally they tell me of a flight through Los Angeles to Houston leaving in a couple of hours. My marine friend from the plane (didn't mention him, did I?) and I take that option. Get to LA and find out: We stop over in Denver! I do get to sit next to a great lady from Australia. We did get to fly over what I ssume was the Grand Canyon. But to make a short story long, I finally land in Houston 5 hours late. I've been traveling more than 20 hours. I'm really tired, but I still have a 3 and a half hour drive to get home. However, I do make it... in one piece. Home at last.