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We woke up at 6 a.m. We had planned to take showers but the water pump wasn't on. So we got packed instead. Yoselin, Yasmin, and Paola came in to say goodbye. We gave them each a Hello Kitty candy necklace and a woven bracelet from our compadres in Ecuador. They thanked us and told us to give their regards to our Ecuadorean friends. we gave them goodbye hugs and kisses before they headed off to school.
Eddy was awake and calling to us from outside. We gave him his gifts and he immediately started eating the candy necklace. All of the beads were off the string within 5 minutes, and he carried them around in a plastic bag. At 7:30, Paulina served a nice breakfast of scrambled huevos rancheros, cheese, and black beans "on parade." We drank fresh orange juice which they had purchased from Olga's juice stand on Santander Street. The large pitcher of fresh juice was deliciously refreshing. The morning sun streamed into the dining room. Aracely and Vanesa woke up, and we gave them their gifts. Mario came to join us for breakfast and he took Paulina's blood sugar before she ate anything because it had been high last night. It was really nice the way he looked out for the family. It was a pleasure to meet him and we truly enjoyed our time together. We said goodbye to Mario and wished him happy travels during the rest of his sabbatical. Then he headed off to language class. Shortly after 8:20, Benjamin arrived in the van. Humberto, Paulina, and the kids walked us down the alley to the street. Josue met us there and we all said our goodbyes. There were lots of hugs and kisses and we promised that it wouldn't be a year before we visit again. As the van pulled away we saw that Abuela had just come out to see us off as well. We waved to her as we headed off to Guatemala City. As we drove the three hour drive to Guatemala City, we reflected on how lucky we were to first meet Humberto back in 2004, and to become a part of his family starting with our visit in 2007. We arrived at the airport at 11:15. We checked in and were offered exit row seats, which we promptly accepted. We went upstairs to the food court for Pollo Campero, the local fast food giant. We got the 2-piece campero which had 2 pieces of chicken, a roll, fries, and a a Mirinda orange soda. We went through security and they have become much more strict. Previously the security checkpoint had been a bit lax, and they hand-searched everyone and their carryons at the gate as they boarded the plane. Today the security checkpoint was more rigorous. They even took away Craig's little bottle of baby powder even though it was under 3 ounces. Never had that happen before. Probably less to do with homeland security and more to do with potential drug smuggling. As we boarded the flight, Craig got the traditional hand search, whereas I was selected for more careful screening. An agent went through all pockets of my bags, frisked me, and ran a hand-held metal detector over my body. Not only did we have exit row seats, but there was an empty seat between us, so we were quite comfortable. I typed up my notes on the netbook during the flight. We got to Miami a few minutes early (just before 7 p.m.). We had to walk a long way to immigration and wait in a long line, but it moved fairly quickly. No checked luggage to pick up today, so that sped things up a bit. At security, I had to go through a body scanner. As much as I am against the body scanners in terms of privacy, I didn't have the energy to fight today. I got in and put my arms up in the air to get scanned. Our gate was pretty close to security, and right next to a Pizza Hut. We had Hawaiian pizzas and Gatorades. Our flight home took off on time at 9:15 p.m. We sat with a nice lady from Foxboro named Adele and we had a very pleasant conversation with her throughout the whole flight, which made the time go by quickly. She was returning home after visiting her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson in Costa Rica. When we arrived at Logan (ontime at 12:15 a.m.) we walked through corridors on our way to Central Parking. An employee was buffing the floor in one of the hallways and there was no apparent way to get around him. He eventually pointed to a door which led outside. We walked the length pf the corridor on the sidewalk, and then re-entered the building past where the floor was being cleaned. So welcoming! As we continued toward the garage, we saw the Indianapolis Colts' private plane parked at "AirTran Junior", the small AirTran terminal. That was something we hadn't seen before. By the time we collected the car, got home, got settled, and went to bed, it was 1:30 a.m., the time we had awoken at the beginning of our trip last Thursday! And we have work tomorrow! |
 Yasmin heading off to school  Aracely and Craig  Humberto and Mario  Eddy, Vanesa, Paulina, Humberto, Aracely, and Josue |
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