First Trip Back

Weaver Adventure Blog for Week of November 25, 2012

First trip back to USA

 So I started to feel like I needed to reconnect a bit with some people back in the USA, and started looking for some good dates to make a visit there.  Mid-November seemed like a natural as it marks approximately six months since we moved.  I zeroed in on the week before Thanksgiving, as that would permit me to swing through New York to spend a day or two to check in with some people I wouldn’t get to see in Indiana.  Win-win.

I arranged my airline tickets and started setting up meetings with the people I needed to see.  As you can imagine, as soon as I started this process, many friends and family wanted to know if I would be able to visit them, and perhaps pick up a few items they were planning to send to us for the holidays.  Well, I wouldn’t really be able to visit everyone, but perhaps I could arrange to bring stuff back as it would be much cheaper to bring an extra suitcase than to ship packages across the world.  So, what to do?

Ultimately it was decided that anyone wishing to send stuff back with me should send it to my parents who live near Bloomington.  I would certainly visit them, and could get everything at that time.  Great plan.  Sort of.

As it turned out, and as I had been warned by a veteran expat, once you start gathering stuff to bring back to your adopted home, it’s rather difficult to stop.  My parents started to refer to their spare bedroom as WSFC – Weaver Shipping and Fulfillment Center.  The boxes just kept coming.  My folks were soon on a first-name basis with the UPS guy and the Fedex guy.  The pile grew and grew.  No problem – I would just need an extra suitcase.  Or two.  Or three.  Or four.

By the time I checked in for my flights home, I had four large suitcases, a large duffelbag, a small backpack, and my computer bag.   And I wore the largest shoes I had with me, a blazer I wouldn’t normally wear on a plane, and a large wool coat, just to save luggage space.  The small backpack (which I had to buy) was stuffed full of laundry that simply wouldn’t fit in any of the other bags.  The counter agent looked at me and said, “Is it just you travelling?”  “Yeah.”  I sighed, rolling my eyes at the mountain of bags beside me. 

But I wasn't really travelling alone, for “luggage mountain” represented all the co-workers, friends and family who have supported (and still are supporting) us in this big adventure, and who miss us and love us.  The visit was great, and I feel reconnected and as excited as ever for the challenges ahead.  I just hope the customs agents at the airport in Korea have a sense of humor…

Until next time.

Weaver