Day 276 (March 24): Arrival Day
March 24th arrived twice for us, first in Hong Kong, while we waited to board our 1am departure for San Francisco and then again in San Francisco, because we landed 3 hours before we departed, or 10pm on March 23rd.
After spending the night at an airport hotel, we flew from SFO to PDX at 11:35am on 3/24. The only notable part of this flight was that we upgraded to First Class because it was approximately the same price as flying coach and paying for all the luggage we needed to check. The main perk was expedited everything: check-in, baggage handling, security, but not boarding.
Not boarding because there were fewer than 50 people on our flight. The gate attendant called it, "Alaska Airlines Private Charter Number 427." He offered to board the flight according to quality of smile. Half the passengers were airline personnel being moved around. One pilot noted that he wasn't flying his usual route to Hawaii because they had cut back to a single wide-body, once a week, which was flying there empty and bringing back a full load.
After we landed and claimed our bags, there was a short, bittersweet exchange with Elise's parents at the curbside. Obviously, I hope, we couldn't hug them or greet them closely because of our probable/presumed exposure. As a result, at least one of our kids was in the minivan crying hysterically because they could see but not touch their grandparents.
On that first night at home, the prevailing sleep schedule was 7pm to 2am.
What I hope we remember about this, when the proverbial dust settles, is that the house feels enormous, as we expected it would. It's more than double the size of the apartment we had lived in for the previous two weeks in Malaysia. Our rooms are especially bare, since we had packed up as much as possible to make room for Elise's parents to live here in our absence.
The other main theme of our return is the temperature. With some rounding, we went from 40 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It's spring in Portland and it's cold! Furthermore, we have basically no cold-weather clothing. As a result, we've spent a lot of time sitting in front of our (gas) fireplace and huddled under blankets.
It's also quite lonely. Oregon is under a "social distancing" mandate from the Governor so, in addition to our own self-quarantine, there's really no opportunity to reunite with friends. This is very difficult and confusing for the kids, who are so eager to see their friends. And it's hard to be unable to tell them when they'll be able to see buddies. It might be a mere two weeks but it could be much more. That's also hard when the kids, especially the twins, are at an age where they lack the self-control to maintain a safe distance when all of their impulses scream, "Hug!"
Our first meals at home: we had pizza Tuesday night, doughnuts on Wednesday morning, burritos on Wednesday for lunch and then home-cooked steak and asparagus for dinner. We were lucky to have a friend who was willing to shop for us so that we can stay out of public spaces during our quarantine.
It was almost exactly nine months to the day since we drove away at the very start of this trip. June 23rd, I think. It costs me too much energy to discuss the emotions we're having now; I'll save up and write that entry another time.
After spending the night at an airport hotel, we flew from SFO to PDX at 11:35am on 3/24. The only notable part of this flight was that we upgraded to First Class because it was approximately the same price as flying coach and paying for all the luggage we needed to check. The main perk was expedited everything: check-in, baggage handling, security, but not boarding.
Not boarding because there were fewer than 50 people on our flight. The gate attendant called it, "Alaska Airlines Private Charter Number 427." He offered to board the flight according to quality of smile. Half the passengers were airline personnel being moved around. One pilot noted that he wasn't flying his usual route to Hawaii because they had cut back to a single wide-body, once a week, which was flying there empty and bringing back a full load.
After we landed and claimed our bags, there was a short, bittersweet exchange with Elise's parents at the curbside. Obviously, I hope, we couldn't hug them or greet them closely because of our probable/presumed exposure. As a result, at least one of our kids was in the minivan crying hysterically because they could see but not touch their grandparents.
On that first night at home, the prevailing sleep schedule was 7pm to 2am.
What I hope we remember about this, when the proverbial dust settles, is that the house feels enormous, as we expected it would. It's more than double the size of the apartment we had lived in for the previous two weeks in Malaysia. Our rooms are especially bare, since we had packed up as much as possible to make room for Elise's parents to live here in our absence.
The other main theme of our return is the temperature. With some rounding, we went from 40 degrees Celsius to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. It's spring in Portland and it's cold! Furthermore, we have basically no cold-weather clothing. As a result, we've spent a lot of time sitting in front of our (gas) fireplace and huddled under blankets.
It's also quite lonely. Oregon is under a "social distancing" mandate from the Governor so, in addition to our own self-quarantine, there's really no opportunity to reunite with friends. This is very difficult and confusing for the kids, who are so eager to see their friends. And it's hard to be unable to tell them when they'll be able to see buddies. It might be a mere two weeks but it could be much more. That's also hard when the kids, especially the twins, are at an age where they lack the self-control to maintain a safe distance when all of their impulses scream, "Hug!"
Our first meals at home: we had pizza Tuesday night, doughnuts on Wednesday morning, burritos on Wednesday for lunch and then home-cooked steak and asparagus for dinner. We were lucky to have a friend who was willing to shop for us so that we can stay out of public spaces during our quarantine.
It was almost exactly nine months to the day since we drove away at the very start of this trip. June 23rd, I think. It costs me too much energy to discuss the emotions we're having now; I'll save up and write that entry another time.
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