Toll road I94 appeared after 12.5 hours of flight travel. The flight attendant commented on the snow over North Dakota an hour earlier. This sight confirmed my hopes for a White Christmas, however. Welcome to Chicago, O'hare.
I was giddy, but calmly reminded myself of travel decorum in my sudden urge to hug both the man with the Chicago Bears sweatshirt, and the stoic gentleman next to me wearing the "Life is Good" cap. Haha, US soil! The landing also reminded me that no longer is an instant bond created just because both people are Americans. Indeed most of the flight was comprised of Americans.
The chatty Philippino from my first trip over the Pacific was deemed a better travel partner than the "Life is Good" man, as this time I sat generally in silence for 13 hours with a few comments about airline food and snow percentages in the northern USA. No one wanting to practice English? What? Feeling average, run-of-the-mill, was a change I noted.
Disembarking, the only mishap of the experience was when a kind man attempted to take my bag out of the overhead compartment for me, only to accidentally lop an older lady on the back of the head. I'm sure it hurt.
She showered the man with a caroling of:
"What a jerk!"
"Couldn't you have waited 10 seconds? Oh no! You had to move now, NOW!"
"A (sarcastic) Merry Christmas to you too!"
I shook my head at the first conversation I witnessed on US soil. Americans...
Still, it had been a long flight, so I suppose no one should be judged too harshly. Such a contrast to an earlier comment while still in Shanghai, from a lady pointing out the kindness of an American's helping hand -
"Thanks so much. You know, I haven't seen an American gentleman in four months!"
"You must have been in the interior of China," came his reply.
Thus, I too from the interior of China, made my big entrance into O'hare Airport. Collecting two bags, and applying peppermint chapstick, I was ready.
"China must be quite different from Libertyville. Welcome back," smiled my agent of homeland security.
No taxis or hotel locator signs needed this time - the family was waiting in the distance with open arms.
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