Tuesday, October 04, 2005

• Hola from Los Estados Unidos!

  Yo he regresado este fin de semana pasada (I have returned this past weekend)...

  ...and now begins the re-entry process, the "How-do-I-use-my-Spanish-in-MN" process, the "How-do-I-go-back-to-work" process...

  That is in the works...but I must digress to the story of my literal re-entry into the United States:

  I need to first make a statement: for those of you flying internationally---let me suggest that you NOT have your flight routed through Miami International...unless you have many hours of layover between your domestic/international flights.  OR unless you just want to see an airport and passenger circus.

  My flight from San Jose to Miami went without a hitch.  We were even on-time into Miami!  But the English-speaking flight attendant failed to remind her English-speaking passengers that, after clearing Immigration, they had to REclaim their luggage, clear Customs and then REcheck their luggage onto their domestic flight.  I, like many other passengers, had only an hour between flights to make this all happen.

  As I exited my plane to head toward Immigration, I  noticed something different about the air and energy inside the Miami terminal.  People immediately began walking with a purpose, began training for their Olympic speed-walking trials, began sprinting down the hallway toward Immigration.  We were like cows, mooing, walking, running, dodging one another...like a herd, a pack of lemmings running toward a cliff...the Cliff of Immigration.

  Where we presently were stopped and funneled through in little lines.

  It was no matter, the cows and lemmings took off--shoving one another, dangling their paperwork of approval at the uniformed guard to prove they passed their Immigration "exam" and barrelled off toward the baggage claim area.  Where, once again, the herd was funneled into a circular formation to stare dully at the revolving track.  Hoping in vain that their luggage would be the first spit out by the luggage monster.

  Some planes were having trouble opening their luggage hatch, cows and lemmings were waiting for 10, 20, 30 minutes...Even after they retreived their luggage, the crowd was herded once again, into lines to get through their Customs exam.  Coughed out on the other side of Customs, we were like "survivor lemmings" who did not fall over the cliff and die. 

  "What do we do now?  We're not dead?"

  As it turns out some were funneled into more lines to recheck their luggage (like I was), only to be told...."well YOU could make your flight, but your luggage cannot."

  Bottom line:  I followed the herd with the Costa Rican motto of "tranquila, Pura Vida!" playing in my mind, was re-booked on a flight to Dallas-Fort Worth (anything to get out of the putrid energy in Miami!), stayed overnight and flew to Minneapolis the next day.

  All is well, it is thundering and raining, I am happy and sad to be back in the States all at the same time. I hope to return to Costa Rica again...but until then I will live Pura Vida here.

  Until next time,

  Abrazos y paz,
  Emilia

  • 10:19 PM
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