Where's my luggage?

I'm back. Thank God!!!!! It was quite an ordeal. I guess I'll start with the trip home and then work the blogs backwards.

So, Tuesday morning, 4:00am Moscow time (9 hours ahead of Central Standard Time) all the students (except the two drunk ones) move all their luggage outside and load the bus. 4:20am, drunk students show up and load their crap.

Around 5:30p we get to the Moscow airport. Our resident director has told us to check our luggage all the way through to our final destination. Unfortunately, none of the airline staff speaks English (no, we did not learn how to check our luggage), and almost all of the luggage gets screwed up. Sit around until boarding, which was at 7:00a.

Get to Frankfurt and have a 5 hour layover. Even though I have about 2 pounds of Russian candy in my bag, I realize I'm in Germany and I HAVE to get some gummy bears. I mean, I'm in Germany! Also eat at McDonald's. They do not have a Euro menu in Germany.

Finally get on a plane and fly to Washington DC, Dulles airport. This takes about 8 1/2 hours. I am the dispenser of dramamina (Russian version) so that we can sleep. By the time we land, we've been traveling for around 16 hours. We make it through customs (well, actually, this is when the group started to fall apart: we didn't even actually get to officially say goodbye to everyone). Megan has the same flight as me to Detroit, and she gets a message that the flight has been cancelled. But our bags have been checked all the way through (although, not correctly), and they're really, really heavy. I recheck my bags: Megan grabs hers.

We go to Northwest airlines and explain that we've just gotten off international flights and really want to get home today. They're very nice and schedule us for flights from Regan and give us taxi vouchures. Megan takes off (her flight was directly to Minneapolis) and I go try to find my luggage. Unsuccessfully. The person at the baggage claim is most unuseful and tells me to write down my name and information, but doesn't enter anything in the computer.

I get to Reagan and the first person I see is Megan. Her new flight has been delayed. Both our flights are now leaving at 8:10p EST. I go to the NW counter and get my luggage thing straightened out. I'm picking it up today, on the flight they had originally scheduled me to be on. I hope nothing is broken. Leave for Detroit at 8:10p.

Get to Detroit at 9:30pm. Haul ass to other side of airport, only to discover that their are some problems with my scheduled flight: there are no pilots. At this point, I had been traveling for 26 hours. I'm not exactly happy and I'm sure I don't smell all that good either. Also, since it's late, the Taco Bell in the airport is closed, as are all the other places. I'm going to Taco Bell today. Finally, we get pilots at 1:30am and take up for Madison. Due to the time change, we get into Madison at 1:30am. Beth and Ryo are waiting for me (I did call them and let them know about the delay), and they drive me home.

2:00am. Finally, I crash into bed. Wake up at 5:30am, which is actually ok. It will help me get used to the new time. Being home is weird. I have to re-orient myself to everything. And today, I have to drive to get groceries, which kind of scares me. But I'm starving now, so I will leave you.

It's good to be home, although I already miss it there. Can't wait to share my adventures with you. Missed you all much.

Stacia