Getting Ready to Travel

No matter how short or long, traveling takes at least some prep. We fly out of Beijing at 6:30 p.m. tonight. We have to leave our house at 2 p.m. Normally we would drag our suitcases through the metro to get to the airport. It takes about an hour, and involves a couple changes, but really is not too bad and costs about $5 apiece. However, this time we are going to take a taxi.  I have had to come off all my  herbal supplements which are blood-thinners in preparation for my hip replacement on January 3 in Pennsylvania. I am in quite a bit of pain with no recourse to relieve it and walking is very hard, even with a cane and/or walker. I just could not face the metro ride. Instead it will cost about $30 in a taxi, and the amount of time is a bit more questionable because we are at the mercy of traffic rather than the very well scheduled metro. When we get to the airport, I will request a wheelchair and use it the rest of the trip.

We arrive in LA at 3:30 p.m. It will still be Saturday and on paper it is 3 hours before we left Beijing! International Date Line. We will have to go through immigration and customs in LA, which is time consuming and tiring with lines to traverse, but we have a 7 hour layover so will be fine. Then we fly out of LA at 10 p.m. and arrive Charlotte, NC at about 7 a.m. Sunday morning. An hour and a half later we leave for Greenville, SC. Peter will meet us. We might rest a few hours at his house, hopefully be able to see the kids, but it is in the middle of Church. Then at about noon or before we will get in the van and head up to Purity 10+ hours away in PA. I have my pre-surgery doctor’s appointment at 2:30 on Monday, and need to make it there in time, allowing for resting along the way with jetlag and questionable weather. Therefore we will be in airplanes and airports for about 27 hours and then drive for 10 hours after we arrive. We are a bit tired to start out because of finishing up the semester and because dealing with my hip is exhausting for both of us. I have needed a lot of help and Rick has been a wonderful caregiver.

Before we leave this afternoon, we need to do the last bit of packing. I have worked at this for a week. I am able to put our carry on cases inside of our check through cases just to cut it down to 2 big suitcases. Not much to take home, but we will need to have the suitcases to return with.  We did our last laundry on Wednesday and hung it as usual out on our balcony. However, it is only between 12-20 degrees outside and too cold to adequately dry the clothes. Last evening we moved the clothes into the bathroom, and everything we need should be dry before 2 this afternoon. (An aspect of traveling that maybe one in the US does not have to consider.)

We need to finish picking up our apartment, ready for us to be gone until Feb. 13. This is not arduous work. The whole time we are gone, housekeepers will continue to come in every Tuesday morning, and mop our floors and clean out bathrooms….even though there will be no one in our apartment. I am not taking down the Christmas decorations. I am praying that I am more mobile when we return and we can accomplish this in much less time than it would take now with me giving directions from the couch.

Another factor that perhaps you do not have to consider is the 9 visits we have made to the bank since Dec. 15, 4 times in the last 4 days.  This year we are making a very decent salary and have Chinese money that needs to be exchanged for USD. One can only exchange a set kind of small amount each day, and thus these many trips. You have to be there in person and with your passport in order to get the money. It has not been pleasant dragging myself onto the bike in 12 degree weather. My hip has been bad enough that Rick needs to stand beside me and pull  my foot up and over the middle of the bike in order for me to mount it. Then we have to wait from 30-90 minutes to exchange our money. Our last visit will be this morning. We planned ahead for this as best we could, but did not get our last pay check until this week.

So, maybe you can understand what the next few days involve for us. We would appreciate your prayers. Maybe the best I can do in anticipating the travel is being thankful that I am not dragging four little kids like I used to have to do during our 7 years in Taiwan. I no longer have the feeling halfway across the Pacific, “I am not going to make this!” haha