Summer vacation in the USA

Who would think that 20 days in the US would yield so much blogging material! Ha! With travel, there is always a story to tell.

Wheelchair service and Paris
My deteriorating knees has caused me to start requesting wheelchair assist in the airports. I don't always need it but, I don't usually know how far I am going to have to walk, or if there are stairs required. So, I have found it is best to request it so I am covered for all events.

Atlanta, Naples, Seattle and Wichita airports all had fine, efficient wheelchair assist programs. I found very nice people who helped me with my carryon bags and check bags through customs, security and immigration.

Not so in Paris! That place is a mess! Let me be clear; it is not the individual people I dealt with -- they were all very nice. It is their system of hand offs that is really uncoordinated and totally disorganized. I missed my connecting flight going to the US because one wheelchair assistant left me parked and it was 20 min. or more before the next person came to get me. Air France ended up paying for my stay overnight in Paris to catch a flight out the next morning, and they were all very concerned about understanding what happened. I was handed off to a total of 5 different groups for that one transfer and that was the problem -- too many cooks in the kitchen!

Paris is a huge airport and even if you are a fast, athletic walker you might miss your connections going from one terminal to another. You have to go through security every time you re-enter another terminal, so that is a line there. For someone like me, walking is not even an option in Paris. The distances between terminals is huge.

Returning, I almost missed my connection in Paris again for the very same reason. The first group that took us off the airplane left us at the wrong terminal. So we waited while Air France representative got another shuttle that took us to the correct terminal. Then when we arrived there, someone came to escort us but never did get me a wheelchair. There was another couple going to Naples also, and the three of us had to walk the rest of the way through Passport control, security and to the gate. I don't know what they would have done if we couldn't walk at all, but we were not willing to miss our connection by insisting on wheelchairs and having to wait again.

I paid for that last bit of walking too, with swollen knees and lots of pain but I got the flight!

Doctors, dentists and tests
Happy to report I got a clean bill of health from all the tests and exams. Yea! It was rather intense cramming all those appointments into a three-day window, but it is done. The only wrinkle in the whole deal was the flu shot I got. Had a reaction to it with mild flu symptoms and a rash that lasted about two days. Very strange as I never had that before. Took the MRI in Wichita as I didn't have time to get it in Everett. The Open MRI office in Wichita is pretty good for this girl that is claustrophobic! I closed my eyes and prayed the whole time. Will take those result to the Italian doctor for follow up.

The fun of reconnecting with friends
I should have taken more photos but didn't. Don't know why -- guess I was enjoying the being and not thinking about it.

In Everett

Once again I was hosted by our close friends. They had us in March when we were in the US and now again Johnnie for two months this summer and me for the week I was in Everett. How awesome to be blessed by friends with such open hearts and great hospitality!

They spoiled me with good home cooked meals and allowed me to organize some visits from other friends at their home. One evening we indulged in a coffee tasting session along with blueberry pie, of course!

We scientifically recorded our ratings without knowing which cup was which coffee. This is so we are not prejudiced by the look of the label and package, or the catchy sound of the name.

A

B

C

Water for each type was precisely measured and heated

D

Actually I am not even sure which we voted the best coffee after all. But we had a good time!

Good visits and meals were part of my week in Everett. I was able to meet with my Women's Bible Study group, several friends from our Monday night small group, girlfriends from my church, from the volunteer group that supports the homeless and from my tea leaf collecting club. I collected hugs where I could and several promises of visits to Italy next year. 



In Wichita
Lunch with a few friends, a hair appointment with another long time friend, and a dinner out the last night with friends from our former church, and I felt that we saw who the Lord had planned for us to see. After living in Wichita for so many years, there are always people you don't get to see each time but over the years we put a priority on family and those friends that make the effort to stay in touch with us and visit us when they can.

The fun of reconnecting with family
In Everett
Deanie and Bill came over Saturday and we visited, ate Thai Food (again -- have to get my fill before I leave), and then took me to the airport to fly to Wichita. It was good to see them just for a little bit.

In Wichita
We went to Connie's Mexican food restaurant in Wichita, the original from the 1940's and with awesome authentic and delicious Mexican food. Sigh! How delicious and how fun to be with our children and grandchildren.

L-R Jarric, Curtis and Courtney

L-R Johnnie, Gabriella, Michelle

Then we also got together at our daughter's house and had a family dinner of traditional American picnic food: ham sandwiches, potato salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, and delicious desserts.

Cody, our budding web designer

Yummy meal, Courtney guarding the desserts!

Sisters Michelle and Stephanie hanging out

Courtney, Gabriella, Connie

Grandbaby time
Getting to spend time with my grandchildren was very special. Here are the two youngest.

Ronnie Wayne, age 2 weeks and Gabriella, age 3 (almost 4) with Nonna Jenny

We had Gabriella with us at the hotel two nights. We took her to Exploration Place on Friday and she enjoyed it. She was quite a handful, bouncing with energy and we loved every minute of it. The hotel had a pool and we swam with her also.

Drury Broadview Hotel, Wichita

Recently remodeled, the hotel still preserves much of the old charm

Ella and Johnnie riding the elevator at the hotel

Ella and Grandma Jenny being Queen and princess at Exploration place

Grandpa Johnnie digging into a hot fudge sundae at Braum's (Ella took this photo)

Ronnie's baptism
We were pleased to be in Wichita for Ronnie's baptism at the Lutheran church where Michelle and Jarric worship. After the church service, we had all the family over to Michelle and Jarric's house for a yummy lasagne dinner and home made ice cream.

Daddy Jarric and Ronnie

Special cake for the baptism Ronita made

Priest pouring the water on Ronnie's head -- he was not all that happy about it!

Seeing the world through different eyes
We'll be returning to the US in another year or so but life will be different. You never move back to a place and expect to pick up where you left off; people change and move on, and things are never the same again. This I have learned from moving many times in my life. The experience of living in a foreign culture definitely gives me a different perspective on American life and culture than I have ever had before. This trip I have noticed things I never noticed before about life in the USA and I imagine after another year abroad more things will pop out at me in sharper contrast.

Beyond the obvious things like language, climate, food, dress, etc. there are more subtle things about the differences that really strike me: attitudes towards friendship, family, God, resolving conflict, money and power, what gains you status and respect, and the entire cadre of issues about the environment and natural resources. In another blog in future I will comment more about these and the differences I see. Sometimes when I share my observations people feel it necessary to defend their culture -- either American or Italian, depending on who I am talking with -- but that is not necessary. Culture is not bad or good, it just is different with elements of bad and good blended in all.