Then it was time to go to the airport.
When we got to the airport, a man from Brussels Airlines who had been at the downtown office in the morning had been watching for Duane. He took us right in and found a chair for Duane. Then he took our passports and got us through immigration. Then he came back and took us to the security area. Their machine for carry-ons was not working so they were checking everything manually. We didn’t have to take things out and we could leave our shoes on. The man was still with us and took us into the waiting room.
We had to wait a couple of hours. There were a few other internationals who had been with us at the conference. About 8:30 pm, when it was time to start sending persons to the plane, our airline friend came back again and took us to the front of the line. He gave me a piece of paper with his phone number and name so we could call him when we got home and let him know that Duane was doing ok. It wasn’t too long before we got in the shuttle and went to the plane.
After we were in the air, we were served snacks and a drink. Within a little while we were served dinner. The flight was about 8 hours. We watched some shows on the little screen and then tried to sleep. I’m feeling tired right now just remembering. I think we both got some sleep. It didn’t seem too long before the lights were going on and we were given a breakfast box with a croissant and cream cheese. There was also coffee, tea, and fruit juices. We landed in Brussels at 5:15 am.
We had to wait 7 hours before the next flight. We had to go through customs and security again before getting to the next terminal. We sat in a seating area. But lots of persons were sleeping. It didn’t take too long until Tom, Bill and Duane were sleeping. I was watching out the windows and working on blog comments. Everyone took turns getting up and walking around. Then we came back to the same area and the others went to sleep again.
Our flight was at 12:10 pm so we gathered our things and walked down to the gate by 10:30 am. Again we saw others we had been with in Liberia going on this flight. It didn’t take long for them to start loading. We were going back in time so even though the flight was almost 9 hours long, we were going to get to Dulles by 2:55 pm. We settled in to our seats and realized that the screens were both going to work this time. I was able to watch Inside Out and The Intern. We had lunch shortly after the flight took off. Then we had a snack just before we got to Dulles.
We had to go through customs using check in machines. Then back through security again. After we were free to go to our gate, we went by an Auntie Anne’s pretzel stand. Duane said it before me. I needed to get a soft pretzel. Our next flight was at 5:10 pm. We got to the gate. Then I called Nelson to find out how things were going with Mother. It was not good. He had gotten a call from the Physician’s Assistant who said that Mother was not doing well and she was prescribing Hospice care. Obviously I was very unhappy about this. She told Nelson to have me call the nurse and see how things were going. So I called Newcomer Hall where she lives. They said that she was not doing well. They said to call again in the morning. We boarded the plane and left for Detroit. We were to get there near 6:15 p.m.
We went to get our luggage and said goodbye to the others. Duane called the Oakleys – Susi and Brian – who had kept our van. Susi picked us up and took us back to her house. We visited with them a little while. Then we drove to Plymouth and a Comfort Inn. Since it was connected to our place that we stay in Mason OH, we thought we might be eligible for a free night. Duane didn’t have the cards he needed but the desk person gave him the 1-800 number and said they could search for him. It worked and we got the free night. We were put in Room 101 and given a bag with goodies and bottles of water. Duane managed to get the extra clothes we needed from the suitcases without bringing them in. It was 32 degrees out. He was very cold. What a difference!
We didn’t waste time getting what we needed for the night. And went to bed immediately – 9 pm.
Friday Feb. 19 – I woke around Midnight. I wasn’t sure where I was. Then back to sleep and awake around 3 am. Same basic feeling. Back to sleep to wake around 6 am. I took a shower. We didn’t have all clean clothes but we wore the new shirts from Mother Irene when we went to breakfast. It was a conversation starter for sure. Good breakfast. We finished up, reloaded the car, checked out and headed for home. We stopped in Bay City at the Meijer store to get some food then got home by 11:30 am.
It was quite an adventure! We were glad to participate in the conference and to see so many friends from different times we have been to Liberia.
Update on my mother – We were able to visit her Feb. 20 – 22. While she is confined to her bed, she is eating the food others feed her and is communicating again with those who are caring for her.
We are feeling much better and have pretty much caught up on our sleep. This is the end of the written posts related to our 2016 Trip to Liberia. I am hoping to put up some pictures at some time.