Ethiopia Journal: Day 9 (January 1, 2010) Homecoming!

As expected, in light of the "Christmas Day Bomber" incident, security was beefed up over what it had been when we previously passed through Dubai. We had to go through two separate take-your-shoes-off/send-your-bags-down-the-x-ray-conveyor/walk-through-the-metal-detector security checks before we got to our gate (and since we were simply connecting flights, we were already in the concourse).

At the walkway to our gate, we were required to stand in a line to present our boarding passes and passports. When we got to the front of the line, instead of being directed down the hallway like the other passengers, our passports were retained by the security personnel and we were directed to a holding area. Apparently, our Little Miss K fit within a set of criteria (traveling on an African passport (the "Christmas Day Bomber" was Nigerian) with a one-way ticket to the U.S.) which required approval of a higher-level security official.

We were joined by a handful of other people and, after about 45 minutes, our passports were returned and we were directed down the hallway. We thought it was going to lead us to board the plane. It actually led to another room, where every single passenger on our flight was patted down and searched. We were all required to remove our shoes and all extra layers of clothing (like jackets and sweaters). There were approximately 15 male security personnel, all wearing long white Arab robes, assigned to search the men. The men were frisked out in the open. There were also approximately 10 female security personnel, all wearing long black robes and headscarves, who were assigned to search the female passengers and children. The women were required to enter curtained dressing-room-type rooms to be thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly!) searched. As we were being physically searched, there were about 20 other security officials assigned to unpack each and every carry-on bag on nearby tables and inspect their contents. It was all quite unnerving.

As it seemed that it would have been impossible for them to utilize that level of security for every flight out of Dubai, I began to worry that perhaps there was some specific danger that the officials were aware of concerning our flight. Of course there is a possibility that just the fact that we were flying from the Middle East to New York City on New Year's Day was enough to warrant the increased measures. We'll never know. After the physical searches, we were finally permitted to enter a hallway leading to the plane. Miss K was a trooper through the whole thing, just riding along in the Ergo (except for when Hus-B was being searched) with a certain air about her like she had done it a hundred times. We've come to learn that the been-here-done-this-I-should-have-a-VIP-pass attitude is classic Miss K, as her big eyes take in every detail of the world around her.

We were seated in the middle of the plane, over the left wing. We had the center and aisle seats along the left side. An Ethiopian woman was already seated in the window seat. As we sat down, Miss K gave her a huge, friendly smile, as if she knew she had something in common with her. The woman spoke some Amharic baby-talk to Miss K and held out her finger for Miss K to wrap her little hand around. I was relieved to be sitting next to someone who seemed to like children and who appeared that she would be forgiving if we had any meltdowns along the way.

Our plane left Dubai at 2:30 a.m. and was scheduled to arrive at JFK 14 hours later which, because we were flying "back in time", would be around 7:30 a.m. on New Years' Day. Miss K didn't cry or even make a peep as the plane taxied and took off. Shortly after takeoff, she took another bottle and several-hour nap.

The pilot advised that we would hit some turbulence a couple of hours into the flight (there was a large storm blowing across Europe). This is not something I typically fret about. We fly a lot and usually take bumpy trips in stride. Hus-B and I are often the ones trying to keep the atmosphere light and ease the stress for other travelers--especially when our girls are flying with us. We will raise our hands in the air and say "Whee!" like we're riding a rollercoaster. But this turbulence was like nothing I have ever experienced before.

As the three of us were dozing a couple of hours into the flight, the plane suddenly dipped. All flight attendants were instructed to report to their seats (the seats where they buckle themselves in during take-off and landing). Whereas the service on Emirates is typically constant, no one was served or permitted to move about the cabin for two hours as the plane tossed and turned. All extra systems like the screens on the backs of the seats were shut off. It was dark. We could feel the nose of the plane rise and dip. We looked out at the wings and they were literally flapping like a bird's. I wondered when the little margarine-tub-looking air mask thingys would fall out of the ceiling (they never did). No one was smiling. Lots of solemn faces. I saw a couple of women across the aisle crying. I sat quietly with my eyes closed, but tears rolled down my cheeks as I thought about my girls at home. Oh, how I missed them and looked forward to our homecoming! I remember reasoning that surely God would not send us around the world to bring an orphaned child into our family only to orphan the two children waiting for us at home! Hus-B--the brave head of our family--had his poker face on. Although we didn't speak at the time, he later told me that he was thinking that the structural limits of that plane were being fully tested and that he was convinced that only a tiny bit more pressure and the wings of our plane just would snap off.

Of course, we were praying through it all--for the Lord to station angels all about the aircraft, to guide our pilots' every move, to give us and the other passengers peace from all anxiety and worry, to calm the storm, and to take us safely home to our beloved family.

I was so thankful when the bumping began to subside and the ride became smoother. When the screens on the backs of the seats eventually came back on, the electronic flight maps revealed that our plane had taken a huge detour to the east of Moscow in an attempt to get out of that storm. Miss K slept through the whole thing in Hus-B's lap.

The last 9 or 10 hours of the flight were fairly uneventful. Miss K was an absolute dream on the plane. She couldn't have been more pleasant and well-behaved. She alternated between sleeping, eating and playing (we had a number of toys stashed in the diaper bag) as Hus-B and I traded her back and forth. As we were getting off of the plane, several flight attendants and passengers complemented us on her great behavior. We were so proud of her!

We were one of the first international flights to arrive at JFK that morning. Although we still had a full day and another flight before we would be HOME, it felt great to be back on American soil!

Apparently, a few of the the immigration officers assigned to work that morning were still recovering from their Times Square revelry as, once we got through the passport check and were directed to the area where our new little immigrant was to report to clear her visa documentation, we were seated with a number of other people in an area in front of an empty desk while various officials fussed at each other about who was supposed to be sitting at the chair behind it. We were asked to drop our papers (all of the papers that were enclosed in the sealed envelope we were given at the Embassy and prohibited from opening, which had been opened when we presented our passports) in a pile on the desk with everyone else's. There were no binder clips or plastic sleeves to separate one person's paperwork from another. So sloppy--I couldn't believe it! We waited for at least an hour as the crowd increased to at least 60 people in number. A border patrol agent finally sat down and began making his way through the stack. Of course he went from the top of the stack down, which meant that the people who had been waiting there the longest soon realized, much to their disappointment, that they would be the last ones of the group to be called. He called each immigrant, looked through their paperwork, asked a few questions, affixed a stamp or signature and sent them on to go through customs while casually tossing their papers into a box in an adjacent chair. We were somewhere in the middle of the stack. As of this writing, most of the people in our travel group (who did not fly through JFK) have already received their children's social security cards. We haven't received anything for Miss K and are crossing our fingers that our papers are still together in a complete packet and that that box made it to where it is supposed to be.

Next stop: customs. We were required to pick up all of our bags, go through customs and then re-check them for the rest of the trip. We were thrilled to see that everything made it to New York. Our Mesob table had been unwrapped cursorily re-wrapped and squished some more. It was pretty sad-looking (but we were able to return it to its original shape once we got it home). Three and a half hours after our plane landed in New York, we were finally through immigration and customs. Although we were not super thrilled that we would be laid over at JFK all day, we were thankful we didn't have to rush to catch a connecting flight (or miss a connection altogether!).

Our plane to Tampa was not scheduled to leave until 5:30 p.m, so we settled into a booth near a coffee kiosk and sandwich shop that had Wi-Fi and outlets where we could charge our phones. As I re-organized our diaper bag, I realized that we'd mis-calculated our formula needs. We had donated all formula to Hannah's Hope except for what we thought would be plenty of single-serving packets to get us back home where we had plenty of formula waiting for us. What we didn't realize during the trip was that we counted out one packet per bottle but, since she was drinking 8 oz. and not 4 oz. bottles, we were using 2 packets per bottle. We only had 2 packets left at the bottom of the diaper bag! Our long layover worked in our favor again. Off Hus-B went, wearing short sleeves (it was 33 degrees outside--and snowing!!!) to catch a cab to the nearest drug store on a mission to purchase more formula! His excursion took less than an hour and we were then all set for the final leg of our journey.

Miss K slept again all the way from New York to Tampa, which was great because she was able to be well-rested and energized for her homecoming celebration:

Friends and family waiting for our flight to arrive:

Here we are! Miss K meets her sisters! We knew Miss K would be welcomed home with great fanfare, but were not sure how she would handle it. She seemed to understand that she was the center of attention and she just ate it up! She looked around in wonder at the balloons and new faces and her darling personality just captured everyone's hearts.

It was a new day, a new year, and the beginning of our new life as a family of 5!

Praise the Lord, our Miss K was finally HOME!