Through the Eyes of a Wombat

Here I am! Many many hours after leaving Sendai, Osaka, Tokyo, I'm finally in Bloomington.

So, the last few days..

Thursday evening, after surprising many people in at Tohoku by telling them that I was leaving (when? yes, tomorrow!), headed in to the city centre for my farewell party from the other exchange students at the Kaikan. Was everyone that pleased that I was leaving? More people turned up for my going away party than I had met so far.

I guess I probably should have gone back to the burrow a little earlier, given that I had a large amount of packing still to do, but I didnt, and ended up with only four hours sleep.
Awake early, finished packing, the little oompa loompa from the office came and 'inspected' my room (to make sure I hadnt set fire to the place, I think), and I handed in my keys and paid my last gas bill. Ten minute walk down to the post office to send my heavy winter clothes back to Australia, then back to the Kaikan, picked up my bags and flagged down a taxi.
Took the airport bus out to the airport, checked in and had to tell the check in oompa loompa why I had such heavy bags. Japanese people travel very lightly... the weight limit in total for checked baggage on domestic flights is a mere fifteen kilograms, and people are considered abnormal to even consider getting close to that.

It was very much a relief to sit down on that plane and know I was finally leaving Sendai for good!

Arrived Osaka and tried to find somewhere to either store my suitcases until my return Sunday morning, or else get them delivered to Tokyo airport and I collect them there. The delivery service couldnt promise to get them there on time (no, picking them up Monday is NOT acceptable!) and the luggage storeroom opens far too late in the morning for my 8am departure.
Finally found a coin locker to leave them in, took some changes of clothes in my backpack and off I went!

Met up with Izumi at Osaka station and off we went to explore Kyoto. I hadnt eaten anything since my tin of peaches eight hours ago (had to empty the fridge, and peaches are nice) so we had a late lunch, then met up with Lauren, who is living about five minutes walk from where Izumi used to live in Kyoto (and wishes she still does, I think).

Lauren has such a nice little burrow... she even has CARPET on the floor!
We spent much of Saturday afternoon wandering around Kyoto, and even made it up the hill to Kiyomizu, one of those really old temples - the one with the magical water. Magical or not, it certainly tasted great in that heat.

Some time Saturday I cancelled my mobile phone, but they let me keep the actual handset, though it stopped working... made things interesting to try and meet up with the ANU crowd on Saturday night in Osaka. Things would have been easier if I knew how to get to where I suggested everyone meet... how was I to know that the subway station and the JR station with the same name were fifteen minutes walk apart? I finally found them, Hiro, Izumi, Toshi and Saori from Ursula in 2002. Great to catch up again, though no one besides Izumi knew I was leaving, and the news (yes, tomorrow!) surprised them to no end!

Back to Izumi's place to try and catch at least a little bit of sleep before getting up at 5am to get to the airport on time.. stinking hot Japanese summer weather and getting back late anyway meant I got about an hour and a half sleep at the most.. up at 5, subway at 5.30, then to the monorail, and arrived at Osaka airport at 7am.
Took more effort than it should have to free my suitcases from the coin locker, but I was finally able to get them back, check in, and be on my way to Tokyo.

With two rather large suitcases in tow, I went exploring Narita airport in search of both breakfast and some shaving cream (as my last had run out before I left Sendai). Commandeered a sink in one of the airport toilets and freshened up: as much as one can shower in a sink. Breakfast (my last meal in Japan) was in none other than Starbucks, and Yusuke turned up and we spent a few hours chatting, watching planes, having lunch, and generally just being silly together.

Once checked in and through security, I found myself standing on the terminal shuttle next to a fellow with four bars on his epaulettes and a Delta airlines badge. Taking a chance, I asked him a couple of questions, told him I was on his flight, and by the time the train had arrived at the other end he invited me to come up to the cockpit before takeoff to have a look around - at the brand new 777. (He and the other pilots spent a fair bit of time wandering around the plane on the ground, climbing up into the engine cowling and taking photos of each other on their digital cameras - surely it wasnt their first time around that aircraft...
Anyway once on board, up to the cockpit I go, and they get me to sit in the pilots seat and I chat with three pilots for a few minutes about flying, and that I'm on my way to do some flying over in America. Two photos of ME!! in the pilots seat of Boeing's latest later, I go back down to cattle class and we take off.

12 hours on the plane, me with very little sleep beforehand, I would have expected to fall asleep at least at some point. Sadly I instead was able to stay awake through three movies and an episode of Sponge Bob Square Pants. Plenty of food though, though being trapped between two rather podgy americans made it difficult to either see out the window or get out of my seat.

Landed finally in America, at about 6am Japanese time and waited in line at Immigration for over half an hour. The big scary immigration officer asked me probing questions and took my fingerprints, but finally let me into the country! Yay! Around to baggage claim where I noticed my big green suitcase had been gnawed and chewed by the ground crew, but nothing had fallen out. Through customs, re checked baggage plus security tape, and on to the domestic flight to Indianapolis where a little old lady talked to me about basketball the whole time. Thankfully I was able to finally fall asleep for about half of the one hour flight, though I dont think the old lady noticed.

Arrived, at last, Indianapolis airport, and... there was Sarah, waiting for me! YAYY!
Words cant describe how exciting this is. YAY!!

Anyway, outside and into thick thick humidity, into the car and off for the quick one hour drive home. No sooner had we left the airport area than sirens sounding like fire stations started going off everywhere and the radio talks about Tornado warnings - apparently there was a tornado about to chase us down the highway. Thankfully it never materialised, and we were able to arrive in Bloomington in complete safety.

Its still very much a novelty to actually be here, to turn and Sarah is here rather than on the other side of the Pacific Puddle, and I am gradually getting into this timezone.
Sleep is still very much a good thing.

Thanks to everyone who has emailed me in the last few days - I will get around to replying, I promise, I havent forgotten anyone.

I'm actually here... yay....