trip to Armenia 3 - part 1

This has been hell of a trip. i hope you will be amused reading this.

Firstly, we got rescheduled to fly out 2 days later. The plane was to land at 2AM on 1st of Jan - but oh well.

So on the way to the airport me and Mike started arguing ho long we have in Atlanta. As it turned out, Mike didn't read his itenarary and was supposed to fly ouy 3hours earlier than me (the other 2 flights were the same as mine). We went to the aiport explained the situation. The lady said there was no room on my plane and they were gonna fly him to Memhis, TN, then to Atlanata and he was gonna have 30 mins to switch planes from TN to GA and from GA to London.

At this point I suggested him taking the netbook from me to enable communication but "everything was gonna be fine".

i arrive in Atlanta, let my mom know the situation, and get on the overseas plane. I arrive in London and the airport is empty. I let the corridor lead me, find a board with terminals and airlines, figure out where to go. Keep walking - no security no nothing. That door ahead leads outside??!! i don't have a visa... oh was that a bus? great goes to the terminal i need. i take it, go through customs, get my boarding pass... and find out my phone doesn't work (including wi-fi), the netbook has a pass i don't know and notebook is almost dead and the power supply for it is in the luggage. and there is no smoking zone in london...

i wait it out and go to the gate i need. i see armenian, i hear the language but i don't dare say a word. i don't dare let ppl know i'm of their kind because i might start crying. then i get on the plane which is half-empty, stretch accross 3 seats and fall asleep for pretty much the whole flight.

i woke up 1 hour before the landing and i see a loud fun company and ppl exchanging phones and facebook info. i was right about ppl meeting new year as strangers and leaving as friends. it made me smile even though i wasn't part of it. i really didn't have the energy to be social and fun... i just wanted it all to be over.

the plane lands and i'm thinking what else could've gone wrong? they could've lost the luggage... as i walk down the familiar corridors and tears roll down my cheeks. but i pull myself together as i know i'm still on my own and have to take care of stuff. last step.. need to pick-up the luggage. oh wait it's lost. fill in these papers. we will let you know on monday... it's 3AM ppl are gonna be worried... i walk out. my mom, aunt, her husband, and Hovik are waiting for me.

I wave and smile sheepishly as i walk towards them and say i lost my husband and the luggage on the way but it's ok i'm here happy new year. after they let me start walking and i light up a cigarette i explain the situation.

i walk out of the airport to see... it's snowing! you gotta be kidding me! it was 50 degrees until this very day! first day of snow... lol.

once i got home i found out from Steve that Mike's plane was rescheduled and he was to go through Paris and arrive at 8pm the same day.

then there was champagne, presents, jokes, and toasts. i was home. it felt like i never left, that i was here yesterday. nothing changed, nobody changed and it was so comforting.