Suspicious (or Auspicious?) Start

Christian & Brittany Myers

As if the United States just didn't want to let go of me, my attempt to flee the country and start my stay in Europe was partly thwarted by Mother Nature.  After a great weekend in Winchester/Upperville to attend the wedding of my brother-in-law (pictured), and a great visit with my mom and my sister and her family, I trudged off to Dulles Airport for the easy, direct flight to Amsterdam.  "How much does that bag weigh?" asked the lady guarding the United checkin counter.  "How much should it weigh?" I answered with perhaps a little too much sarcasm.  Apparently, more than 50 lbs will cost you an extra $200.  More than 70 pounds will cost an extra $400.  I might as well buy a seat for my suitcase.  According to the United "courtesy scale" next to the line, my bag weighed 70 pounds. The bathroom scale at home told me it weighed 52 pounds.  Did my dirty clothes from the weekend add 20 pounds of sweat and dirt?  What happened?  It's hard to pack for two months to include office attire, conference and business meeting attire, and casual family attire.  I was screwed.  The helpful herding line monitor suggested a trip to the shop next door where I could buy a "cabin approved" carry-on for $20.  I did so, and managed to cram 20 pounds into that bag to make for an awkward and bulky, yet "cabin approved" carry on and a new and improved 49.8 lb checked bag.  Someone want to explain the mathematical sense of this?  I still got 70 pounds of crap onto the plane, yet the fact that I did it with two bags instead of one saved me $400.  Final punchline?  When I took my bag to the counter and put it on the checked baggage scale, it said "32.4."  Does anyone else smell a kick-back scam between the United line checker and the suitcase shop?  Oh well, at least I got on the plane.



There was also a pending downside to my late weekend departure--I would need to drive straight to the office to meet with my boss and my new European colleague who started the day I arrived.  7:15am arrival.  Meeting at 10am.  As if the sky wanted to reflect my pending tiredness, as I boarded the plane, the skies turned dark and the rain began to fall. After several semi-communicative delay announcements (all of which were more detailed in Orbitz email alerts than the confused PA messages from our pilot), and after a total of four long hours sitting at the gate and in line for takeoff (that's half the scheduled flight time to Amsterdam), we finally departed Dulles.

"I can get 20 pounds into this baby, easy."

Insult to injury, about 10 minutes into the flight, the video system went down and they could not get it back.  What was I supposed to do?  Work?  Sleep?  Sleep is elusive to me on a plane.  The only time in my life I've slept on a plane was when I got to upgrade to business class.  So I read, and dozed uncomfortably.  The food was great, but only because I was starving from being made to wait 4 hours to get dinner.

So I arrived very late, customs was a breeze...not a single question and scarcely a glance or grunt in my general direction.  The good news was that the Sheraton at the airport offered showers and a changing room for only 20 euros.  I was able to freshen up and get my Ford Focus station wagon quite easily.  The speed limit signs said "120"...however fast that is (75 m/hr?).  I got to Leiden in no time, just as my cell phone battery died.  I spent the next hour driving down narrow alleys and streets with names I could not begin to pronounce.  The good news is that every stranger I stopped to ask directions spoke English.  The bad news is that the first time I stopped, I could not get my manual transmission in reverse.  The kindness of strangers prevailed again as one explained to me that I have to pull up on the gear shift to get the car in reverse.  I thought nothing might top having to drive on the left side of the road next month, but who ever heard of such a thing.  Pull up?  I'm not xenophobe, but seriously.
 

Pull up for Reverse.  Seriously?

Well the only piece of luck for the day was that my new colleague, Axel Kaschte, was also arriving later than expected from Germany.  My wonderful Dutch colleagues went in search of a sandwich for me since I had not eaten since whatever meal my body thought was my last one.  Then suddenly I was filled with energy--20 hours awake became 24, became 30, became 36.  I had no desire to sleep.  After a wonderful Indonesian dinner with my colleagues, I was able to shut out the lights.  Though I felt wide awake, I don't recall being awake for long.

7am came quickly, but my snooze button reflexes were just as fast.  I'm used to waking up in the morning to a dozen or so emails from Europe that have come at the start of their day.  Now I must get used to the several dozen emails from my American colleagues that come after the end of my work day.  I must endeavor not to start my day on Leiden time and end it on Ohio time.  That is too long a day.


Day two and I am jet lag free.  I had a productive day and several good chats with my Dutch and German colleagues.  I'm energized for my stay in Holland and for the weeks to come.  I only hope that Sharon, Emma, and Eli do not have the same trouble leaving the U.S. that I did.  I will be at the arrival gate to pick them up on Friday, bring them back to the hotel to rest, then we move on to Katwijk (sounds like 'Kawt-vwag') to our family apartment on the North Sea.  12 minutes by car from our office in Leiden, 20 minutes by train.

Our apartment in Katwijk, Netherlands.  100 meters from the North Sea. 

I miss the family and I'm anxious for them to get here.  I can already tell that our time here will go too fast.