getting home is hard...[part one]

[warning: lengthy post, sans pictures]

I should be cleaning/re-organizing my room on this lovely day. Or maybe sitting by the pool, but, I feel the need to blog about my now hilarious yet at the time horrendous ordeal of coming through immigration at LAX. 

But let me back up, and talk about the morning of Saturday, June 25th, when I was scheduled to leave Germany at 1:25 in the afternoon. I said my goodbye's at home to all of my friends the night before. Said goodbye to Oma, Opa, and Henning that morning, and been in tears. I composed myself for a few hours, yet broke down when saying goodbye to Daniela, Wolfgang, Esra, Elias, and Cajus, my better than wonderful family for the year.

I walked alone through security, leaving my sunglasses tucked into my tank top, underneath my zipped hoodie, thus causing a serious German woman to man handle me all the way to second base. I legitimately was asked to take my shirts-plural-off, until my tiny cami, and then was asked to "bend over". I can't make this up. But they finally realized I was not a threat and let me through. There I was, sitting alone on the plane, crying while reading a full page People article about Pippa Middleton's ass. Good stuff. 

It seems like we are taking an awfully long time on the tarmac. I glance at my new watch from the family and see that it is in fact, 1:55pm. We are 30 minutes late, I think to myself, 'I'm definitely not making my Southwest connection in LA.' But it's whatever, I'll get another flight. 

I have now read through two maagzines, one of them being Cosmo, so you know it's been awhile. I look at the watch again. 2:45. Yeah, it's been about an hour. What is going on? Long story short, there were bags on the plane, yet the passengers had "voluntarily removed themselves" from the plane. So, it was only proper security measures that they remove all the baggage in order to find these particular bags. In the pouring rain...just throwing them on the cement runway...spectacular. 

By the time the crew has realized the bags are nowhere to be found [only to add to everyone's confusion], they are very close to working over the allotted 24 hours. We are now instructed to leave the plane and collect our baggage at carousel 18. No other information is given to us. 

Thankfully I had made friends with this Germerican* family sitting across the isle and the nice American Dad lets me use his phone to call Dani. I basically told her that the plane hadn't left and we were delayed, but I have no other information, if she could please call my Mom, or write her on Facebook letting her know I'll be late but I would call her when I get to LA. She said yes and to try to call when I know anything. I would like to point out that we didn't receive any vouchers for wifi, or beer. Not that I'm spoiled or anything, but c'mon, we were going on two hours on the tarmac here, you can't shoot a Heineken over my way?! 

Anyway, we are at the carousel waiting to snag our luggage, when the nice German Mom runs over saying, "Hayley? Hayley, the phone is for you."

It was Dani, calling back, to let me know that the flight was delayed until 8:30 the next morning! She was on her way back to get me, and I would be staying an extra night in Osnabruck.

I was honestly relieved that they were coming to get me, yet couldn't even believe that I had said so many tearful goodbye's and would have to completely do it all over again. Anyway, I was so happy to see them, and we talked to the people in the airport and realized that yes, 8:30 am was the next flight. Thankfully the boarding passes were the same, and thankfully I would be sleeping in my own bed that night and not at the airport. So, there I went, all the way back to Osnabruck. And of course had to hang out with Jan and Henning again, and had a good time with the family. The next day the fun really started when I landed back in the states, but I'll save that for another day.

*Germerican: 1/2 German, 1/2 American family