Back in the USA

On January 12th we said goodbye to our friends, neighbors and pets as our journey to the United States was about to begin. We tossed our 4 carry-on bags (including Emma’s guitar) and 2 big duffle bags into the back of the truck and were off. Actually, we did not just casually toss our bags into the truck; we spent about 15 minutes tying them down with intricate knots so they would not be stolen during the trip. We picked up Aileen’s co-worker Richard who drove us to a hotel across from the airport and took our truck back to the main office. Our friend Martha met us at the hotel with her teenage son Danny (who is a little boy the last time we saw him) and her younger son Douglas. We talked about old times while Emma, Hannah and Douglas ran around the hotel having a great time. When we finally got to bed I realized the thermostat did not work; while the ladies slept, I got up every thirty minutes to turn the A/C on or off. A very Nicaraguan send-off! We dragged ourselves to the airport at 6am for our flight to Miami and despite the lack of sleep we were all in good spirits at the beginning of our long-anticipated trip to the USA. We have been in Nicaragua for over six months and despite all the fun and adventures each of us miss certain things about home – especially our friends and family.

Douglas, Emma and Hannah goofing off at the Best Western

The short flight was uneventful and we breezed through immigration and customs. Hannah kept asking when she would officially be in the USA and that question was answered when we stepped through some metal doors and saw my folks, aka ” Grammy and Pop Pop” waiting for us. It was great to see my parents who seem to be getting younger every year. We went back to their house, had some lunch and went to see my grandfather, who is called “Little Pop Pop” by his ten great granddaughters. He had recently fallen and was in a rehabilitation center. Little Pop Pop was clearly in pain from his fall but lit up like a Hanukah bush as soon as he saw Emma and Hannah walk in. For a man who has seen 98 summers, the guy was looking pretty good. During the next few days we celebrated my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary along with my entire family and a few hundred of their closest friends. The big event was a wonderful party and as someone told my Mom after the soirée, the love in the room was incredible to behold. Seeing all of the cousins playing together was priceless. It was an absolutely wonderful time.

Mom trying on her wedding dress

The next leg of our journey was a forty minute car ride to Ft. Lauderdale where Aileen’s parents were kind enough to meet us. They were incredibly generous to save us the trip to New Jersey in the winter. The Huang’s put us all up in a great hotel on the beach. The girls were thrilled to see Grandma and Grandpa and we all had a great time exploring the intercostals waterway, visiting the Everglades, shopping and of course eating. The best meal was at a Brazilian steakhouse where even Emma and Hannah gobbled up the carne. My parents joined us for the festivities and though they have not seen my in-laws for years they seemed like old friends. I am lucky to have such great in-laws and our kids are even luckier to have two loving, stable families in the Huang and Kositsky clans.

Kositsky - Huang Reunion

As hard as it was to say goodbye to family, we were thrilled to be heading to San Francisco after nine days in Florida. Nobody slept well the night before our flight as we were so excited to be heading home for a week. We finally learned to circumvent the evil concierge desk at the hotel whose staff managed to make everything we did more expensive. We met a cool taxi driver named Ted who was from Haiti. He picked us up at 5:45am sharp as promised, much to the chagrin of the bellmen who expected a big tip from us and a kick back from the driver. I think we paid nearly double what we should have for meals, tours and transportation until we finally stopped the concierge scam.

We landed in San Francisco on a Saturday morning and were met by our friend Brett who has been watching our car and brought it for us to use during our visit. Brett and his partner Brad are like family to us and it was a wonderful, emotional reunion. They put us up for the night and after a quick visit to our cousins’ home in Berkeley we had a wonderful dinner with Brett, Brad and their wonder dogs Kevin and Clint. The next day was spent with our friends Jim and Valerie and their two children Jasmine and Milo. Aileen and the children then went to visit some friends in Bernal Heights and I spent the evening with my friend Joseph. We all met up at the home of Aileen’s brother and his family who live in the Presidio and were awesome hosts. We spent the next few days visiting with many family members and friends, running errands, etc. The highlight for Emma and Hannah was a day at their school.

Emma, Brad, Clint, Brett, Kevin & Hannah

We picked up the girls from the car pool chaos (something we do not miss) and made a quick trip to San Jose to visit my sister Lauren and her family. It was a very peaceful respite from all the running around. The rest was much needed as the next day we travelled to Sonora to visit my brother Andy and his daughter Nadia. It was wonderful to see them all settled into their new home after a fire destroyed their house a few months ago. My little brother was an awesome host and an even better ski guide for a much anticipated day at Dodge Ridge. Nobody would have guessed our two little ski pros live in Nicaragua given how well they did. We would have loved to ski more but it was time for a final visit to San Francisco.

Getting ready for a black diamond

Friday morning we made a last visit to our house. It was strange seeing other folks living there but it is being well cared for. Our tenants were kind enough to let us spread our stuff out in order to pack and organize for the trip home. Once we were finished we went to a group play date with many of the girls’ friends. It was wonderful to see them so happy to be hanging out with their buddies and a bit sad to think about leaving the next day. We split up again -- Aileen went to visit with our friend Rinat and her family and I ran off to a local bar to meet some former colleagues. I must say it was a glorious night for me. I had a wonderful time seeing so many friends and stacking up the drinks just like old times. The night ended with an argument about the French Revolution at 2am and miles to walk before I slept.

Through the haze (and pain) of a wicked hangover we were back in Managua before I knew what hit me. This time we had two more bags, mostly full of school supplies generously donated by the girls’ school. The four of us must have looked pretty comical trying to drag 200lbs of luggage across the highway at 11pm to get to our hotel. The next day Richard picked us up and we were soon back in San Ramon.  We were away from our house in Nicaragua for nearly three weeks and it surely feels good to be back here again. Emma and Hannah quickly reconnected with their friends and Aileen jumped right back into her job. My duties as farm hand, chef and chief bottle washer resumed upon arrival. It was wonderful to see our puppy Cuate as well as our flock of chickens who actually seemed happy to see us. The best thing I brought back from the USA was a Frisbee. Today I taught neighbors ultimate which will surely become a local favorite. In addition to all the playing, Emma, Hannah and I are in Spanish school for a week to help get our rusty Spanish back on track. Aileen is already in the swing of things at work and the girls will soon be starting first and third grade. I will be getting a break from my routine before it even gets started. Sunday I am leaving for a trip with an old friend; we will be visiting a few beaches and hopefully learning to surf. I will blog all about it when we return.

It is great to be back in Nicaragua and we are really looking forward to all of our upcoming adventures. However, we really miss our friends and family more than I can say.  Our trip to the USA was an amazing experience.  Being away for so long has made us realize how wonderful and blessed our lives are. Thanks to everyone who made our trip home so special.