Visit!
My brother Tyler arrived last night!
(For skimmers, I've highlighted all Tyler's misfortunes from Day 1 in orange.)
2 worlds collide. I feel like somehow my existence here is verified or legitimized by having a family member bear witness. I like knowing that, in the future, I can make references to things and know he's seen the place, met the people.
He told me last week that he'd be coming Nov 3-14th. What a great surprise sneak attack! I can't officially take off vacation time because I'm in my 3 month probation period, but I can be 'sick' for a day or two.
Tyler's horoscope for yesterday: If you're not on the move right now, you'll wish you were, and with a partner by your side (ME!). And today: Life is full of unexpected adventures -- why not get caught up in the moment?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ever read that book Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?
As Alexander learns, some days are like that, "Even in Australia." Especially in Africa.
Tyler texted me Wednesday from the SF airport: United wouldn't check him through the whole way without a visa (even though he could get one on arrival at the Accra airport) and it would have been cutting it close with such a tight connection in Frankfurt and a checked bag. Luckily a Lufthansa agent-angel just stuck him on their flight the whole way, even giving him an aisle bulk head seat and waiving the change fee. (Disaster averted--or at least, postponed.)
Then Tyler cut his finger running through the airport to catch the flight.
I am sure he fretted the whole way there about whether he really could get a visa at the airport (I know I was secretly worried; hence not blogging my excitement that he'd be coming before he arrived in case I should jinx it.)
The flight was scheduled to come at 6:25 pm. Annie and I pulled up at 7:10ish after calculating it would take him that long to get through immigration and collect his bag (and being slightly delayed by traffic). I saw him exiting and ran the last 15 steps so that I was right there when he got to the end of the fenced off area. Whew, just in time.
We got home only to discover that Tyler couldn't open the suitcase he'd brought, sure that the combination lock had been set at0-0-0 and maliciously changed by the security guards in the US that require you to leave luggage unlocked...
Tyler THEN discovered he didn't have his passport. Lost or stolen, we don't really know.
Holy Saint Anthony...
We checked the house, the car, and then Annie was kind enough to take us BACK to the airport. We looked around the parking lot, talked to the parking attendants and security: no dice. We waltzed through security at the airport exit (easier than when Jane lost her baggage) and checked with the customs official, who assured us she'd handed it back to Tyler. We checked at Information and Lost & Found. They made a PA annoucement and I left my telephone number with anyone and everyone in case it should turn up.
Back outside, Annie was doing her own investigation and trying to track down the shifty-eyed guy who had tried to help Tyler with his bag (help we didn't request, didn't need, and didn't reward). We spotted him just after we'd put our validated parking ticket into the machine and the mechanical parking lot arm went up. But we pulled over to talk to the guy (we wanted to frisk him, but didn't think that'd go over too well). Then the arm went down and we couldn't get out. So, Annie had to 'park well' while I went back to the office to explain what had happened and get us a way to get out. Meanwhile, Annie sat with the parking attendents and the shifty-eyed guy, trying to gauge if he had the passport and could be bribed to get it back. "My all means, if a good person found it, they will bring it back," he claimed. Annie probed, saying that there were definitely 'bad people' who would be willing to buy a passport from 'other bad people,' trying to get across that we, too, would pay. But the man wouldn't admit that there were bad people.
The IT guy had to come back with me to open the arm, but as Annie fumbled to find her business card, it timed out again and he had to open it again. She handed her card to the IT guy (though it was intended more for shifty-eyed guy who was seated nearby), who called her several hours later. He didn't offer any information and it might have just been that he was calling to chat her up.
Annie dropped us off at Epo Spot, a local Ghanaian outdoor bar with a nearby chop bar. Tyler wanted Ghanaian food, so I gave him Chicken and Rice. We had some ice cream on the way home and I came the closest I've ever come to almost falling into a gutter (one of my all-time fears).
At home, we managed to open the luggage with one of three security code alternatives provided by the co-owner of the suitcase. I got just what I requested: granola, two Arabic textbooks, and a CD of pictures from our South Africa trip (but no Swiss Cake Rolls!).
Even the rain wasn't stopping the Thursday night live music coming from our backyard bar, so we packed an overnight bag to go sleep at Annie's.
Tyler slid down part of our concrete spiral staircase and scrapped up his leg.
We got to Annie's and, miraculously, my key worked. Hot water, A/C, peace and quiet. Collapse. Thanks, Annie!
All I have to say about the bad luck is: it's not even mercury retrograde!
NOTE: this post pending approval. Hope you all read it before Tyler makes me take it down! :D
(For skimmers, I've highlighted all Tyler's misfortunes from Day 1 in orange.)
2 worlds collide. I feel like somehow my existence here is verified or legitimized by having a family member bear witness. I like knowing that, in the future, I can make references to things and know he's seen the place, met the people.
He told me last week that he'd be coming Nov 3-14th. What a great surprise sneak attack! I can't officially take off vacation time because I'm in my 3 month probation period, but I can be 'sick' for a day or two.
Tyler's horoscope for yesterday: If you're not on the move right now, you'll wish you were, and with a partner by your side (ME!). And today: Life is full of unexpected adventures -- why not get caught up in the moment?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Ever read that book Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day?
As Alexander learns, some days are like that, "Even in Australia." Especially in Africa.
Tyler texted me Wednesday from the SF airport: United wouldn't check him through the whole way without a visa (even though he could get one on arrival at the Accra airport) and it would have been cutting it close with such a tight connection in Frankfurt and a checked bag. Luckily a Lufthansa agent-angel just stuck him on their flight the whole way, even giving him an aisle bulk head seat and waiving the change fee. (Disaster averted--or at least, postponed.)
Then Tyler cut his finger running through the airport to catch the flight.
I am sure he fretted the whole way there about whether he really could get a visa at the airport (I know I was secretly worried; hence not blogging my excitement that he'd be coming before he arrived in case I should jinx it.)
The flight was scheduled to come at 6:25 pm. Annie and I pulled up at 7:10ish after calculating it would take him that long to get through immigration and collect his bag (and being slightly delayed by traffic). I saw him exiting and ran the last 15 steps so that I was right there when he got to the end of the fenced off area. Whew, just in time.
We got home only to discover that Tyler couldn't open the suitcase he'd brought, sure that the combination lock had been set at0-0-0 and maliciously changed by the security guards in the US that require you to leave luggage unlocked...
Tyler THEN discovered he didn't have his passport. Lost or stolen, we don't really know.
Holy Saint Anthony...
We checked the house, the car, and then Annie was kind enough to take us BACK to the airport. We looked around the parking lot, talked to the parking attendants and security: no dice. We waltzed through security at the airport exit (easier than when Jane lost her baggage) and checked with the customs official, who assured us she'd handed it back to Tyler. We checked at Information and Lost & Found. They made a PA annoucement and I left my telephone number with anyone and everyone in case it should turn up.
Back outside, Annie was doing her own investigation and trying to track down the shifty-eyed guy who had tried to help Tyler with his bag (help we didn't request, didn't need, and didn't reward). We spotted him just after we'd put our validated parking ticket into the machine and the mechanical parking lot arm went up. But we pulled over to talk to the guy (we wanted to frisk him, but didn't think that'd go over too well). Then the arm went down and we couldn't get out. So, Annie had to 'park well' while I went back to the office to explain what had happened and get us a way to get out. Meanwhile, Annie sat with the parking attendents and the shifty-eyed guy, trying to gauge if he had the passport and could be bribed to get it back. "My all means, if a good person found it, they will bring it back," he claimed. Annie probed, saying that there were definitely 'bad people' who would be willing to buy a passport from 'other bad people,' trying to get across that we, too, would pay. But the man wouldn't admit that there were bad people.
The IT guy had to come back with me to open the arm, but as Annie fumbled to find her business card, it timed out again and he had to open it again. She handed her card to the IT guy (though it was intended more for shifty-eyed guy who was seated nearby), who called her several hours later. He didn't offer any information and it might have just been that he was calling to chat her up.
Annie dropped us off at Epo Spot, a local Ghanaian outdoor bar with a nearby chop bar. Tyler wanted Ghanaian food, so I gave him Chicken and Rice. We had some ice cream on the way home and I came the closest I've ever come to almost falling into a gutter (one of my all-time fears).
At home, we managed to open the luggage with one of three security code alternatives provided by the co-owner of the suitcase. I got just what I requested: granola, two Arabic textbooks, and a CD of pictures from our South Africa trip (but no Swiss Cake Rolls!).
Even the rain wasn't stopping the Thursday night live music coming from our backyard bar, so we packed an overnight bag to go sleep at Annie's.
Tyler slid down part of our concrete spiral staircase and scrapped up his leg.
We got to Annie's and, miraculously, my key worked. Hot water, A/C, peace and quiet. Collapse. Thanks, Annie!
All I have to say about the bad luck is: it's not even mercury retrograde!
NOTE: this post pending approval. Hope you all read it before Tyler makes me take it down! :D
posted by Jill at 11:22 AM
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