The 12 hour part of the trip

     So here its been 9.5 hours on this flight and we have 2.5 hours to go. It is going to be 7pm in Korea when we land so its about 4:15 there but where you are it is 3:15am and you are sleeping. They turn the lights down after we eat so people can rest of watch movies. We can watch a map on a TV screen on the back of the chair in front of us. It shows the earth with labels for each country with an airplane marking where we are and a line for where we have traveled. The ocean is blue, the land is green and mountain ranges are bumps of tan. The deeper the water, the darker the blue. As we left California we headed west and a bit north so we flew up along Siberia then arched over towards the Asian countries. The captain told us to keep our seatbelts on and to expect a bumpy ride with lots of wind when we left. It was raining in San Francisco. There was snow on the ground in Chicago. As we left Chicago we heard someone chipping ice. Mom said they were clearing off the wings so we could fly. I really think it was someone trying to get ice for drinks.

     When we landed in San Francisco we did not have time to look at anything but the numbers on the gates. We had about an hour to get to our next flight but it was a long walk and the board did not tell us which way to the International gates. We got to jog along and get some energy out. There were long escalators that did not go up, but like a sidewalk. It was fun walking fast on them because it made us go even faster! At the end we jumped and it felt funny landing on the floor that was not moving.
     As we boarded the flight crew greeted us and smiled real big when they saw we were littler. I think they like it when children ride. They gave Braelyn and I flight wings and a card showing this was her first trip back to China and mine to Korea! Later the Stewardess would bring us special treats that no one else got like a little plate of fresh fruit on a tray with a white cloth. I felt like a Princess! Braelyn had fun feeding me with her fork after Mom cut it up. After we slept a long time she brought us a hot towel to wipe our faces saying the air is dry. I can still hear lots of people snoring behind us. We are trying not to laugh too loud when Mommy teases us. I watched the movie “Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs” on the screen on the chair with headphones. It made me laugh outloud and Braelyn too.
     If I get tired I curl up on Mom’s arm or over on Daddy’s lap. The armrest between the chairs lifts up so as long as I keep my seatbelt on I feel safe. I am so excited to be going back to where I was born. I don’t know just what to say to my Foster mother, just that she is so special and I will always remember her for taking care of me until I got to be with my forever family. I hope I can bring back some things for my class. I miss you all already and wish you could be with us on this exciting trip!
     Sitting in a chair for so long is not as hard as I thought but it’s a long time to try to find fun things to do. The noise is loud, like a big, very big fan. Sometimes there are bumps or weird noises when they put the wings at a different angle or let the wheels down to land. Our last landing was a bit bumpy. We bounced when we hit the ground and the Captain said he was sorry. We seemed to be in a hurry and had to wait a long time to even leave that airport. Mom and Dad kept checking the flight schedule and counting how much time between flight hoping we would not miss the next flight. They said it can happen that we might need to really run like on Home Alone. At least we didn’t leave anyone home alone. My brother’s friend is going to stay in our house with our dogs so they don’t get lonely. Mom showed her which plants need water and how to fill her bird feeders. Mom has some friends who are going to check on things and said for Carl to call if he needs anything. No one can call us. We have to turn off our cell phone so it doesn’t mess up the airplane electronics. After we left California Daddy said it will cost a lot of money to use our phone but we can use our computer. We have Skype, a computer program you can talk to someone on Mom’s laptop and its only 2 cents a minute but her phone is $2 a minute!
     They just made a ding noise and the Captain came on telling everyone to fasten seatbelts. I better turn this off for now, its getting bumpy!