Better safe than sorry

It's been quite an adventure trying to get to Nuuk, Greenland.  Trying, because we're not there yet, although we hope to be this evening. 

Let's rewind to yesterday.  We had a farewell "brunch" with Jacob and Laura Jo at the Mega Diner in Flint; they then dropped us off at Bishop Airport.  Our departure to Cleveland was delayed for an hour due to thunderstorms: we were very concerned that our connection time had shrunk to nothing.  But our flight to Washington DC (Dulles) was also slightly delayed, and the plane was waiting for us in Cleveland.   Our luggage made it, too!  

We had to tramp across the terminal to retrieve our luggage.  The line for security check was full of bright yellow T-shirts:  AFS exchange students  returning to Indonesia.  Their T-shirts displayed that they came with the YES program (which the State department sponsors to improve relations with countries with significant Muslim populations).  Relations seemed good; there were lots of happy faces.  We are hosting a YES student from (the former Yugoslav republic of) Macedonia next year.

I napped during the flight to Iceland, while Noralynn watched a movie.  We were both impressed with IcelandAir;  their Economy Comfort class gave us a bit more room by not using the middle seat between us.

 
We arrived in Keflavik Airport at six AM local time.  Our departure wasn't until the afternoon, so we had lots of time to explore the airport, and try and stay awake.

A shuttle bus to us to our plane

Safety instructions:  survival in the cold

On the phone to headquarters

Soon into our flight we noticed the mountains and glaciers of the northwest Icelandic peninsula.  But the stewardess had barely served a snack before the plane turned around.  The first officer informed us (in Greenlandic, Danish and English) that the plane was not holding cabin pressure at altitude. So it was back to Keflavik, back to the terminal, and on to a hotel for the night while AirGreenland attempted to repair or replace the plane.  The hotel chef even stayed late, and we had lovely dinners of leg of lamb (Greg) and Icelandic shad (Noralynn) before falling into bed.

And this is what happened the next day.  We had the morning to take a walk.

The "beach"

 



The service had started in this church, but we lingered outside to listen to the nice hymn singing.






 

 

passengers of flight 711

Once at the airport, the scheduled departure kept being delayed.  Finally at 10pm (notice how light it still was!) we were checked in at the gate, and bussed to the plane.

But once at altitude, the plane again would not hold cabin pressure.  We were diverted to Rekjavik, and spent another night at another hotel. 

the little airplane that could

Third time's a charm! Air Greenland flew a new plane over to Reykjavik.  

a last view of the Hallgrímskirkja

this iceberg is not small

the Greenland ice sheet

finally here!

Choosing to love

This coming Friday Noralynn and I depart for a two month trip to visit our "kids":  the eight exchange students we've hosted in past years (we'll also visit family and friends, and the family in Hamburg that hosted our daughter, Laura Jo).  When hearing of this, people tend to respond with enthusiastic amazement... but they also look puzzled, as if the whole concept is a bit impossible.

I've thought about this, and realized that this impossible trip hinges on, and is explained by, two other impossibilities.

"I can't believe that!" said Alice.
"Can't you?" the Queen said in a pitying tone. "Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes."
Alice laughed. "There's no use trying," she said: "one can't believe impossible things."
"I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

The happy couple

The first impossible thing is that Noralynn and I have been happily married for twenty-six years.  We were introduced at CU Boulder by mutual friends who thought that the two science students they knew who still attended church would make a cute couple.  Never mind that one church was Southern Baptist, and the other Presbyterian.  Noralynn and I were so sure a relationship was impossible that we had a splendid time together (although there were some heated discussions).  Rather than part again, we chose to spend the rest of our lives together.  And we promised each other, in front of a cloud of witnesses, that we would work together at this relationship, and not give up.  We chose to love each other.




And when Jacob and Laura Jo arrived in turn, we chose to love them, and worked at learning to parent, and growing our family.  It's turned out so well:  we have two wonderful children, and we're all best of friends.

The happy family

The second impossible thing is that we've welcomed ten foreign exchange students into our family (not all at once!).  I was speaking with a friend about this a few months ago.  She was impressed that we did this, but said that she could never take a stranger into her home.  But they haven't been strangers:  we've chosen to love them.  As with Jacob and Laura Jo, there have been ups and downs, but we've ended as friends, and several of them have returned to visit us. 

When Noralynn and I had our silver anniversary, we thought of celebrating with a trip to visit them.  It took a year of planning, but we're finally ready to celebrate.  We're grateful to them and their families for welcoming us.  We're grateful to Jacob and Laura Jo for "minding the fort" while we're away.  And we're grateful to my Opa (grandfather), Ben Hassold, whose bequest is making the trip possible.  We will try to follow his sage travel advice:

"Pack lightly, and bring plenty of cash."

 That's only three impossible things, but it's time for breakfast.