Moscow Airport, and Home — Nov 18-19

We arrived at the airport around 6am. It was about six hours before our flight departed. Vladimir escorted us through the first security entrance and told us not to go through the next security until after 9am. He suggested that we hang out at the TGI Friday’s in the terminal. After wandering around for a while, we camp at the restaurant, have a meal and wait.

Security was a little confusing at first, but we passed through with minimal effort. All checked luggage was searched. They pulled things out and rummaged through others. It was easy to push everything back in place and move on. Next our luggage was checked in with the agent, boarding passes were issued, and we took our turn through passport control (surrendering our migration cards) and then on into the extensive duty-free shopping area just outside the gates. There was one more security screening to navigate at the actual gate, but since there were no shops, restrooms or drinking fountains past that point (you can’t even have bottled water), we decided to jam into the seating outside the gate and people watch.

The terminal was non-smoking, except in designated areas. One of the designated areas was right next to us. Instead of standing in the back, behind the exhaust fans, a few stood in front and blew smoke out into the seating area and the passing crowds.

As time passes, more and more adoptive parents arrive with a kid. Next trip that will be us!!

It is time to pass through the final security. All is fairly regular, until they stop Gayle to pat her down and feel that she is wearing a money belt (mine was empty, so I no longer wore it). In front of all the other passengers, they made her remove the belt, then they opened it and looked inside…at that point everyone knew we had a money belt.

A bit of a panic crept in. How are we going to manage all these security checks with two kids who barely know us, and then the long plane flight? Our mood sombered greatly. The rude smokers, a mean shop clerk, broken waiting area chairs, the stern security workers, the endless wait and an upset stomach didn’t help.

But, soon we were boarding the plane and sliding into our center aisle seats.

We saw the new parents and the kids throughout the flight and none seem stressed. The flight attendants were for the most part quite supportive, so the panic subsided as we made our way home.

It seemed that half of the attendants were Russian; the same may have been true for the passengers. So we heard a lot of Russian being spoken. When they addressed each passenger, the bilingual attendants had to decide which language to use. At least three times during the flight, different attendants spoke to me in Russian. I had been hoping that I was able to blend in while on the trip, maybe I did. We had intentionally brought dark clothing (mostly black) with the thought that that would be common.

At the end of the ten-hour flight when were about to land in New York there was an announcement by an attendant, which we did hear, but mistakenly dismissed as not applying to us. What she should have said was, “All passengers, no exceptions, must pick up their luggage at baggage claim and check it on the next flight.” She instead said something more vague. We assumed that since our luggage always had followed us in the past, then it would do the same this time also. Especially, since the tag that the agent applied in Moscow said “Phoenix”. So, when we naively boarded the flight to Atlanta, our luggage did not.

In Phoenix, we stood patiently at baggage claim, until everyone else had retrieved his or her bags and then, assuming the airline has messed up, we looked for the lost luggage office. The first thing the clerk asked was, “So, you saw your luggage in New York?”. “Huh?” “Oh my!” Confused and tired we met my sister Laura outside and headed home without our luggage. Delta promised to have it delivered to our home. The next day our bags arrived, safe and sound. Live and learn.

And so that chapter of our great adventure ended. It was good to be home, but we’re sad as we know have to wait for our court date.