The beginning of my vacation...

... well, almost!!! One more day to work (tomorrow) and then I'm off for two weeks!!! Needless to say I'm overly excited at the thought of not having to go into work. And at the thought of a weeklong trip through New England.

I picked up Sabrina and Corinna from the airport a few hours ago. It was a very interesting experience for me. I, for one, have been at so many airports that they just don't seem to make that big an impression on me. I still love the planes, the flying but the actual buildings, the security, the people... well I could do without all that.

Today was different. Maybe because I was not the one to leave but the one to pick up, as I sat by international arrivals, I started noticing people. It was strange at first... I kept looking at the automatic doors to see if my friends would be the next to come through. But they weren't and for the next 45 minutes I read my book and every now and then I'd look up to see other people coming through the doors. It was the reception some people got that created goosebumps for me. A man who came through the door, with three suitcases juggling in his hands, suddenly dropping everything when a piercing scream of "DADDY!!!!" could be heard through the entire building. A team of three kids, aged something like 5, 4 and I'm guessing 2 started running towards him and jumped into his open arms. Everyone around them was just so happy, everyone smiled at that sight.
Then there's the lovers who meet again after being apart for who knows how long. The girlfriend running into her boyfriend's arms, the husband twirling his wife around. And since today was mother's day, a lot of sons and daughters meeting their parents and wishing their mom a very happy mother's day.
It was nice to witness those encounters and they reminded me a lot of the opening and ending of the movie "Love actually".
And then, there's of course those who are alone. Those who, like me usually, come through the arrivals doors and don't even bother to look around hopefully because they know nobody will be there to pick them up. They look down to the floor and disappear from the "arrivals stage" in a few seconds, probably headed towards the cab stand or the buses or the subway or the rental cars. I wanted for them to look up, so I could at least smile at them, maybe that would make it more bearable to brave the way home alone but they just didn't see the point of looking up. Just like I wouldn't. A sobering experience in the midst of mostly joy of seeing loved ones.

All in all, I had forgotten what it's like to have butterflies in your stomach though, waiting for someone to show up. I was actually NERVOUS and really excited to see my friends... it was so nice to feel this way again.

So for the next few days, we will be travelling through New England, along the coast of Maine, into New Hampshire again and then into Vermont. I've got a ton of films and a ton of miniDV tapes - so there will be lots of pictures and films taken. Not sure how many will make it here but, provided there is internet access, I shall try my best to update on the road.

Time for bed now... night night! ;-)