Guus Bosman

Yesterday I traveled from the Netherlands back to Durham.

My flight was at 2.30 pm, so we didn't have to leave Middenmeer very early. After packing my bags we had coffee with a piece of pie from the party, and then left for Schiphol.

Checking in my bag took a little while, but when that was done we still had time for a visit to Starbucks. We said goodbye, and I went through security. I was a little worried if they'd check the weight of my hand luggage, but they didn't catch the fact that I was flying with so many books.

I resisted the urge to buy even more chocolate in duty-free, and had a quick sandwich while waiting for the gate to open. The security at the gate was more relaxed this time -- no interviews, only X-ray checks.

The flight to Atlanta was almost 9 hours, followed by a short 1 hour flight to Raleigh/Durham. The first flight was a code-share with KLM and the flight attendants where Dutch. I really liked the food they served -- modern versions of Dutch classics such as red cabbage, apple pie and speculaas ice cream.

My car was still there and the luggage arrived right away (although the bag suffered some damage).

It's great to be home and see Sasha; I've been away for 12 days. I missed the Zanes by a day -- they were at Amy's for Thanksgiving and visited Sasha on Saturday.

Today I'm taking a day off to unpack.

That was an excellent party!

Yesterday morning Jaap brought me to the train station in Hoorn. While I was waiting in line I wanted to look up the precise itinerary on my phone and then I realized I had left it in the car. Without my phone I'd have a hard time finding Joost's office in Rotterdam and it would be impossible to meet up with Paula and Eveline...

I left the station and walked downtown Hoorn to see if I could find my father. I figured he'd go to the bakery first (for some vlaai for Friday's party) but after 15 minutes I walked back to the station -- where Jaap was waiting for me!

I traveled with Fyra, the new highspeed train to Rotterdam. I spent very pleasant time in two bookstores and had an Indonesian lunch.

This morning Jaap and I visited my mom's school.

It's nice to visit the kids. Some of them remembered me from last year.

My father encouraged me: "say something unforgettable!". I told the kids to study well, especially English. Felt like a president.