So I'm back in the U.S. and wanted to take this time to share some of my experiences upon returning. The trip back, which I took with Priscilla went very smoothly. We took the early train to Frankfurt and devised an effective plan for manuevering luggage up and down the stairs and from train to train. One of us would stand on the train, while the other handed all the luggage up from the platform. We changed trains once and arrived at the airport with plenty of time to catch our flight.

We arrived in Chicago, and were immediately annoyed with the U.S. The long line snaking through just one of four customs lines designated for U.S. citizens seemed not to be a re-entry point, but rather a daycare center. There were no less than 8 children directly in front of us and 3 behind us. Screaming, whining children. I had gotten so used to the dramatically lower number of small children in Germany that I had almost completely forgotten their over-abundance in the US.

After picking up our luggage, Priss and I then parted ways, as she lives in Chicago. I rechecked my luggage and headed to my connecting flight to Greenville-Spartanburg. I took a crowded tram to my gate area, then had to go through security again. It was, again, quite a line to wait in and I was more annoyed than ever at the ridiculous rule about removing shoes. (I had been wearing them for about 21 hours at this point. They smelled, er, not their best, and the woman at the gate made sure to announce it to the world that they didn't.)

When I heard the man behind the X-ray machine announce "bag check!" as my bag rolled through, I tried not to scream with frustration. After all, I had had over 2 hours from when my flight from Frankfurt landed and when my flight to GSP started boarding, and now I only had about 20 minutes left. The man that performed my bag check slowly unzipped my bag with gloved hands and proceeded to take out everything in my bag in the slowest fashion possible. I'm sure he was going to slow as to make sure not to break anything. Certainly it wouldn't occur to him that one might be late because of the dreaded "bag check!" call. I'm convinced 'in a timely manner' is not in his job description.

A small change cup was the culprit. Apparently everything jumbled together is hard to dechiper on an X-Ray machine. It was also the last item he pulled out of my bag. After hastily snatching my items back and ramming them into my bag (to which he replied "What time does your flight leave?" Hmmm... so maybe it had occured to him?), I took off in search of my gate. I had about 10 minutes to find it. Seems like plenty of time, until you consider the size of the O'Hare airport.

Finally, I found my gate. Of course, it was the last gate in the terminal, all the way at the end of the hall. I had about 5 minutes before they started boarding, because the flight before was delayed by a late passenger. On the plane, a rather rude air attendant announced we were 'welcomed' to our flight. Luckily, I was able to catch about 30 minutes of shut eye before arriving in GSP.

I love the GSP airport. So small and unencumbered. I simply walked off my flight, down a few stairs and met Valerie! Though one of my bags wasn't in the terminal, it was 'on it's way' and was delivered to Valerie's house the very next day. Now I've fixed up my car, spent time with family, and moved into my new apartment in Clemson. Next on the list: finding a job.

As for now, I'm thoroughly annoyed at Clemson University. They offer no help for study abroad students. It seems every person is out of the office or simply will not return my phone calls/emails. Lovely. I have to pay an extra $34 for my parking permit, as I can't transfer any credits and get the senior discount. I can't get my scholarships until I transfer my credits and show that I didn't sit on my butt all last year by not attending classes. I can't transfer credits until I get an official transcript from Germany, because Clemson doesn't take the Scheinen. I can't get a transcript until I send the Scheinen back to Germany and wait for their return. AHHHH!!