May 13 to 18 - Bit of an interlude. We fly out of Kota Kinabalu at about 03:00, landing in Manila at 06:00. Here, change terminals and take three more flights, connecting through Seoul and Seattle, landing finally in Portland, Oregon, late afternoon on May 13.
I have condensed our time here into one entry. I know Portland very well, so there isn’t much to relate that is new to any of us. And this segment is really just about family.
I expected it to be strange coming back to the US after 405 days. But it didn’t feel any different than normal. The only real change is that I don’t have to strategize the time and there is no transportation puzzle or language barrier, so it is more relaxing. We use this opportunity to buy things, and also leave a roller bag full of stuff that we don’t need in Asia. Also, my telephone is fully operative for the first time.
We are here to attend the graduation of my son, Bequerel, from Reed College. His degree is in anthropology, with a senior thesis entitled: In the shadow of capitalism: experiences of disabled USians in the contingent workforce.
Odette’s grandparents are here, so it is a joy for all of us to see everyone, and also to see Beq (Odette hasn’t seen him for nearly two years). And it has been about that amount of time since any of us have seen my dad and stepmother Agnes. My mom we saw last on Day 128, in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
On May 15 we attend the graduation ceremony, under a large tent on Reed College campus. There are around 300 students getting their diplomas. The weather is hot by Portland standards, though to us it is refreshing and not humid.
We meet up with some friends and generally enjoy our ‘quiet’ time. Meet up with some friends on May 17, and off to the airport to fly back to Asia on May 18.
The US is the only part of the trip I have not included in the travel cost spreadsheet. Costs end on May 12 when we depart from Sabah, and start again when we fly into Manila May 19.
USA (Oregon)