It is always sad when we need to leave family members behind. Yesterday, my son Oliver and brother Jim drove us to the KI Sawyer International Airport in Marquette, Michigan, to start our journey home. Oliver will be staying in our home in Caspian until his classes start in August at St. Norbert College. I was a bit teary-eyed saying goodbye to him. It is so nice to have all of the family together. We are now down to three, with only our youngest daughter returning to Tashkent with us. She will be graduating in June 2026. The drive from Caspian to the airport took a bit longer than usual because we were stuck behind a combination of drivers going under the speed limit. With such a low population density, roads in the Upper Peninsula are usually only 2 lanes.
The international terminal (#5) at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is distant from the other terminals. We always need to go either to or from Terminal 5. There are two ways of doing this: take the train from any of the domestic terminals or seek out a bus that leaves every 20 minutes from a gate in Terminal 3. We made it to our departure gate in plenty of time, and I think I may have slept or kind of slept for most of the 13-hour flight from Chicago to Doha. The Hamad International Airport is one of the best airports in the world. It is an architectural marvel, completed in 2014 from reclaimed land. The airport has a good number of shops, restaurants, and plenty of seating areas. We met my uncle Jack at the airport who is staying with us for a couple of weeks as we set up our new house. He got me access to the Qatar Airways Privilege Club lounge. I am only a QA Burgundy, but hopefully will move to a Gold or Platinum Status.
The flight from Doha was only 3 hours, and we touched down between 1:30 AM and 2:00 AM. We arrived at our new house around 3:00 AM. It is now a battle of jet lag this week as I start work for the 2025-2026 academic year. We joke that everytime we visit the Tashkent International Airport that there is a new major construction project. This time didn’t disappoint with a brand new arrivals greeting hall. Officials extended the arrivals hall leading from the baggage claim area. We can now wait for people arriving inside the hall instead of outside. Uncle Jack and Nadia will be setting up the house, and I will be welcoming the incoming staff.
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