Cultural: visiting from the US!

It arrived!  It arrived!

My nephew is here...my sister's second son - got here yesterday afternoon. He arrived, no problem.  On time. Just fine.  No worse for the wear - he's young.

They packed up two suitcases but only one arrived with him.  The other apparently was floating around customs in Frankfurt, Germany while he was searching for it on the belt here in Warsaw.

About 9:30 pm we got a text from Lufthansa saying the bag had been found - and that it was arriving in Warsaw and they gave a link....which said that the bag had been located and was on a plane to Warsaw and would arrive at 9:45 pm.  I then figured they would bring the bag in the middle of the night, but thankfully, they didn't.

Mike got another call this morning saying that the bag was in and that they would be here in 20 min. In 15 minutes the car was driving up and we got the bag.  

Everything was in the bag--the things I ordered and some things from my mom and my sister, as well as a few things for other people.

Just in case you are wondering what all a quilter who is technically an "expat" wants from the US when a visitor comes...here's what I ordered/was sent:

The picture doesn't include three bridesmaids dresses, as well as some small tools and a book for my husband.  But the rest - battings, Sizzix dies, color catchers, a quilt top, some fabric in special colors, a book, 2 long tape measures, a 6 1/2" ruler, 2 sheet sets, some Cold-Eeze and other OTC medicine from my mom = it's truly like Christmas!  

And you know that I've adjusted to living here because there isn't any food in this "stuff" (just cornstarch - we have potato starch, but I save cornstarch for pudding  as it tastes better than potato starch in this particular recipe - the filling for Boston Cream Pie - in case you are curious). When we were first here, suitcases were filled with food items - things from "home".  

But it's a relief to get it all in!  

I went to sleep last night thinking they would deliver in the middle of the night so it was a pleasant surprise to wake up this morning and realize that I had slept through without being awakened by a phone call at midnight.

The first and second mornings are pretty hard to get up - so we normally let our guests sleep til 9 am - just to help them get a little acclimated without being cruel.

I've got him scheduled to do a couple of things to help me - not too sure how excited he will be about that, but ...

But then, of course, we know he wants to visit Ikea - he's never been there - so we'll see about going, and maybe some historical places in Warsaw. Stay tuned.