When the plane landed in L.A., instead of going directly to the terminal, it parked at the maintenance facility, which was all the way on the other side of the field. We had to take a bus across the entire airport, which took forever. Once we got there, we went into a regular terminal instead of the international terminal. As soon as we walked in, the smoke alarm went off and wouldn’t turn off, so we had to deal with an annoyingly loud buzzer going off constantly.

After clearing customs and getting my bags, I met Dad and Krista, who were waiting for me just outside. It was great seeing them again, and they really hadn’t changed.

Our first stop was In-n-Out Burger. I couldn’t believe how different it was from a Chinese restaurant. We waited in line patiently, no one screamed at the waiters, and then we waited around for our food.
Once I got used to the fact that everything was different, I really enjoyed the burger, which I’d been craving for so long. It was great to sit outside and watch the airplanes landing at LAX while we ate.

The very next morning, at 4 a.m., we caught a flight to Telluride, CO. We had to first fly to Denver and then take a very small airplane (Beech 1900) into Telluride. I really enjoyed the flight because the cockpit didn’t have a door and I could watch what the pilots were doing and see the view ahead.

The view, once we got to Telluride, was amazing. The air was extremely fresh and my jaw kept dropping at the beautiful mountains and natural features of the countryside. We had a nice Mexican lunch, which I hadn’t had in forever. Our hotel, which was more of a house than a hotel, was huge and amazing. It had a wonderful kitchen, huge TV, wireless Internet, and a private Jacuzzi. I unfortunately wound up spending a lot of time there, as I got sick on the second day. Everyone actually got sick, including my little brother Mikey.

My sister Rachel arrived three days later. Dad, Krista and I went to pick her up at the airport. I couldn’t believe the reaction I got when she saw me. She let out a huge scream, ran over and gave me a great hug. She was visibly excited, as was I. We quickly caught up, discussed our lives, and got right back into our old routine.

Over the next few days, we spent many hours watching movies, playing games, taking pictures and just catching up. It was a great trip, great environment, and the company was great. It is very nice to be home, but I definitely miss China, my apartment, my Chinese friends, and definitely my girlfriend, 申琦.