The Alien Child has Arrived in Germany

After a series of mishaps, the boy is here at last.  The incoming Delta flight into Amsterdam was a bit late, and because of customs/security checks, he couldn't run fast enough to make the connecting flight to Dusseldorf at the other end of the airport.  The next flight was full, he missed the next flight because he fell asleep, and then he finally caught the one that arrived at 10:30 pm, a full 12 hours later than he was supposed to arrive.

It was a hassle for us, in that we left home and had to return three times; problem is that it takes about as much time for us to drive to Dusseldorf as it does for the plane to travel from Amsterdam to Dusseldorf, so the first time we ended up waiting a long time, the second time we almost got to the parking garage, and the third time we finally retrieved him. 

He seemed nevertheless to enjoy the extended layover, as it  gave him the opportunity to talk with people from many nationalities  and discuss their culture and beliefs while waiting around in the  airport, as well as explain a few things about the United States (such  as it's not technically a democracy, but a republic; and how there can  be different laws depending on what state you're in, instead of every  state having the exact same laws). In fact, he seemed at one point to  get an international discussion going with a group of people from  various nations regarding culture and politics; I think  he had a British, Dutch, French, German, and Nigerian discussing things.  He tried out the alternative tuning of a Frenchman's guitar, and he also flirted with a Dutch gal.  Since he got some enjoyable international discussions out of it, it's not a total waste.

Still, it's a relief finally getting him over here.