How to Prolong Jet Lag as Long as Possible

Coming from Taiwan, I pretty much have to switch night and day in my body clock. It's killer jet lag. I must subconciously get some kind of enjoyment out of it because I've been making it last as long as possible by getting only a few hours of sleep each night and only allowing myself to nap during such opportune times as wedding rehearsals and graduation programs. But now I'm back on the parents' farm with no immediate plans other than to play with my dog, sleep, watch movies and reacquaint myself with the countryside.

Last summer, I was able to come home for a few weeks in August. Upon arrival in Vancouver, I had tons of difficulties with Air Canada from grumpy employees who vacated their work station when I was next in line to my flight being cancelled at boarding time so I had the privilege of being put on standby to Calgary. So this time, I was excited to be staying in the Vancouver area and not having to deal with a frustrating airline. This excitement was shortlived as we made our way through customs and were forced into the dreaded "search every cranny of your bag" room. There were not too many other Caucasians in the room. The poor officer was not too excited to see our three massive hockey bags, one gigantic suitcase and four carry-ons, but proceeded to make a mess of our careful packing while repeatedly asking us if we had switchblades, drugs, or bongs. He even asked if we were tempted to buy any. Gregg got away less than an hour before his flight to Calgary. I felt bad because my friend Nickie's mom was waiting to pick me up for over an hour. But surprise, surprise, the officer found nothing incriminating in our bags.

Nickie was my accountability partner while in Taiwan and still a very good friend. I was slightly nervous about going to her wedding because she was the only person I knew. It gets lonely at a wedding if you only know the bride. But from the moment I met her mom in the airport, it felt like I was part of the family. She promptly took me to Washington where I was reunited with Nickie and went to her brand new house in Sumas. The next few days were a blur as I shadowed Nickie in her final wedding preparations, met her fiancee Phil (finally), and managed to stay up late each night. I even got my hair done with the bridesmaids and the bride, and Carissa the candlelighter who I was blessed to spend the entire day with. After two years of having to wear a helmet every day, it sure felt nice to have beautiful hair. The wedding was beautiful and suited Nickie to a tee. I was given the honor of reading a passage out of 1 Corinthians 13.

The reception was fun. We had to blow party favors to get the new couple to kiss. Mine was defective and sounded like a cow in labor. When it came time to throw the bouquet, all the single females came up - about four women my age and a dozen little kids. I felt old. Thankfully Carissa charged through the children to catch the bouquet. Since I was riding back to Canada with Nickie's family, I got to stay at the reception until the doors were locked and help clean up. I scraped candle wax off the floor with a pie server.

The next morning, after two hours of sleep, I flew from Abbottsford to Regina via Calgary on WestJet where I was thanked for choosing them instead of an airline on the verge of bankruptcy. The first leg of the flight I got to watch live satellite TV. The second leg took me over the grid of fields of Saskatchewan. I loved looking down and seeing the crops, correction lines and farms. It was so beautiful - although after life in Asia I was a little weirded out by the extreme amount of space. Mom and Gregg picked me up and after some errands, we made our way to Caronport.

Caronport is the home of Briercrest Family of Schools. I attended the college for three years and have no burning desire to live there again. But since my aunt and uncle live there, I always get to go back. The occasion this time was my baby brother Grant's graduation. After two years of being an Asian orphan, I was overwhelmed in the midst of all my relatives, especially the ones hugging me. Gregg showed off his t-bird, including his ability to burn rubber. Grant and my cousins have all acquired a lot of muscle mass. And I must brag, my cousin Michael got second in provincials in hurdles. We were late for the banquet and I had to nap before the lengthy grad-parent program, a crazy kind of talent show. Grant played some guitar. Since I didn't know many of the kids, I slept on a pew for the first hour and a half. The next day was the ceremony. Grant listened to his I-pod for the whole thing.

I felt really old there. Kids who were in grade twelve when I was an intern are getting married and some already have kids. I visited my married friends the Henkelmans and heard more news of college friends settling down. As I survey the large pile of possession on the floor of my childhood bedroom, I realize I have enough stuff to furnish a house, but I don't foresee that happening any time soon. Anyone want to go to South America?