Apeldoorn Hotels
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Pondering on my second night here in Apeldoorn...
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My flight arrived here in Amsterdam at approximately 6:35 AM, December 26, 2007. It was so dark outside. I had to go pee, so I walked fast to the nearest restroom. After that amazing experience, I went to the baggage claim and waited only 2 minutes before my 2 luggages came out. I walked out to the arrival hall easily with no "custom goods" guards guarding the exit. As I walked out, it seemed like we were the first plane to arrive at the terminal since there was no standing outside the gate. I even looked around before finding my uncle on the far right corner of my sight. We greeted each other and went straight to the car talking about my flight, stressful school stuff, drama...etc.
In my mind, all I could think about was my cousin Jennifer, who was at the hospital under chemotherapy treatment for leukemia. I was so eager to see her and that was the first destination we were headed from the airport. In just about 35 minutes, we arrived at the hospital; however, since we were a couple hours earlier than visiting hours, we stayed in the lobby which had internet ready computers to give us something to do while waiting. Soon, her father and sister walked in from the "hospital dorm for parents/family" and waited with us. At about 8:30 AM, we decided to just go in and see her despite the rules (they aren't that strict anyways).
When I first walked in, she instantly smiled and greeted me as I greeted back. It just hit me 100%. This is real. Her leukemia is real. This is reality. Before, even though I grieved over the news that she had leukemia, I didn't want to believe. I mean, who would? But seeing her laying on her bed with dark circles under her eyes, pale, and fatigue, I finally accepted it. As much as I wanted to burst into tears, I held it back knowing that it would just make her sad and I simply did not want that. I knew I had to be strong for her as she was being strong for herself and her family. After greeting her mom too, I sat down and pondered while my uncles spoke to each other. My aunt, who I call "Yi Gim", commented on my weightloss and joked about me worrying too much about Jennifer. Jennifer smiled. I did not know how to build a conversation with her since I was basically speechless and also the fact she was too tired to talk much at all. General conversations did come up though. Before I went downstairs to grab some breakfast, I handed her a little Christmas gift sent from my friend, Maverick.
After breakfast, I went back to the room where Jennifer is staying while my uncle Thanh went back the airport to pick up my other two cousins. I told Jennifer about the group I create for her on facebook.com. She was surprised that 80 plus people already joined the group. I joked that she was famous now that strangers knew her. She read some of the comments that were left for her and appreciated them. For the next hour, we were youtubing on her laptop as she showed me one of her favorite music videos. Later, my two cousins (also from the U.S.) arrived and greeted Jennifer. It was nice to see the big smile on her face when she saw them.
Our next destination was my grandparents' home. We planned to surprise them since they were the only ones that were not informed about my two cousins. I walked in first and my grandma immediately asked if I came alone. It was so funny in a bitter sweet way, that she was disappointed. I guess there was a rumor around that my mom was going to come with me on this trip, so my grandma was expecting her. In just about 2 minutes, the door bell rang and my little cousin, Damon, went to go open the door. Well, watch the video and you'll see.:
***to be continued.
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