Home Sweet Home But Not Really
BY MICHAEL 'KARATE MASTER" MONTESA, MESA, AZ, USA - I'm finally home after 33 hours of flying and sitting in airports. It feels good to be home and be able to have a warm shower, wear fresh smelling clothes, and know that water runs 24 hours a day. My body knows that I'm home but my mind is still behind in Zambia. I really do miss the place and now I realize that I am not ready to be home yet. I miss the wake up call and taking turns using the shower before the hot water runs out. I miss the roundtable talk with Cyndi in the morning during breakfast and during dinner. I miss everything.
Living with the crew for 27 days was fun. We went through a lot of challenges but we overcame all of them. We worked it out together and shared everybody's input on things. I am so proud of our film crew because we worked like a team and nobody held grudges on each other.
Coming home was especially challenging for me. While in Johannesburg Airport in South Africa, the British Airways Counter person refused to let me on board the plane because I was missing the plane ticket stub. (I guess on the way from London to South Africa, they ripped the wrong ticket so I had the opposite ticket). After much discussion with many people, they finally let me board the plane. Then before boarding the plane, they wouldn't allow me to carry my camera bag because it was big and they said will not fit on the overhead bin which it does. So I took all my camera and lenses and I was downgraded to a clear plastic bag and a laptop computer.
While in London, we had a seven hour layover. Just enough time to visit the Hyde Park by the Paddington Station. That was a nice break after 10 hours of flight. We were able to enjoy the London weather and able to walk around. Then at the the Terminal 4, we had to go through a tough security check again and had to follow a long line. That was a nightmare. Finally, before boarding the flight to Phoenix, the US. Homeland Security checked my passport and asked me a few questions. I got scared for a while but they were nice enough to let me board my flight. That was my first time ever to get checked by the Homeland Security. I'm a frequent traveler and this is the the first ever. After getting to Phoenix, AZ, I found out that my camera bag never made it to the U.S. Unfortunately, it was the same for Pam's luggage (remember Pam lost her luggage for 3 weeks while we were in Zambia). Hopefully, our bags will turn out today. I'm very positive on that.
Now that I'm back in the US, I feel some sadness and void in my heart. It will never be the same again like it was for those four weeks. We became a family and more than good friends. There are some people that I have known or worked with for a while like Cyndi, Carlos and Alec. There are some people that I got to know for the first time. I got to know MK and Pam and made a special bond with them. I also got to know Shawn and he became like my little brother. We watched out for each other and we worked together all the time. He actually made a big impact on me about filmmaking. He knows tons of stuff about film and I learned a lot from him.
Looking back on our journey, I feel lucky that I had this opportunity. I will remember this forever and cherish it. I am home but its not quite the same again. I am looking forward on getting together with everybody on the crew again.
