London and home!

Friday June 11, 2010
Heathrow is a bit of a scramble. It is 6:30 am and we have to change terminals, get our boarding passes, get some pound notes, and perhaps catch a tube into London. Manage to get everyone to the correct terminal in a couple of stages and get the passes. We jump on an underground train (tube) into London, not as simple as it sounds, and get off at Leicester Squre. Breaking up into smaller groups sounds like the most workable plan, so we ensure each group has at least one adult and go our separate ways, planning to reunite at the same tube station for the return trip to the airport. Peter makes sure everyone knows how to get back and when to be back in case we get separated, and off we go.
Some groups find the way to an H&M store for a shopping expedition, others wander around and others grab a bite to eat. When we meet at the appointed time, we only have 21 out of 29 people, but decide the others will find their way back and head off to the airport. Lose Larry after he fails to get off at the right terminal, so were down to 20 out of 29. Decide this is close enough and proceed through security. We tell the kids to just wander around and show up at the gate on time and lo and behold - they do! Such seasoned world travellers they have become! The missing 9 people have also showed up, so we are all together again and board the plane at the appointed time without incident. Peter has found out that one bag from our group's luggage did not get loaded - no idea whose, so everyone is sure it must be theirs. Get welcomed aboard and Megan is wished a Happy Birthday - she shares the birthday with the co-pilot.
We taxi out and then stop. They decide some computer thing is not working so they return and get someone to come fix it. We have our departure time pushed back by 35 minutes. Megan is invited to the front and has her picture taken with the co-pilot. Decide whatever is not working can't be fixed so they make arrangements to borrow one from another airline - it will take 35 minutes to arrive. Our 3 hour layover in Toronto is starting to look a bit tight and Peter is starting to get quite concerned. Not that we don't love the students and enjoy every minute spent with them, but we REALLY want to get them back to their parents in Winnipeg tonight! We keep an eye on the students to make sure they are okay with the stress, but Pete seems to be the only one having a meltdown.
We finally take off - we still have a little over 1 hour in Toronto to make the connection, but need to clear customs. Peter tries to make the plane fly faster through sheer will power.
Land in Toronto and bolt for the customs - clear it with no problems, despite the number of Masai knives and spears the kids are bringing back. Grab our luggage - it's Susan's extra bag that is missing - and head for the next check in. With helpful assistance from the Toronto airport employees, we get our baggage rechecked for the final leg and head for security. A testy agent there complains about the duty free stuff we have from Heathrow eventhough it is properly sealed. We all make it through except for Janice, who for no apparent reason has her purchase taken away, much to her very great displeasure. We are the last to get on the plane, just after the final boarding call.
After an uneventful flight to Winnipeg, we disembark and get the kids together as a group to go and meet the waiting crowd who greet them with cheers and applause. A few tears (happy ones) as our journey ends.
In a final ironic twist, Peter discovers he has lost his passport AFTER we landed in Winnipeg. This is my fault because he put it down while helping me get my carry-on from the overhead compartment.

All in all, it was a perfect trip and a truly life-changing experience for each one of us.