WEBVTT FILE X-TIMESTAMP-MAP=MPEGTS:0,LOCAL:00:00:00.000 1 00:00:02.640 --> 00:00:04.980 - Oh! Oh! 2 00:00:04.980 --> 00:00:07.700 Every bit of me's just shaking with emotion, 3 00:00:07.700 --> 00:00:09.560 and I just -- yeah. 4 00:00:09.560 --> 00:00:11.690 It hasn't sunk in that I'm here yet. 5 00:00:11.690 --> 00:00:16.520 The last time I saw my family was February last year. 6 00:00:16.520 --> 00:00:19.480 - No, two years ago. - Last year, 2020. 7 00:00:19.480 --> 00:00:20.680 Yeah, yeah. 8 00:00:20.680 --> 00:00:23.840 And yeah, been trying to get here ever since. 9 00:00:23.840 --> 00:00:25.510 So yeah, I decided I was gonna be 10 00:00:25.510 --> 00:00:30.440 on the very first flight coming in here today. 11 00:00:30.440 --> 00:00:33.970 - Elsie, who's this? ! 12 00:00:33.970 --> 00:00:36.470 - No, I think international -- I talked to information. 13 00:00:36.470 --> 00:00:39.010 They said international comes out it still. 14 00:00:39.010 --> 00:00:40.730 - Oh, there she is. 15 00:00:40.730 --> 00:00:42.410 I see her. 16 00:00:42.410 --> 00:00:43.850 - Well, I'm picking up my mom. 17 00:00:43.850 --> 00:00:46.470 She just arrived here from Germany, from Frankfurt, 18 00:00:46.470 --> 00:00:49.030 and I haven't seen her for years -- about four years. 19 00:00:49.030 --> 00:00:51.500 We usually go and see each other every two years. 20 00:00:51.500 --> 00:00:53.900 So, back and forth, she will come here a year, 21 00:00:53.900 --> 00:00:56.740 and I'll go back to Germany for a year. 22 00:00:56.740 --> 00:01:00.010 But because of corona, you know, 23 00:01:00.010 --> 00:01:02.440 we weren't able to do anything like that. 24 00:01:04.580 --> 00:01:05.860 - I'm here to visit my girlfriend. 25 00:01:05.860 --> 00:01:07.180 She's American. 26 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:09.290 It's been very hard with all the restrictions, 27 00:01:09.290 --> 00:01:12.380 'cause, like, we had to spend, like, a year and a half 28 00:01:12.380 --> 00:01:13.400 without seeing each other, 29 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:14.770 and then she was finally able to come 30 00:01:14.770 --> 00:01:16.240 when Europe opened up the restrictions, 31 00:01:16.240 --> 00:01:18.210 but then the US was still -- 32 00:01:18.210 --> 00:01:21.300 you know, everybody was still banned from traveling to the US, 33 00:01:21.300 --> 00:01:24.350 so I had to wait until now to be able to travel. 34 00:01:24.350 --> 00:01:26.140 I actually booked my flight in advance, 35 00:01:26.140 --> 00:01:28.100 and it happened to be exactly on the 8th, 36 00:01:28.100 --> 00:01:31.160 so I got lucky that I didn't need to reschedule. 37 00:01:38.590 --> 00:01:39.620 - Meeting my mom. 38 00:01:39.620 --> 00:01:42.010 She's flying from Kiev, Ukraine. 39 00:01:42.010 --> 00:01:47.020 And, so, we've been apart for a little bit over a year now. 40 00:01:47.020 --> 00:01:49.820 And finally, when the border was opened, 41 00:01:49.820 --> 00:01:52.530 she was able to, you know, get here. 42 00:01:54.850 --> 00:01:57.940 Originally, the tickets were a little earlier, 43 00:01:57.940 --> 00:02:00.090 so 'cause we didn't really know 44 00:02:00.090 --> 00:02:03.210 and didn't do our research about the ban, 45 00:02:03.210 --> 00:02:05.660 so we had to switch tickets again. 46 00:02:05.660 --> 00:02:09.300 And then, yeah, finally, she's flying here today. 47 00:02:12.730 --> 00:02:15.010 Well, first of all, I didn't recognize her, 48 00:02:15.010 --> 00:02:16.550 and I was waiting for her to call me. 49 00:02:16.550 --> 00:02:20.290 So, I didn't realize she was already off the plane 50 00:02:20.290 --> 00:02:22.770 and ready to, you know, come out. 51 00:02:22.770 --> 00:02:24.590 But no, exciting, and I didn't expect -- 52 00:02:24.590 --> 00:02:27.190 I actually had tears in my eyes. - Yeah. 53 00:02:27.190 --> 00:02:29.870 - I didn't think that was gonna happen. 54 00:02:29.870 --> 00:02:31.550 - I'm here to see my girlfriend. 55 00:02:31.550 --> 00:02:34.130 She's German, and she's coming 56 00:02:34.130 --> 00:02:35.900 in the first day she's allowed to come back in. 57 00:02:35.900 --> 00:02:39.450 So, it'd be nice if we could get back to normal. 58 00:02:39.450 --> 00:02:41.620 I'm glad that we finally reopened the borders. 59 00:02:41.620 --> 00:02:42.740 I mean, she's fully vaccinated. 60 00:02:42.740 --> 00:02:45.610 I'm fully vaccinated. 61 00:02:45.610 --> 00:02:47.820 You know, it'd be nice when we finally round the corner 62 00:02:47.820 --> 00:02:53.910 on this COVID thing. 63 00:02:53.910 --> 00:02:56.120 - I think COVID really got to all of us. 64 00:02:56.120 --> 00:02:58.720 And I work as a registered nurse, 65 00:02:58.720 --> 00:03:01.630 and I've seen what's going on, 66 00:03:01.630 --> 00:03:04.840 and I didn't want her to come for the same reason, 67 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:06.890 'cause I didn't want to get her sick. 68 00:03:06.890 --> 00:03:08.560 - It's been a while. - It's been an experience, 69 00:03:08.560 --> 00:03:11.550 but it's one that didn't have the end in sight, 70 00:03:11.550 --> 00:03:12.550 which was the hardest thing. 71 00:03:12.550 --> 00:03:13.990 You couldn't plan for anything, but -- 72 00:03:13.990 --> 00:03:15.420 -And then it suddenly happened. 73 00:03:15.420 --> 00:03:16.520 - Yeah. - Yeah. 74 00:03:16.520 --> 00:03:19.490 - Thanks to modern medicine and vaccines, 75 00:03:19.490 --> 00:03:21.060 this has become a reality, so -- 76 00:03:21.060 --> 00:03:23.350 -Yeah. - I feel safe for her 77 00:03:23.350 --> 00:03:25.890 to come here now after she has her booster, 78 00:03:25.890 --> 00:03:29.820 and I'm about to get mine tomorrow. 79 00:03:29.820 --> 00:03:33.600 So I feel that it is time for family to come back, reunite, 80 00:03:33.600 --> 00:03:36.000 and not pretend that COVID is not here, 81 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:41.150 but to actually live again -- you know, see each other, hug. 82 00:03:44.380 --> 00:03:49.000 - I'm happy, excited. 83 00:03:49.000 --> 00:03:51.790 - No words. - Oh, you made it. 84 00:03:51.790 --> 00:03:58.550 - Oh, my God! - Yeah.