June 12, 2010 - Day 2 of my journey to Africa (remember these are journal entries so the writing is a bit choppy and rough)
Last night's flight from Detroit to Amsterdam was miserable. The seats were squished, my back hurt so badly the whole seven hours I was in the air and I think I got one whole hour of sleep. Before the flight began, I met a man and his wife who were heading to Turkey. They were really nice and when I woke up from my one hour of rest they had saved some breakfast for me.
I wasn't very hungry though, I had been traveling non-stop since 11:15 yesterday morning and somewhere in the middle of it lost eight hours from time changes. My adventurous spirit has been crushed. I think I am so tired I can't think straight or focus on anything.
In Amsterdam I was thankful to walk around the airport for exercise... you know stretch the legs, straighten the back all the while looking for burnt orange T-Shirts that displayed the words "Share International". It was our one identifying symbol, I could just hear Sammy's parting advice - "you'll met the team in Amsterdam, you'll recognize them by their orange T-Shirts" echoing in my head. He was right. I met up with the rest of the team and became suddenly sad that I was the only one who didn't know anyone else. The rest of the team all knew each other and I began to feel like an outsider.
Note to self: Traveling by yourself is fun for the first two hours, then it becomes lonely and boring.
I think the weariness in my bones is affecting my thought process - must get rest soon.
So here I was with my teammates Dr. Rebecca, Renee, Mary and Gary Boswell, Tina, Peggy and Terry ready to go through security and board the plane. Renee and I are the youngest by about 11 years or so.
Going through security in Amsterdam was another not so fun thing. I felt like I had been violated as the security lady felt me, and searched me for the non-existent metal on my body. Too close for comfort if you ask me.
The plane to Kenya was quite large, it was the yacht of planes for the air instead of the sea. I had never seen such a big plane - it had stairs inside leading to an upper deck. Who knew something so big could fly? I think the Wright brothers would be impressed. I felt like a wide-eyed little girl who had stepped into a city for the first time. I sat next to a young man, about my age, headed to the World Cup. He's from Baltimore and second generation Ghana. He was cool, doesn't like flying though, so I was a bit chatty with him to ease his mind - or at least get it off the fact that he was in the air. I sometimes wonder what people think about me when I first meet them - especially on trips like this with only a plane ride of conversation. Do they think I am a quiet girl? a missionary kid? a nerdy wanna be teacher?a train wreck? Whatever the case, I don't think they can truly know the real me from a plane ride. Especially a plane ride in which you have had no sleep in the past 12 hours and have been flying nonstop the day before. Yes, I know - bitterness.
Well I do have 8 hours to go on this flight, I hope to get some sleep, I am so exhausted already - it's 10:45 am here and 2:45pm at home so that explains alot. Wait - did I take my malaria medicine today? Blasted time changes.
7:25pm - landing in Narobi! The big plane provided great sleeping time. I slept for about 5 1/2 hours if the flight - though I must admit I'm sure I looked funny moving around for my back pain trying to fit just right in the seat (stupid scoliosis). I know I slept with my mouth open for a bit. Let's just say I don't look pretty when I sleep.
Customs, thank the Lord was not a problem and seeing Sammy's face was a huge relief. We quickly packed into vans and were introduced to the bumpy roads of Africa. In Narobi, Korat to be exact, we received our room assignments, watched a bit of the world cup and then headed to bed. Renee and I will be roommates for the entire journey and I'm glad. She is a really sweet girl.
