Blog 1 - Departure Day, travel and more travel... and more travel


We started our journey off with a prayer service that most of you attended. After that we felt set and ready to get to the airport. The bus ride was a fun one, Uno games were played, and people conversed. As we reached the airport the nerves started to kick in. We get through security with a few minor inconvieninces. We were all a bit hungry and decided to head over to good old Chick-Fil-A. After almost loosing Kendall’s passport we arrived safely and comfortably on the plane. The first 8-hour flight was underway. We got served some dinner with the choice of ravioli or chicken, several of us took the opportunity to sleep. With roughly an hour left the staff came around to serve us breakfast. As we arrived in Amsterdam we swiftly made our way to the next gate. We had a few hours to spare so most of us decided to go explore the airport. There was a lot to do from foreign clothing stores to shop at, to grabbing a bite to eat at new restaurants. After doing everything there was to do
we still had quite a bit of time left before we took off. We mostly sat around some taking naps, some making bracelets, and chatting with each other. Once we were finally able to board the second plane we were given a moderate at best breakfast. At this time most of our bodies were a little confused and tired so we decided to take a long nap. There were many movies to watch and games to play on the little screen in front of us. Honestly, to us the first flight was a much better experience then the second. Finally after 20 hours of travel we made it to Kilimanjaro airport. From there we had to exit the plane directly on to the ground, which was a fun, new  experience for most of us. The first thing we all noticed was how unbelievable windy it was with dust and dirt being blown everywhere. We entered the airport with excitement but very tired and ready to get to the lodge. Even though customs took forever we made it through while practicing our Swahili. We all loaded onto a dola-dola (small bus) and headed to the lodge. Once we finally arrived we immediately started unpacking. The hotel was much nicer than expected. After exploring the rooms and giving ourselves a little tour around the lodge we were all called to a late dinner. We all tried new and exotic food that was different but in a good way. We also got to experience a few familiar drinks we have back in the US. Immediately after dinner we were all taught a few rules to know while staying at the Royal Crown (the hotel we are staying at). We were all exhausted and all decided to take some showers and head to bed. Before bed we needed to take a couple minutes to journal and take down our bug nets. As we think about the long day ahead of us the next day, we fell asleep.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog 7 Mikocheni Village and Uru, too!

Blog 7 Hamjambo! We woke up this morning at around 8:00 in the morning to get ready for   8:15 breakfast which was toast, pancakes, eggs, pineapple, and passion fruit. At breakfast many kids found out what passion fruit was! After a wonderful meal we hopped into the chopper a.k.a a bus. We road to Mikocheni, a rural village, which took about an hour. On the way, we got to see many stages of sugarcane growth. Baba Dick explained to us that the land is basically a whole business called TPC. While we were on our way many of us were expecting to walk through their village, see their homes and maybe see a couple kids but mostly families. When we arrived we met Father Shukuru and walked over to the church. The first church we walked past was very small and run down. It was very shocking to see the poverty and what they used to use to fit so many people into for a mass service. We then walked over to the new church and were amazed to see what they had accomplished. It w
Read more

Blog 11 - visit to the Mama's homes

Day 11 Hello all, we hope everything is going well back home. Everything is going smoothly here. We were sad today because we had to say goodbye to many people that have become our friends. It was our last day working at the schools and women’s group.             In the morning most people woke up around 7:20 for a breakfast scheduled at 7:30. However, not everybody was ready at the planned time, therefore, breakfast started a couple minutes late. Breakfast included pancakes, toast, eggs, bananas, and papayas. Some of the eggs were coated in salt making them taste bad and difficult to swallow. While eating breakfast, everybody got to choose where they said their goodbyes. Ashlea choose St. Louis and Ben picked Upendo. Each group left around 8:30 for their destination.             While Ashlea was walking to St. Louis she was looking forward to seeing a girl named Beatrice who is in P3: the equivalent to third grade. When Ashlea arrived she went straight to th
Read more

One More Blog plus read this PARENTS

Hello, Your kids are amazing!  It was the healthiest group ever and they did an amazing job of keeping two feet in Africa.  You should know that for some the reintegration back to their life in the USA is a little tough at first.  For example, these kids began the experiencing wondering what time it was and ended it by wondering what day it is. They have learned a lot and changed a bit. Be patient with this new wondrous person returning home. I can almost guarantee several tardies at school this week.  It is what it is. DO NOT FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR CHILD FROM THE AIRPORT! We arrive on Delta 161 from Amsterdam arriving at MSP at 1:49 PM. Please don't be late.  Park and come in and greet us! The kids are excited to see you. Thank you for allowing your child to join me on this amazing journey.  Peace and God bless, Baba Dick
Read more